Prologue
This story is taken from a game I played in a preliminary version of a mod I'm working on. It's called Conquest: New World, and has rules slightly modified to encourage expansion via the sea, and a few other changes to give European cities increased production to compensate for their tiny landmass. The mod is using TETurkhan - Test of Time (World Map 256x256) with a few changes to the terrain and some added luxuries and resources.
I plan on releasing this mod eventually, but I may speed it up if there is enough interest. This story will be released in two parts, part one being the conquest of the Aztecs and part two being the conquest of the Incas.
Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think, I'd love to hear any feedback you might have!
Thanks,
da3dalus
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Conquest: New World
Los Conquistadores
Part I
The Conquest of the Aztecs
January 1528, La Havana Cuba
Hernan Cortez was an ambitious Spaniard living in the newly conquered island of Cuba where he lived a comfortable life. He was an alcalde and held a rich encomienda, representing the flower of Spain in the new world.
He was also ambitious beyond his means, and his constant attempts to enlarge his jurisdictions and personal wealth earned him the emnity of the Regidor of Cuba, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar. Like the rest of his Extremadura compatriots, Cortez was hungry for gold and not shy about obtaining it by force. After living in Cuba for many years, he began to hear tales of a fabulously wealthy empire located somewhere deep in the hinterland of the enigmatic landmass to the west across the sea.
In January he began to put together an expedition to explore the lands to the west in search of the legendary wealth that was supposed to be there. He recieved royal assent to the enterprise from the regidor, who was all to happy to be rid of this troublesome encomendero, and hastened preparations for his expedition.
July 1528, Eastern Shores of Mexico
Cortez landed his small expedition on the coast at a place later called Tampico. He immediately made contact with a small tribe who told him all about a powerful empire ruled by a tribe called the Aztecs in the interior who had recently conquered them. The conquerors levied a heavy tribute in a native grain called Maize and slaves who were to be sacrificial victims to the Aztec's cruel gods. Cortez and his companions were scandalised by these tales and promised this tribe that they would liberate them from these opressors in exchange for their support and intelligence on this mysterious empire.
Aided by these native auxiliaries and their knowledge of the land beyond the coast, Cortez sent his caravel back to Cuba to discourage mutiny and began to march North and West toward the capital of this alien empire.
Cortez and his small army prepare to march into the heart of the Aztec empire.
August 1528, Eastern border of the Aztec empire
Montezuma, the emperor of the Aztecs learned of the arrival of these interlopers and the defection of a tribe of natives within days of these events. He sent scouting and raiding parties to harry Cortez' small army and discourage them from penetrating any further into the empire. The effect was quite the opposite however, as Cortez was needed only the slightest provocation to justify his mission of conquest and he promptly declared war on the Aztecs in the name of God and his king Carlos V of Spain.
Cortez declares war on the Aztecs.
Cortez set out immediately for the Aztec captial, Tenochtitlan, however the march was long and gruelling because his native auxiliaries were not able to travel as fast as his mounted Conquistadores, and they were encumbered by his army's baggage train and artillery pieces.
January 1529, at the gates of Tenochtitlan
After many months of trudging up and down valleys and peaks, they finally descended the western slope of the cordillera to the plain of Tenochtitlan. Their arrival was expected, but earlier than any of the Aztecs thought possible. The citizens of Tenochtitlan scrambled to bring food, livestock and people into the city and destroy the causeways leading to the lake city. However they were not fast enough. Cortez' horsemen charged across the plain and onto the principle causeway. They lanced any warriors brave enough to stand up to the Spanish charge and then hacked their way to the city proper where they secured the gate, allowing their native auxiliaries to enter the city. Cortez and his conquistadores rushed through the central squares of the city to where the emperor Montezuma was. The whole scene devolved into a massacre, with the Spaniards and their allies left firmly in control of the capital city of the Aztec empire. Cortez seized the Aztec emperor for himself, to rule as a proxy through him.
Cortez at the gates of Tenochtitlan.
Cortez captures the Aztec capitol.
Cortez spent the next year putting down resistance by the natives through a combination of shrewd diplomacy with tributary tribes, direct orders from Montezuma to his people and force. By the following January they had stamped out all native resistance in Mexico except the last stronghold of Tlatelolco.
Cortez at the gates of Tlatelolco.
Cortez and his Conquistadores used their mounts to great advantage again and charged into the midst of the city's defenders, hacking and killing innumerable natives until they realized the battle was lost and fled into the hills. He left his native auxiliaries to kill the survivors and plunder the town. Finally, having captured the last Aztec city, he had Montezuma killed and ignominiously buried in an anonymous grave.
Cortez completes the conquest of the Aztec empire.
With this last act, the mighty Aztec empire was brought into the domain of the Kings of Spain in less than one year, with all of its wealth systematically stripped from the countryside and shipped back to Spain, all of its people enslaved under the encomenderos and confined to their repartimientos.
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Here is a screenshot of Europe around the time of the Conquest of the Aztecs: