Download Aztecs Ch. 10 Notes

A Deadly Meeting
Chapter 10 Notes

Events in chronological order:
o The Aztecs hear rumors of strangers arriving on the coast and so their
immediate response was to welcome the Spanish into their capital city
o Cortes and the Spanish march to Tenochtitlan or Aztec capital city
o Emperor Moctezuma dies
o The city of Tenochtitlan is destroyed by the Spanish
Conquistador’s Formula

The main aim of the formula was to ensure that Spain took over a region,
peacefully if possible but violently if necessary.
Step 1: An expedition sets out from a recent colony
Step 2: After landing in a new region, the Spanish would try to meet peacefully with the
first groups of Indigenous peoples they encountered.
Step 3: The Spanish would invite the leader of the most powerful group to a meeting to
exchange gifts. Then the Spanish would seize the leader and threaten to kill him
unless his followers obeyed their orders. ( example – Spanish troops capture
Moctezuma and loot gold from the royal places)
Step 4: If they did have to fight, the Spanish would try to do so on open ground.
Step 5: The leader of the expedition would remain as governor of the new colony and his
second-in-command would organize the next expedition.

Cortes’s motive for his expedition to Mexico was to get gold

Refer to figure 10-24 in text p. 231
o the title of the image could be
First Contact: the “Old World” and the “New World”
o the armour and weapons of the Spanish were most emphasized by the
Aztec artist
o a majority of people in Spain would have viewed Cortes as positive,
because he gained wealth and territory for his king and country

If you were an Aztec person, imagine what you would have noticed about Cortes
and his small Spanish army…….
o Clothing
o Ships
o Skin, hair, eye color
o Horses
o Weapons/ firearms
o Different language
o Keen interest in gold

The factors that were most important in explaining the Spanish conquest of the
Aztecs were:
o Spanish weapons and technology
o The role of disease
o Spanish and Aztec strategy
o Leadership
o Disunity of the Aztecs
o Role of other groups in helping the Spanish
Which one of these was more responsible for the Spanish victory? Why?
Rank the above from least important to most.