Motivations for Conquest
What country did Cortés and Pizarro explore for?
spain
Who did Cortés meet when he arrived in Mexico?
The Aztecs
What animals did the Spanish bring that shocked the Aztecs and Incas?
horses
What happened to the population of the Aztecs and Incas after conquest?
It dropped sharply due to war, disease, and forced labor.
Who conquered the Aztecs and Incas?
Cortés conquered the Aztecs, and Pizarro conquered the Incas.
What were the three main goals of Spanish conquest?
God, Gold, and Glory.
How did Pizarro first interact with the Inca ruler Atahualpa?
He captured Atahualpa during their first meeting.
Why were Spanish steel weapons and armor an advantage?
They were stronger than Indigenous weapons made of stone or wood.
How did Spanish rule change religion in the Americas?
Indigenous people were forced to convert to Christianity.
Why did Spain view Cortés and Pizarro as heroes?
They brought Spain wealth, land, and new converts to Christianity.
Why was spreading Christianity a motivation for conquest?
Spain wanted to convert Indigenous people to Catholicism.
How did Indigenous allies help Cortés during the conquest?
They provided soldiers and knowledge of the land to fight the Aztecs.
How did Cortés use alliances as a military strategy?
He allied with Indigenous groups who opposed the Aztecs.
Why did European diseases have such a devastating effect?
Indigenous people had no immunity to diseases like smallpox.
Why do many historians today criticize them?
They caused mass death, destruction, and exploitation of Indigenous peoples.
Which motivation—God, Gold, or Glory—was the strongest for most conquistadors?
Gold, because they wanted wealth and power.
Were the encounters between the Spanish and Indigenous peoples mostly peaceful or violent?
Mostly violent, ending in conquest and destruction
Which was more important to Spanish victories: technology or disease?
Disease (like smallpox) weakened native populations more than weapons did.
Was the Spanish conquest more destructive to Indigenous culture or Indigenous lives?
Both were heavily damaged, but culture survived in blended forms, while millions of lives were lost.
Should Cortés and Pizarro be remembered more as explorers or as conquerors?
More as conquerors, because their main legacy is conquest and colonization.
How might the New World have developed differently if wealth wasn’t a main motivation?
Conquest might have been slower and less violent, with more trade and cooperation.
How might history have changed if the Spanish had cooperated instead of conquered?
Indigenous civilizations might have survived and shared knowledge with Europe.
If the Aztecs and Incas had the same technology as the Spanish, what might have happened?
The Spanish may not have succeeded so easily, and the empires could have resisted longer.
How do the effects of conquest still shape Latin American societies today?
Many countries have a mix of Spanish and Indigenous language, religion, and traditions.
How could we teach their legacy in a balanced way today?
By showing both Spanish achievements and the suffering of Indigenous peoples.