Aztec Background
What is the middle region of the Americas?
Mesoamerica
What is the name given to the Spanish soldiers and explorers who conquered the Americas?
Conquistadors.
What is the name of the Aztec capital?
What is the name of the Aztec capital?Tenochtitlan.
Who was the emperor killed by the Spanish?
Montezuma
What disease played a major role in the destruction of the Aztecs?
Smallpox
What is the name given to the continents of North and South America?
The Americas
What were the aims of the Spanish exploration of Mesoamerica?
Gold, glory, god.
What is the name of the lake where the Aztec capital was built?
Lake Texcoco.
When did the Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire begin?
The Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire began in 1519.
How did the Spanish defeat the Aztecs in battle? List the 3 main ways.
The Spanish defeated the Aztecs in battle through a combination of superior weaponry, alliances with other indigenous groups, and the spread of disease.
What is the exchange of people, goods, animals, plants, culture and disease between the New World and the Old World?
Colombian exchange.
Explain in-depth the difference between Cortes and Columbus
Cortes was a conquistador who discovered the Aztec society where as Columbus was an explorer working for the King and Queen of Spain who discovered the Americas.
Who was the Aztec sun god?
Huitzilopochtli.
What is the Spanish system of rewarding conquerors with indigenous labourers (workers)?
Encomienda
What were the long-term consequences of Spanish colonisation for Mexico and its people?
Spanish colonisation led to the creation of a new mestizo (mixed-race) culture and the forced use of Spanish language, religion, and social structures on the Indigenous population. This legacy of colonialism continues to shape Mexican society today.
Who are the Mesoamericans who the Aztecs targeted as a part of the Flower wars? This group later allied with the Spanish.
Tlaxcala
What is the name of the Spanish city established on the site of Tenochtitlan?
Mexico City
What were the floating gardens built by the Aztecs?
What were the floating gardens built by the Aztecs?Chinampas.
What was the impact/effect of Spanish colonisation on the Aztec population that remained?
Spanish colonization led to the death of millions of Aztecs due to disease, forced labor, and warfare. The remaining population was subjected to cultural and religious assimilation.
How did the Aztec Empire respond to the Spanish invasion?
The Aztec Empire initially welcomed the Spanish, thinking they were the fulfillment of a prophecy about the return of a god. However, once the Spanish began to assert their dominance and demand tribute, the Aztecs resisted. They engaged in several battles with the Spanish and their Indigenous allies, but were ultimately defeated.
What is the year Tenochtitlan was established in Lake Texcoco?
1325
Explain what Cortes was doing in Cuba and why he left?
The young Cortés landed in Cuba and served as a notary where he climbed the ranks of the local government to mayor.
Not content on dry land, Cortés was to set sail for Mexico in 1518, this time in command of his own expedition, but the president cancelled the trip. Defiant, Cortés set sail for Mexico anyway with 500 men and 11 ships to seek his fortune.
Explain how Aztec warriors moved up the ranks in the Aztec Military.
Aztec warriors moved up the ranks based on how many prisoners they captured alive during battle. The more captives they took alive to be later used as sacrifices the higher their rank.
What role did religion play in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire?
Religion played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish saw themselves as the defenders of Christianity, and used religion as a tool to justify their conquest and conversion of the Indigenous population. The Spanish destroyed Aztec religious sites and temples, and replaced them with Catholic churches and missions.
To what extent do you think that the Aztecs were responsible for their own defeat by the Spanish?
While the Spanish played a significant role in the defeat of the Aztecs, it can be argued that the Aztecs were also responsible for their own defeat. The Aztecs' practice of demanding tribute from neighboring groups had led to resentment and animosity, making it easier for the Spanish to form alliances with these groups. Additionally, the Aztecs' belief in a prophecy about the return of a god may have made them overly confident and reluctant to take the Spanish threat seriously. Furthermore, the Aztecs' lack of immunity to European diseases such as smallpox greatly weakened their population and military forces. While the Spanish certainly had advantages in terms of weaponry and tactics, it can be argued that the Aztecs' own actions and beliefs played a role in their defeat.