THE GREAT MEETING ‘OVEMBER3, 1519, WAS A LURNING POINT INTHE HISTORY OF THE vod On hat diy, seve hundred Spankh aventrers rode thee hres ito acyl ay place cey hid ever senor ead of Ke ws omuchbiggersndsicher than any cya are thatthe Spas gape inawe atthe dasig seen ‘Les than wo yeas ater, the Span “hong ti nani were ew ap the iy wa deepal of mig ‘Ameen empire. Asal vat outnumbered ore had taken oe ¢ huge highly adranced and ich mpc with ferociously tough army. ‘The Buropeans won in Mesic. Tie weapons and bate cic were no sapere ‘e those ofthe Native Areccans, bt they were diferent, The same thing would happen years ern Per, whe Paar conquered the Lac, Why dit happen agin and apie? ACITY OF MYSTERY ‘The city tat the Sanh ener ins ws Teochtilin, Tstin the heart Meio, ‘warm, fee basin fngd ith mountains, Inthe mide ofthe bain puke the ley ean water of Lace Teacoco, miles lon Tenocilda was noe the st gent ‘ep enjoy this maifcene setng.Athousatd years cei, mative sone cy ‘ad sien near the ae notessera shoe. had congaered thet yee eer eedNoone know what he pole wo OR wes, cee yo knw pope ge the ame Tein, td cha sow we aw ted Tenn ete tal Wits, en of myn the en. Aba ‘oto yaa Boge og ary foes ou cease Tact ‘ae or of cen Mex The lage {nd gown cota cy moran sopco propewtn coment aban The cy was ez’ aun the ‘Stas the dco ng aan ‘oT Pyramids of the Sen nd aon towered over te weno nah The Pye ofthe Sun ware oth hid ge pi ad i eo of deep evs he pole of secures eye cae mayne beseech eww humans a cae SaUEtS titre shccarh Aho se oy sng te venue ee grange oft Sipaccaetn eh” athe Sep, home tenance he emp of Tana sd owe yew oi soa ven he nus ken by spo known Th ih ecru eo errhp hv oe dele They Kae jena enya, bh cn fs dwar Ala ae seth hg inf he cpl mn ous de rom mode Meco ly Teotihuacan was a city of more than THEEAGLE ON THE CACTUS Theenpicofhodinciegne itesatainema 200,000 people- cpp urban center {lm eg Te tec nota One peu Nes ‘on Teotibuacéa. They liked to think that they hadinheritedits §=@N ENOrMOous he nes ec wh Ti Thao over oer se ef ef Wobacin bt scope ininhloccdmsenigionspoesicenivens, fOL that time. Tern poes he Meer ec nny che inno ‘niseehctanetinenon contetenncntancecnene erie bpmare powerfl enemies Cent the smry of what happened fe the Mice eto swans nine nd om ‘he wes ed of he ke ‘The Mexia wandered around he sad ery, he wrote, aking fo food ada plac ost, unt ne of ee rests had visio ina dean. topo he tron deity ofthe Mea, ppered and tld the people to search the meamp for ‘urch— eactus On that carts, he god protsd, they would see an eagle wring ‘slfin the sen. The next moenng che people id ndacatuswithan eae sitingo8 Ar that pr, they founded thirty which they called Tenocidn, AL Fst, the new cgeatte store ater, mount to much. A stronger city-state on the ninared the Menica, wha ado sendmento gh ha oer stata Abt ‘canary afer the founding of Tenchi, though, tings changed forthe beter, ‘hanks totwo Mexican ruler Ttcoatlan hisnphew Taco Tess wath tet, "healer in change of was and reine withthe sates Tlaae a th ciart n arg ofthe internal poet ofthe tae, but he wa eal the more power of ‘the worl Tenoeita rami the scenes fr mae tango yarong Macc had he ide of olin Tnochn in an linc with ovo other stl underdog ciy-sates vo overheads, The plan worked. The tree ‘ctrious states called themslves the Tile Alene wit the Menes te most ower of the thre, (The Tile Aliance mae oe cilled the Artec empte, but the erm Aue was popularized by Earopeanwites Inubeainctenehceniry Kowasnever ase Tipe Allnce member to refer to theses) Tecackel wat a visionary and patriot who leliwe thatthe Mexia would one dy clea ast tpt. To do so, the Mexia needed tw things & orioos past and a sacred mision, accel et shout reste oth, ‘The rel past af he Meni was one of poverty ‘snd hari. T hie that award fat ao is fom ober states but alo fom the Mexic theme, Tacedel ordered the pies ko barn thei peoples ween Sole, They then wrote new ones fill oF get does. Teele also pot Jorma an elaborate new religous mythology. Tt male Hisitelopochl at the sun, whose aria vasa heft ofal people I chs ytologs, the Mic a sacred duty to congo the world “Anocer of Mace craton may have been istry’ fist ange seale program of mandatory edoction. Every mae citizen had 0 wo schoo! ‘ntl was 6, This emphasis on ering was pare of ageat lowering of poetry nd philosophy Moe owns survive i Nehua, the langage of the ‘Tipe Allance, than nthe eguge of the fous (Grek thinkers of the ancene woe. Sons ch ol eid 64 hts flea were poner of war AB the Meica saw thee Ais ar of cnet eg th epee w ‘mode toe uh, ep Be ees ate he eno ‘Bote wer publ eos uk at el peo 1 el The Toe Alans may hve sated 3.00, 4000 pepe «ya Epes ve ope, bt {mon i dann Eng foro Soo nn rr pr an es ot a Ol ois, tray ne ett one |“THIS BARBARIAN LORD” Ja efit go years, the