5 ms·

I wonder if this kind of customs helped the Spanish conquest and subsequent colonization of the Inca/Aztec Empire. Because, no matter what culture you're part

by spanxx 8y ago

I wonder if this kind of customs helped the Spanish conquest and subsequent colonization of the Inca/Aztec Empire. Because, no matter what culture you're part on, having your kill killed is going to make you be against the current rulers. No surprise small Spanish groups of sailors and great armies of native allies could topple several empires through America.

Jedd 8y ago
> I wonder if this kind of customs helped the Spanish conquest and subsequent colonization of the Inca/Aztec Empire. I don't think so. It's probably mostly down to what Jared Diamond describes - Guns, Germs, and Steel. The occasional score of children and conquests slaughtered voluntarily is dwarfed by the numbers of natives that died from smallpox (f.e.).
- yosito 8y ago
  Guns may have had much less to do with it than is commonly believed. I recommend the book 1492 if you're curious about why that is.
  - Jedd 8y ago
    I tend to agree. I suspect the availability of guns was useful in a few key engagements, but the accidental weaponisation of smallpox (for example) was much more effective in wiping out indigenous forces.
    - yosito 8y ago
      Another thing to consider is that European guns sucked during that time period. Bows and arrows and other native weapons were probably very competitive.
jslsfsafas 8y ago
At least for the Aztecs, this is in fact the case. The Aztec kept subjugated peoples alive to husband them to supply human beings for their sacrifices. The Spaniards allied themselves early with these would be victims, who therefore helped remove the numeric superiority the Aztecs would have otherwise enjoyed. These allied tribes (see the Tlaxcala) then became a privilege class among the natives. The guns, and the horses, obviously helped - but we're talking 4 orders of magnitude advantage if the Spaniards had not allied themselves with the locals. Even pandemics cannot erase that advantage (and they take time to spread)

by spanxx 8y ago

Jedd 8y ago

> I wonder if this kind of customs helped the Spanish conquest and subsequent colonization of the Inca/Aztec Empire. I don't think so. It's probably mostly down to what Jared Diamond describes - Guns, Germs, and Steel. The occasional score of children and conquests slaughtered voluntarily is dwarfed by the numbers of natives that died from smallpox (f.e.).

yosito 8y ago
Guns may have had much less to do with it than is commonly believed. I recommend the book 1492 if you're curious about why that is.
- Jedd 8y ago
  I tend to agree. I suspect the availability of guns was useful in a few key engagements, but the accidental weaponisation of smallpox (for example) was much more effective in wiping out indigenous forces.
  - yosito 8y ago
    Another thing to consider is that European guns sucked during that time period. Bows and arrows and other native weapons were probably very competitive.

jslsfsafas 8y ago

At least for the Aztecs, this is in fact the case. The Aztec kept subjugated peoples alive to husband them to supply human beings for their sacrifices. The Spaniards allied themselves early with these would be victims, who therefore helped remove the numeric superiority the Aztecs would have otherwise enjoyed. These allied tribes (see the Tlaxcala) then became a privilege class among the natives. The guns, and the horses, obviously helped - but we're talking 4 orders of magnitude advantage if the Spaniards had not allied themselves with the locals. Even pandemics cannot erase that advantage (and they take time to spread)