1. Spanish Exploration and Conquest
Lesson 3
Vocabulary
empire
conquistador
How did the arrival of Spanish explorers change Native American empires?
Reading Skill
Cause and Effect
Teacher Notes
Essential Question: How did the arrival of Spanish explorers change Native American empires?

2. Spanish Exploration and Conquest
Complete the chart to show how Spain’s desire for gold destroyed the Aztec and Inca Empires.
Cause
Effect
Aztec fight Spanish; Moctezuma killed;
smallpox kills many Aztec
Cortés imprisons Moctezuma
smallpox spreads
weakens Inca Empire
Teacher Notes
Aztecs
Hernán Cortés brought more than 500 conquistadors, conquerors, when he landed in Mexico.
He scared many of the Aztec because they had never heard guns fired or seen horses.
Cortés and his men went to Tenochtitlán, where they captured Moctezuma II, the Aztec leader. Cortés then demanded gold for ransom.
Moctezuma was killed. The Spanish lost, but they left behind smallpox, which killed more than 100,000 Aztec.
Cortés and his men returned and destroyed Tenochtitlán. Mexico City now stands on its ruins.
Incas
Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa. The Inca Ruler offered him a huge room full of gold, but Pizarro took the gold and killed the ruler.
The Inca Empire was one of the wealthiest in the world.
It was successful because the empire was linked by highways.
Pizarro captures Atahualpa
Atahualpa killed;
Inca conquered
Write About It!
How did Spanish exploration change Central and South America?

3. Teacher Notes:
Aztecs
- Hernán Cortés brought more than 500 conquistadors, conquerors, when he landed in Mexico.
- He scared many of the Aztec because they had never heard guns fired or seen horses.
- Cortés and his men went to Tenochtitlán, where they captured Moctezuma II, the Aztec leader. Cortés then demanded gold for ransom.
- Moctezuma was killed. The Spanish lost, but they left behind smallpox, which killed more than 100,000 Aztec.
- Cortés and his men returned and destroyed Tenochtitlán. Mexico City now stands on its ruins.

4. Teacher Notes:
Incas
Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa. The Inca Ruler offered him a huge room full of gold, but Pizarro took the gold and killed the ruler.
The Inca Empire was one of the wealthiest in the world.
It was successful because the empire was linked by highways.