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THE CONQUISTADORS SEARCH FOR GOLD
by an Aztec Eyewitness, 1550’s
In the early 1500’s Spanish conquerors, known as conquistadors, explored both North and South America. One of these conquistadors
was 34-year-old Hernando Cortes. Like Christopher Columbus, Cortes hoped to find gold and other riches. In 1519 Cortes and about 500
Spanish soldiers marched through present-day Mexico and conquered one of the largest empires in the world, the Aztec Empire. In the
1550’s an historian interviewed an Aztec eyewitness who had seen the Spanish conquest. This witness described how Cortes and his men
acted when they seized the fabulous treasures of the empire’s capital city, Tenochtitlan.
STOP 1
When the Spaniards were installed in the palace, they asked Montezuma, the emperor, about the city's resources and reserves and about
the warriors' ensigns and shields. They questioned him closely and then demanded gold.
Montezuma guided them to it. They surrounded him and crowded close with their weapons. He walked in the center, while they formed a
circle around him.
STOP 2
When they arrived at the treasure house ... the riches of gold and feathers were brought out to them: ornaments made of quetzal feathers,
richly worked shields, disks of gold, the necklaces of the idols, ... gold greaves and bracelets and crowns ....
The Spaniards burst into smiles; and their eyes shone with pleasure; they were delighted by them. They picked up the gold and fingered it
like monkeys; they seemed to be transported by joy, as if their hearts were illumined and made new.
STOP 3
The truth is that they longed and lusted for gold. Their bodies swelled with greed, and their hunger was ravenous; they hungered like pigs
for that gold. They snatched at the golden ensigns, waved them from side to side and examined every inch of them ....
The Spaniards immediately stripped the feathers from the gold shields and ensigns. They gathered all the gold into a great mound and set
fire to everything else, regardless of its value. Then they melted down the gold into ingots. As for the precious green stones, they took
only the best of them ....
STOP 4
installed: settled
Montezuma: Aztec emperor
reserves: valuables
ensigns: flags
quetzal: kind of bird
idols: statues of gods
greaves: leg armor
transported: carried away
illumined: lit up
lusted: wanted strongly
ravenous: intense
ingots: bars
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Next they went to Montezuma's storehouse ... where his personal treasures were kept. The Spaniards grinned like little beasts and patted
each other with delight.
When they entered the hall of treasures, it was as if they had arrived in Paradise. They searched everywhere and coveted everything; they
were slaves to their own greed. All of Montezuma's possessions were brought out: fine bracelets, necklaces with large stones, ankle rings
with little gold bells, the royal crowns and all the royal finery, everything that belonged to the king and was reserved to him only. They
seized these treasures as if they were their own, as if this plunder were merely a stroke of good luck. And when they had taken all the gold,
they heaped up everything else in the middle of the patio.
STOP 5
Paradise: heaven
coveted: wanted
finery: jewels and fancy
clothing
plunder: stealing
patio: courtyard
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below as you read the above article.
STOP 1: Define the following term:
Conquistador: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 1: What did the conquistadors hope to find in the America’s? _____________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 1: How many men did Cortes have with him when he conquered the Aztec Empire? ___________________________________________________________________
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STOP 2: Who was Montezuma? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 2: Why did Montezuma lead the Spanish to the Aztec gold? ______________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 3: In this section, who does the eyewitness compare the conquistadors to? ___________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 4: In this section, who does the eyewitness compare the conquistadors to? ___________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 5: In this section, who does the eyewitness compare the conquistadors to? ___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOP 5: Why do you suppose the eyewitness chose to make this comparison between the conquistadors and the animals?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 5: How did the Spaniards react when they saw the gold? _________________________________________________________________________________________
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STOP 5: What types of “treasure” did the conquistadors find in the hall of treasure?
_________________________________________________________________________
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READING ACTIVITY: BERNAL DIAZ: THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF NEW SPAIN
DIRECTIONS: Read the selection on the Spanish in the New World and then answer the questions that follow.
Background information: Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1492-1581) accompanied Hernan Cortes on his conquest of the Aztecs in present-day Mexico. Diaz wrote his
history many years later to refute what he viewed as inaccurate accounts of the conquest. The following excerpt describes a meeting between Cortes and Montezuma,
the Aztec King, in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan.
“When
we climbed to the top of the great temple there was a kind of platform, with huge stones where they put the poor Indians to be
sacrificed, and an image like a dragon and other evil figures, with a great deal of blood that had been shed that day. Montezuma,
accompanied by two priests, came out from an oratory dedicated to the worship of his cursed idols….
Then Montezuma took him (Cortes) by the hand and bade him look at his great city and at all the other cities rising from the water, and the
many towns around the lake….
There we stood looking, for that large and evil temple was so high that it towered over everything. From there we could see all three of
the causeways that led into the city….
We saw the fresh water that came from Chapultepec, which supplied the city, and the bridges on the three causeways, built at certain
intervals so the water could go from one part of the lake to another, and a multitude of canoes, some arriving with provisions and others
leaving with merchandise. We saw that every house in this great city and in the others built on the water could be reached only by wooden
drawbridges or by canoe. We saw temples built like towers and fortresses in these cities, all white-washed; it was a sight to see….
After taking a good look and considering all that we had seen, we looked again at the great square and the throngs of people, some buying
and others selling. The buzzing of their voices could be heard more than a league away. There were soldiers among us who had been in
many parts of the world, in Constantinople and Rome and all over Italy, who said that they had never before seen a market place so large
and so well laid out, and so filled with people.”
The scene described in this excerpt is of:
a. a view of Tenochtitlan’s market from the top of a tall temple
market place
b. an indoor temple with many statues
1.
2. Which of the following best describes the author’s view of the Aztecs?
a. generous and busy
b. evil and prosperous
c. a view of Tenochtitlan’s temple from the
d. a view of the markets in Rome
c. loving and kind
d. athletic and loud
3. Which words and phrases in the excerpt above reveal the author’s opinion of the Aztec’s religion? Underline them