Cortes Conquers the Aztecs

Students learn how Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés and their Indigenous allies contributed to the fall of the Aztec Empire, and they build a timeline of key events. Then they read a biography of Cortés and examine the lasting effects of Spanish conquest and colonization in New Spain. Students also explore how point of view can influence interpretations of historical events.

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Overview

In this experience, students learn how Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés and their Indigenous allies contributed to the fall of the Aztec Empire, and they build a timeline of key events. Then they read a biography of Cortés and examine the lasting effects of Spanish conquest and colonization in New Spain. Students also explore how point of view can influence interpretations of historical events.

Objective:

  • Describe the causes and effects of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire


When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Americas, many Indigenous nations and societies had already lived there for generations. One of the most powerful was the Aztec Empire, a large and complex society centered in the city of Tenochtitlan in what is now Mexico.

Objective

  • Describe the causes and effects of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
 

Study the image below.


Aztec calendar wheel

What do you think is being shown in the image above?


The image shows a facsimile of the Boban Calendar Wheel, a Nahua pictorial calendar dating to about 1545–1546. The document combines calendar information with scenes related to a dispute over leadership in Texcoco. Don Antonio Pimentel Tlahuitoltzin, ruler of Texcoco, appears in the upper-right portion of the document. The figure in the upper left was once identified as Hernán Cortés, but scholars now identify him as Don Hernando de Chávez


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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Exploration and Early Colonization Unit.

Spanish Colonization and Native Americans

Spanish Conquistadors in the Americas

Exploration and Early Colonization: Unit Review

La Salle and French Texas

Cortes Conquers the Aztecs

Spanish Settlement in Texas

Early Spanish Explorers

The Mission-Presidio System
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