Spanish Conquest

I have read the history of Mexico that Matt and Angie bought for me. It is very interesting, even though it is very concise. Some of the history of the Spanish conquest (1519 and after) and its aftermath are really amazing. The Spanish were very few in number compared to the estimated 25 million Indian population. The Spanish were successful for a couple of reasons. The Spanish had both guns and horses, but Aztec weapons were pretty good also. The main reason is that the Aztec Empire was in a period of weakness with many of the conquered Indian peoples anxious to overthrow Aztec domination. They joined the Spanish in defeating the Aztecs. The latter were also being weakened by disease epidemics (especially small pox) recently introduced by the Spanish. However, the aftermath is even more amazing. With the use of irrigation and intensive agriculture, the Indian population was already pretty much reaching the maximum sustainable size when the Spanish arrived. The Spanish came from a society more devoted to cattle keeping, not intensive agriculture and massive irrigation. During the next 100 years approximately, the population suffered an incredible decline, estimated to be about 95%, from 25 million to just under 2 million. The combination of diseases and failure to maintain irrigation works created a vicious cycle of population collapse and reducing food production. There are a couple of facts which balance the record a bit--poetic justice. It is pretty well accepted that the Spanish brought back syphilis to Europe from the western hemisphere; certainly, Europe was hit by massive epidemics of very virulent strains of syphilis in the decades following the ‘discovery’ of the new world. The 2nd fact is that Cortes never received the royal rewards that he worked for. He had enemies at court in Spain. When he returned to Spain in later years, he was subjected to a great deal of litigation and died in poverty in 1547. There are other interesting aspects of Mexican history that I’ll relate in future posts.

We have had almost no rain all week. It is very threatening this evening, but so far no rain. This afternoon, we went to Barbara’s Bazaar; it is an antiques & 2nd hand furniture and household goods store. It is located right next door to where Kate & Jack were renting last year. We bought a long cabinet (about 77 inches) plus 2 small end cabinets for the living room. They were asking 8,500 pesos for the cabinet and 3,200 for the 2 cabinets; Barb offered 10,000 pesos for all 3 and it was accepted. They are to be delivered tomorrow. They even included delivery (usually 50 pesos). Most prices are negotiable in Mexico. Barb was a bit nervous to be doing this, but delighted with the result.