COMING TO AMERICA

Why the Spanish wanted to come to TEXAS (Gold, God, Glory)  Spain’s rulers wanted to  Expand their empire  Take Christianity to the New World  Gain the riches and lands of the Americas

Vocab  Spices- Asian goods that preserve and improve food  Conquistadors- Spanish soldiers who sought gold, god and glory  Land routes- adds to the cost of trading goods

Columbus Sails to America  Europeans wanted trade goods from Asia and would pay a high price for spices  In the 1400s silks and other Asian goods came by means of land routes, which added to the cost  Europeans wanted to find an all-water route to Asia  An Italian sailor named Christopher Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west.  Spain would finance the trip and give Columbus three ships Do Not COPY

The Voyage  On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail for Asia  On October 12, Columbus first landed on an island in what is now the Bahamas  Columbus believed that he had reached the Indies and called the people there Indians Do Not COPY

Columbus  Goals  Find an all water trade route to Asia  Italian sailor who wanted to reach Asia by sailing west  Results  Queen Isabella will support his expedition  He will first land on the Bahamas and he thinks that he has landed in Asia  But he quickly found out that he had hit North America  Therefore his expedition was a failure

Conquistadors  Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers and adventurers in search of gold, glory, and land  They wore suits of armor and steel helmets, rode mighty horses, and armed themselves with swords and muskets  The Spanish soon conquered many of the Caribbean Islands  Now they turned to the American mainland Do Not COPY

Hernan Cortes  In 1519 conquistodor Hernán Cortés sailed from Spanish Cuba to the eastern coast of what is now Mexico  They met many Mexican Indians and were told about a powerful and wealthy Aztec Empire led by Moctezuma  Cortés decided to find Moctezuma “wherever he might be…..take him alive in chains or make him subject to Spain” Do Not COPY

Cortés and the Aztec  To make sure his soldiers would not retreat, Cortés set his ships on fire.  He was dedicated and wanted victory at any cost  Cortés would need a lot of help since the Aztec had conquered a vast area and ruled several million people.  And Indian woman named Malintzin helped Cortés as a guide and interpreter.  With her help Cortés gained allied among the Aztec subjects and thousands joined him Do Not COPY

Fight for the Aztec Empire  Cortés and his army marched toward Tenochtitlán the Aztec capital  When they arrived the marveled at the city  Moctezuma gave Cortés peace offerings  But Cortés took Moctezuma captive and began planning on how to conquer the Aztec Do Not COPY

Fighting Breaks Out  Before Cortés was prepared the Aztec attacked the Spanish fled the city in June 1520  Cortés began planning a new assault and convinced more Indians to join him  His men built boats armed with canons  In May 1521, the Spanish and their Indian allies attacked Tenochtitlán  After and long and brutal fight, they defeated the Aztec in August 1521  Many Aztec were killed or enslaved and Tenochtitlán lay in ruins Do Not COPY

Aftermath  Spain had captured the great wealth and land of the Aztec Empire  They sent the treasures over to Spain  On top of the ruins of the Aztec capital Cortés built Mexico City  Mexico City became the capital of New Spain  Spanish explorations increased Do Not COPY

Hernan Cortes  Goals  Find gold and conquer central America  Results  Local Indians tell him about the Aztec Empire  He captures Montezuma, the leader of the Aztecs  He captures Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and defeats the Aztecs  He sends much of the Aztec gold and treasure back to Spain  His expedition and war was a success.

Journal #1  You are starting an expedition to explore Texas….  Tell me  What you hope to find in Texas?  What are you taking with you?  Reasons why you think you will be successful.