The Aztec Empire
The Aztecs made their weapons out of a sharp, volcanic stone called:
The name of the Italian sailor and explorer who was sponsored by the Spanish king and queen.
Christopher Columbus
Name of the Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of Mexico.
Hernan Cortes
Explain one thing that made the Aztecs a powerful empire in the 1300 and 1400s.
- Weapons and trained warriors
- Farming and large population
- City and tribute system
Monarchy
Name of the Aztec Emperor when the Spanish arrived in 1521.
The goals of the Spanish Empire included:
1. To find gold and resources
2. To gain glory for their country
3. ??
Convert people to Christianity
True or false: The Aztecs defended their city through many months of fighting against the Spanish.
True
Explain one thing that happened after Columbus encountered the Americas and claimed territory for Spain.
- Conquest of more of the Americas
- Devastation of resources
- Deaths of millions of indigenous people due to epidemics.
This is the name for the Aztecs farming method that involved floating beds of soil, sticks, and manure.
Capital City of the Aztec Empire
Tenochtitlan
The names of the King and Queen of Spain
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
Millions of Aztecs were killed by a disease called:
Smallpox
Explain why Christopher Columbus was sailing across the Atlantic Ocean
He was trying to explore a faster route to the Indian Ocean, and was funded by the Spanish Empire.
The period of cultural rebirth in Europe after the Bubonic Plague epidemic. The time period known for artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, etc.
The Renaissance
The Aztecs were polytheistic. Name one god that they worshipped.
Huitzapochtli (Sun God)
The capital city of Spain at this time (Daily Double -- Double the points!)
Toledo
This Nahua woman was Hernan Cortes's translator, advisor, and mistress.
La Malinche / Dona Marina
Explain why the Europeans were able to conquer large empires in the Americas. (What gave Europeans the advantage?)
Guns, Germs, Steel, Domesticated Animals
A Spanish soldier who sails to the Americas in order to conquer more land for Spain.
Besides the Emperor, who had the most power in Aztec society?
Priests, Warriors
In the middle ages, Spain and Europe was dominated by a system called ________ , a hierarchy that involved serfs, knights, and lords.
Feudalism
After the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan, they changed the name to:
Mexico City
Explain what happened at the conquest of Tenochtitlan. How did the Spanish conquer the Aztecs?
- Hernan Cortes makes alliances with other tribes
- Spanish take Montezuma hostage
- Aztecs are upset and kill Montezuma
- Cortes returns with 1,000s of conquistadors and allies
Name for the Aztec weapon that is a club surrounded by obsidian edges.
Machuitl