The SHOW it far from over but I think I want to eat some lunch and maybe, just maybe....some dinner this evening!
For those of you who are collector's of the "Little Julie" figures, she went into hibernation this Winter. Maybe next year!
But anyway, back to the task at hand.
THE FINAL TREASURE HUNT STOP FOR 2019! Are you ready?
Question:
HOW DID MOCTEZUMA II DIE?
- Murdered by the Spanish
- Smallpox
- Stoned to Death by His Own People
A special thank you once again to Julie, for organizing the Treasure Hunt.
MOCTEZUMA II
Moctezuma II (c. 1466 – 29 June 1520), was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlán, reigning from 1502 to 1520.
The first contact between indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europeans took place during his reign, and he was killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, when conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men fought to take over the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
During his reign the Aztec Empire reached its greatest size. Through warfare, Moctezuma expanded the territory as far south as Xoconosco in Chiapas and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and incorporated the Zapotec and Yopipeople into the empire. He changed the previous meritocratic system of social hierarchy and widened the divide between pipiltin (nobles) and macehualtin (commoners) by prohibiting commoners from working in the royal palaces.
The portrayal of Moctezuma in history has mostly been colored by his role as ruler of a defeated nation, and many sources describe him as weak-willed and indecisive.
The biases of some historical sources make it difficult to understand his actions during the Spanish invasion.
Hernán Cortés
Don Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés was part of the generation of Spanish colonizers who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Born in Medellín, Spain, to a family of lesser nobility, Cortés chose to pursue adventure and riches in the New World. He went to Hispaniola and later to Cuba, where he received an encomienda (the right to the labor of certain subjects). For a short time, he served as alcalde (magistrate) of the second Spanish town founded on the island. In 1519, he was elected captain of the third expedition to the mainland, which he partly funded. His enmity with the Governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, resulted in the recall of the expedition at the last moment, an order which Cortés ignored.
Arriving on the continent, Cortés executed a successful strategy of allying with some indigenous people against others. He also used a native woman, Doña Marina, as an interpreter. She later bore his first son. When the Governor of Cuba sent emissaries to arrest Cortés, he fought them and won, using the extra troops as reinforcements. Cortés wrote letters directly to the king asking to be acknowledged for his successes instead of being punished for mutiny. After he overthrew the Aztec Empire, Cortés was awarded the title of Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca, while the more prestigious title of Viceroy was given to a high-ranking nobleman, Antonio de Mendoza. In 1541 Cortés returned to Spain, where he died six years later of natural causes but embittered.
Availability summer of 2020
Finally The Cortes and Moctezuma II figures, which has been on
Brad's list for ages!
He will have to wait a bit longer, as there are also so many new Aztecs and Conquistadors already on their way.
These can also be added to
Mike Miller’s awesome diorama!
Signing off.....maybe......for 2019 direct from the Chicago Toy Soldier Show in Schaumburg, IL!
Julie
