Mexico and Peru

 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  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  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  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

 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

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.