1. Must Do
Look at the list of project Subjects. On the left side of your notebook (Page 10) , list your top 3 choices of project.

2. (write on right side of your notebooks)
Words Worth Knowing
(write on right side of your notebooks)
Conquistador (sp)-a conqueror, especially one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.
Missionary- a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.

3. Hernán Cortés and The Aztecs

4. The Aztecs 14th-16th Century (1300s-1500s)
Actually, a group of several Civilizations- The “Triple Alliance”
Advanced Society: Based around Corn production, Nobles and Commoners
Technology: Astronomy and Calendars superior to Western, but no wheeled vehicles or draft animals
Engineering: Pyramids, floating gardens, Canals, massive cities
Floating gardens could give 7 crops a year, estimated population of  Tenochtitlan was between 300,000 to 700,000 people!

5. Hernando Cortes: B. 1485 – D. 1547 Cousin of Francisco Pizarro
At 18, Goes to Haiti, Soon helps conquer island, gets a large estate (at 20!)
Helps conquer Cuba, and at 26, becomes mayor of Cuba
Reluctantly gets married to sister in law of the Governor of Cuba
Assembles invasion force for Mexico of 11 ships, 500 men, 13 horses, and a small number of cannon

6. Conquest of Mexico Mutiny!!! Ships Burnt!!! Revenge! Romance!
Massacre!
Greed and Plots!
The Plot Thickens!
More Massacres!
Defeat!
Victory and even more Massacres! Also Plague!
In act of Mutiny, launches attack against orders of Governor of Cuba
Scuttles own ships- No going Back!
Assembles native enemies of the Aztecs
Gets to First major city, Chiloula, and massacres welcome party
Moves on to Tenochtitlan (modern day Mexico City)
Captures Moctezuma II, holds hostage
But then Govenor of Cuba attacks! Cortes beats him.
Comes back to Tenochtitlan, and his LT. had killed everybody!
City goes crazy, Cortes and men get mostly killed but Cortez escapes
Cortes comes back with more men later and destroys Tenochtilan. Helped by smallpox, which wipes out 50% of the population.

7. Motivations: Love Cortes’ other Conquests Cortes and Dona Marina
Spanish and the Mesoamericans:
Racial Caste System

8. CORTES’ Conquistador Report Card
Power: HIGHLY PROFICIENT
Money: PROFICIENT
Love: MASTERY OF SUBJECT
God: NOT PROFICIENT
Dumb Luck: PROFICIENT