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Mexico and Peru
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Write down three things you know about the
conquest of Latin and South America

Columbus’s discovery leads to the
transformation of the Caribbean Islands into
Spanish colonies
◦ Lands that are controlled by another nation

Amerigo Vespucci upon exploring the eastern
coast of South America declared it was not a
part of the Asian continent but a new world
◦ The new continent was named America in his honor

In 1519, Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico
◦ A Spanish conquistador- conqueror
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Drawn to Mexico due to tales of vast
lands filled with gold and silver
The Spanish were the first settlers in the
Americas
◦ Colonized parts of Mexico, South America and
the United States

Aztec Empire is very wealthy

Cortes marches with his army to Tenochtitlan,
the Aztec capital

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Thinking they were gods, the emperor agreed
to give a portion of the kingdoms wealth to
the Spaniards
Cortes and his comrades have a “disease of
the heart that only gold can cure”

In 1520, the Spaniards attack the Aztec people

The Aztecs force the Spanish out

The Spanish attack again and are successful

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Cortes had superior weapons and was able to
enlist the help of various native groups
The Aztecs were crippled by disease
◦ Measles and Smallpox

1532, Francisco Pizarro led a force into
South America
◦ Conquered the Incan Empire

The Spanish attack the Incan ruler while he
was surrounded by unarmed men

The Incan king agreed to pay a ransom of
gold and silver to appease the Spanish

Pizarro kills him after the ransom is paid

He then took control of Cuzco, the Incan
capital without a struggle

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Spain’s American colonies helped make it the
richest, most powerful nation in the world
Spain also increased its military might
◦ Built a powerful navy
◦ Army seldom lost a battle


Spanish conquistadors with the assistance of
Catholic priests spread Christianity
Extend their colonies north into North America
◦ Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and
Kansas


Priests pushed for better treatment of Native
Americans
Native Americas attempted to push the
Spaniards back many times however they
were always unsuccessful
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Role of the Writer: Choose to write as either
Cotes or an Incan
Audience: to whom are you writing to? The
Spanish king? Yourself? A native ruler?
Format: In what format are you writing? A
diary entry? A letter? A threat?
Topic: Write a document that discusses the
condition of Mesoamerica from your point of
view.