Mann challenges the belief that superior weaponry was the main factor in the Inca loss to the Spanish. Give two examples of Inca weaponry or strategy that was viable in warfare against the Spanish. 1) Huge roadway system connecting all parts of the Incan Empire; 2) Versatility and ability to fight at high altitudes; 3) Overwhelming population; 4)Large stone fortifications; 5) No gunpowder, but an abundance of weapon: clubs, spears, bows, lances, slings that were accurate at shorter distances.
Mann argues that the rivalry for power in the Andes among the Inca and other native groups was a major factor the Spanish conquest. Explain at least one of these rivalries. Who were the two, three or four players involved? Who were they allied with and what role did they play in the Spanish victory? Because Atawallpa's clan had been so authoritarian and destructive in subjugating other populations (e.g. those from the forests or the southern regions), some were eager to help the Spanish thinking that they could assume the power vacuum. Atawallpa had to fight Washkar in what is now Ecuador, but Washkar's relatives and political descendants never forgave him, and this helped the Spanish wherever the could. Since the...
Smallpox from the Europeans wiped out a number of ruling Inca, which led to the survivors clamoring for control -- weakening the system from within, causing extreme factionalism, reducing the warrior population, and placing focus on retaining local power rather than responding to an invasion.
What was the population of the Americas before European arrival, according to the more recent research? How many people specifically in central Mexico? What is the assumption that these new numbers are based on that was not taken into account in previous population estimates? There is no consensus on the population of the Amerindians prior to Columbus. Some estimates that Mexico alone had over 25 million, but one early argument (Dobyns) postulated 90-112 million people before Columbus, Disease likely claimed 80-100 million by 1635; or that epidemics killed at least 1 out of 5, more in some areas. Some think population estimates are politically motivated; the lower the population, the less…
