The Conquistadors and the Native Indians

By Patrick Krol

http://www.layoutsparks.com/pictures/aztecs-0

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Standards

• 5.2 Identify the three major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) and their locations. Describe their political structures, religious practices, and use of slaves.

• 5.4 Explain why the Aztec and Inca civilizations declined in the 16th century.

• A. the encounters between Cortez and Montezuma• B. the encounters between Pizarro and the Incas• C. the goals of the Spanish conquistadors• D. the effects of European diseases, particularly

smallpox, throughout the Western hemisphere

Aztecs

-Polytheistic (Believed in many Gods)

-Lived in now what’s called Mexico

-Capital was Tenochtitlan which was built on a lake

-Thought Cortez was their God, Quetzalcoatl

-Leader (Montezuma) welcomed Cortez

-Used human sacrifice

-Montezuma was held hostage, then was killed in a fight

ambergriscaye.com

public.asu.edu

Maya

-Lived on Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

-Multiple Major cities

-Harder to overthrow (Many major cities)

-Had slaves (Other tribes)

-Polytheistic

-Not much Gold in region

the2012discovery.com

mayancountdown.net

Inca

-Lived in Andes Mountains, in the area now called Peru

-Capital was Cuzco

-Polytheistic

-No written language

-Practiced animal sacrifice

-Sometimes sacrificed kids (Don’t try this at home parents!)

-Easily taken over (Because they were in the middle of a civil war)

-Having a civil war (war between to groups from the same country

-Didn’t value Gold and Silver

-The Spaniards captured the Inca leader (Athualpa), held him for ransom, baptized him then killed him

latinamericanstudies.org

uncp.edu

Pizzaro

-Conquistador (Means To Conquer)

-Held Athualpa (Inca leader) for ransom, baptized him, then when the Incas brought the Gold and Silver, they killed Atahualpa

-Easily conquered the Incas because the were in the middle of a civil war

-Traveled with 180 men and 27 horses to conquer Incas

-Traveled with de Soto

guanabee.com francisco-pizarro.com

Cortez (Can be spelt Cortes)

-Conquistador

-Traveled with 500 men and 16 horses to conquer Aztecs

-Other tribes helped Cortez because they didn’t like the Aztecs

-Cortez was mistaken for an Aztec God, Quetzalcoatl, and he acted friendly until he turned on them

-The Spanish retreated, then returned, and then won

-Cortez took Montezuma (Aztec leader) captive, then he was killed in the following battle

-Destroyed Tenochtitlan, and built a new city called Mexico City, that still remains today

en.wikipedia.org

Q and A

Q: How did the Spanish explorers and conquistadors change Central and South

America forever?

A: They built new cities and converted the natives’ religions.

Q: Where do we see the lasting effect of these conquistadors even in 2011?

A: The new cities, like Mexico City, that were built back then, and still last today. Also a majority of South America speak Spanish today.

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