Tipe Alliance eich and powerfal Then,on Apis, 1519, 4 Spanish conguistaor sumed Henin Cortés landed om the eat cot of Mesca, near where te cy of Vea fiom Spin colonies in the Castbean Se, looking for oe nds conmuee ‘Conds was ot t= svashbucling soldier He was sh 3 sired politician, Hekaewthathewouldbavetoundertand how the empl of Mexico was cnpized ‘the wanted toting it down, ‘As Cord sid the ‘Tile Alliance, Isa ha iwas anything but ied. oma o diferent deres by the ‘Tile Allance Some stars bad aged to emia independent ofthe Alliance, eventhough they were suroanded by ince ‘exits Other states ha bowel to the sper eteagth ofthe Aline, bu they ereicer anc cerenfl Corsa thatthe empire ofthe ple Aance ws ee hing ecm with content, He would ister we this content for is own purpones “Asthe Spina moved inland they fxg bate fer bade with Taal,» roup ‘of for snl kingoms tha had micaged ro remain ndependeat fom te Tp, Alliance The Tala war greatly outbred he Spnish, bt tbe Speish ed orc, gs, and steel sword. Tete aantages helped the Spe wen ech bt, dr thoy men wither ht Joss Cores face fia dees, te hse ig oeed him deal They wos ‘stop aacking the Spanish if Carter would jon them nah tack onthe hte Tle Aline. Cots areed andthe Spanish ede o owatd Tnochiln atthe heat ofan ‘my of wp 20,000 Tlaxcala, Whea the Spach etched the capital ofthe pe ‘liane the datoan, Morecahroms, dda wat thet to enter te city He sak no secon keep chem ou, however, nd they igor his proves, Tenochlin wasa mare tothe Spanish Bulk on caster of lands moet ma: ‘made in ake Texocn, the ity wat criscone by canals ad lise 0 the tnd by thre lng causeways. Hundred of oats ited ke bere hog he canals snd across the water ofthe ake, carrying peoples goo othe ety ered ‘makes Immense colored banars ped he blige. Gardens were every — ‘here was nothing like them nthe cies of Fatope, Bren mare emarkale we the vide boulevards. The streets of Europea cites rn ankle-dep th sewage, bu in Tenochida thousand men worked jut to Kep the ret spots Allthe weth and power fhe empire flowed int the hand of Moteshaor 3 ‘Cort later explained wo the bing of Spin The conqitsor wot, “Can tere be sythig more magnifceneha that this barbara lo shold hae al he things 0 be found under the heaveasis his domain, honed in gol ander and weld feather” Inpro ate was, Crs aba rele tht wt ge word, Moechtoma Cpt nt seu one ry twig ot veh em ft Spi Sty wile ar ‘ho nbs ewa pce That horifedthe Mes wo pied terrane. eens Scat representative of he gos Uncertain owt respond we he capt of rin ‘sownpulc,the Mei ited sven months before they mounted anacen he Feng the wax, Motecahoma beget pople to leave the Spi ane He wes hed oon afro Menicanscconnes sy ha the Spansh nerd Spun oc yen ion eoumeyen ed i Eider wn heb wasn A ious new toned named Cube le ‘he Mica pst Coes an his mea, The Mexiafered the Spanish caro alleyways where thee horet ad ns wee ite hlp the camseways. In a Single igh ing the Manica ad defeated Contes ena Liling vee cuter of hs men. Tey di ot ll Cot, hugh, which wa coy CORTES THE CONQUEROR (Cort never even eoaidre hing up Tuning to some of he other unde the ‘eotrolof the Tp lise, ego tea nh and Teel These ne sllaees BYE him a ping force of shout 200,000, Cots alo cooked up a ever plan for Knowing tht the Mexca cold ealy defend the natrow causeways leading ito he ely, Corts decided wo approach from a different direction, He ort 3 lage ships oe but onthe shore ofthe lke. Thi time, he woul ke at Tenocin ‘When Cortés snd his Tndian ies tacked the Mexia eit ercly Atay a, 106,000 pple ded inthe fighsng In heen, Core aged take the iy ba ony by dstoying mst of Os Angst 3,15, he Tipe Alncewendeted. The lat eit Tein ad files. Thebold and detersined Cn 1: waa superior ecology chit gave bis the wetory though Horses gos, and sword dae prevented the Mec rm diving Cortes ot ofthe city once His wen down in irony athe conqueror of Mei, second sack saceeded aly Becase he hd » huge army of Indian ales, whos leaders wanted to we the Spanish o help them destoy the Ep ‘norman force might not hare bea enough to owrcone Teche something ‘ec had happened while he ws soperng the bulig of hishipson the shore of ake Tenoce Inkrvictory overthe Tipe Alan, Cortés aie, PG “The Tlacala an oer Inns fought om i de. The same thing happened when izarofagh te Inc. He gochep against Atevalps rn Wasa flower ho adloet tect wes and rom other people he Ics ad ouered. Aloe of Indian ated the Tipe Allance ad the Inc and were go helpomeone et dof them Tn both eases, though, something he was ging on. ‘The Spanish ad morales than they kaen The power but invisible forces ofgeogriphy and genetics were theese Tb understand bow theve frees helped che Earopeans defer the Nase Americans, we mse look bac in ie vo when the fit people asved inthe Spies ett Sox we | ‘range soot caryg god a psa