Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Pizarro and the Conquest of the Incas
Here is a superb resource (that includes some primary sources) about Pizarro's conquest of the Incas. Please read the included parts and post a response, reflecting your understanding of the events as well as connections to current study of the roots of globalization. Pay special attention to clash of cultures, role of religion in empire building, Eurocentricity and the theme of geography, movement. How could Pizarro and his force of 168 troops defeat Atahualpa (the Son of the Sun)?
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Pizarro and his men felt that they had the right to do what they did. I believe that this was because of Eurocentricity. It is unbelievable that they could over throw the Incas with around 160 men, but they also had the advantage of guns, smallpox immunity, and horses. The fact that they were more advanced in these ways made them feel even more powerful and made them capable of this "unbelievable" conquest.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this link and thought that it was very helpful. I totally agree with Simone. Pizarro had many clear advantages one big one being guns. The Incas had never seen guns before and this was one of the big factors that help Pizarro and his men do what they had to do. I think that one of the main reason why Pizarro did this had to do with Eurocentricity. Which made him think that the whole world revolved around Europe and that gave Pizarro the confidence that he need to win over the Incas.
ReplyDeleteI dont think that Pizarro wouldn't have been able to beat the incas if it wasn't for the mistake on the incas part (not being armed when meeting Pizarro's men). Even though the technology for the Spanish was highly advanced compared to the inca's primitive weapons, the incas still had way more people than the Spaniards. The Spanish won because of lucky circumstances and excellent strategy.
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason the Spanish won was because the circumstances were in their favor. They had better weapons, but had the Incans been prepared, they would not have suffered such a massive defeat because of their superior numbers. Also, the Inca had many local enemies, which the Spanish used to their advantage. These, along with fighting unarmed men, was what gave the Spanish the advantage they needed to capture Atahualpa.
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