1. Aztec Account: Broken Spears
Discussion Questions:
1. What occurred at the cities of Cholula and Tlaxcala as the Spaniards began their marchinland? What was different about events that took place at Cholula vs. Tlaxcala?
2. What was the Aztecs reaction to the Spaniards quest for gold? Why did Tzihuacpopocatzin pretend to be Motecuhzoma? What was the significance of the appearance of Tezcatlipoca? What did he say?
3. What occurred as the Spaniards continued their march toward Texcoco? How were they greated by the people of Texcoco? Who is Ixtlilxochitl? What was his reaction to the Spanish, his mothers reaction? What did Motecuhzoma do on hearing about what occurred at Texcoco?
4. What occurred at the meeting of Motecuhzoma and Cortes? What did the Spaniards proceed to to do? Why are the accounts of the Spanish and the Aztecs so different of this meeting?

2. What occurred at the cities of Cholula and Tlaxcala as the Spaniards began their marchinland? What was different about events that took place at Cholula vs. Tlaxcala?
1. Cholula the Spaniards arrived and were welcomed by Otomies in their battle gear, and the Spaniards destroyed them.
2. The Tlaxcalas heard and decided to become allies with them, gave them food, goods, and their daughters. The Tlaxcalas proceeded to plot against the Cholula (who were Aztecs), and when the spaniards marched again against other Cholula, they massacred them.
3. The Cholulas were massacred and fear spread all the way to Mexico City.
4. Rumors passed that the god Quetzalquatl was not serving them anymore.

3. What was the Aztecs reaction to the Spaniards quest for gold
What was the Aztecs reaction to the Spaniards quest for gold? Why did Tzihuacpopocatzin pretend to be Motecuhzoma? What was the significance of the appearance of Tezcatlipoca? What did he say?
1. The Aztecs saw that they lusted for the gold and sent emissaries with more gifts.
2. In order to fool them into negotiating with him???
3. The appearance of Tezcatlipoca (God of Darkness and Night) was forboding because he kept talking about the end of Mexico.

4. What occurred as the Spaniards continued their march toward Texcoco
What occurred as the Spaniards continued their march toward Texcoco? How were they greated by the people of Texcoco? Who is Ixtlilxochitl? What was his reaction to the Spanish, his mothers reaction? What did Motecuhzoma do on hearing about what occurred at Texcoco?
1. Cortes was happy to arrive at such a large settlement. The were greeted under friendly terms by the people of Texcoco.
2. Ixtlilxochitl was the ruler of Texcoco and declared that he wanted to convert to christianity. Yacotzin, his mother, said she would take the sacrament against her will.
3. Motecuhzoma called his nephew, Cacama, and decided they should great them in peace.

5. What occurred at the meeting of Motecuhzoma and Cortes
What occurred at the meeting of Motecuhzoma and Cortes? What did the Spaniards proceed to to do? Why are the accounts of the Spanish and the Aztecs so different of this meeting?
1. Motecuhzoma met Cortes in all his finery. He addresses them as they are his lords and offers them up all of the city.
2. The Spaniards enter the royal house, put Motecuhzoma under guard, and seize all of his treasure.

6. 5. What occurred during the Fiesta of Huitzilopochtli while Cortes was gone? Why did the Spaniards attack the celebrants? How did the Aztecs respond?
6. After Cortes put down Navarez, what happened on his return to the city? What did the Aztecs do? Where did Cortes go next? What happened to Motecuhzoma?
7. What happened to the city of Tenochtitlan while the Spaniards were gone? What happened when the Spanish returned? How did the Aztecs defend themselves? How did the Spaniards finally take over?
8. What happened to the Spanish captured by the Aztecs? What did the Aztecs suffer under the seige? What occurred at the battle of the Market Place? Who was the Quetzal Owl?
9. How did the surrender occur? What was the final omen? What happened to the city and the people of the city?
10. What is the aftermath of the destruction of the Aztecs? How do the Nahuas express their feelings about it?

7. What occurred during the Fiesta of Huitzilopochtli while Cortes was gone? Why did the Spaniards attack the celebrants? How did the Aztecs respond?
1. The Aztecs prepared for the feast and at the height of the dancing, the Spaniards attack.
2. The Spaniards were seized with “an urge to kill the celebrants”.
3. The Aztecs responded by attacking the Spaniards who in turn shackle Motecuhzoma and keep him captive. The Aztecs then lay siege to the palace.

8. After Cortes put down Navarez, what happened on his return to the city
After Cortes put down Navarez, what happened on his return to the city? What did the Aztecs do? Where did Cortes go next? What happened to Motecuhzoma?
1. Cortes and his Spaniards were forced from the city and fled in their retreat.
2. The Aztecs raided goods from the dead Spanish and began to celebrate their fiestas again.
3. Cortes went to Tezcoco to recuperate and amass his troops.
4. Motecuhzoma went to the roof tops to get admonish his people for retaliating, and it is said that a commoner killed him with a stone from the sling, but the palace people said the Spaniards put him to death before they fled.

9. What happened to the city of Tenochtitlan while the Spaniards were gone? What happened when the Spanish returned? How did the Aztecs defend themselves? How did the Spaniards finally take over?
1. There was a plague of small pox in the city.
2. The Spanish besieged them with ships in the lake (but how did they get ships in the lake?), must have been the launches.
3. The Aztecs defend themselves by running in zigzags to avoid the gunfire, or laid flat to avoid a cannon shot, and took cover in houses.
4. The Spaniards finally pushed to the center of the city but were held back by a last stand of the Aztecs.

10. What happened to the Spanish captured by the Aztecs
What happened to the Spanish captured by the Aztecs? What did the Aztecs suffer under the seige? What occurred at the battle of the Market Place? Who was the Quetzal Owl?
1. The spanish were sacrificed in front of their comrades.
2. The aztecs were tormented by hunger, thirst, and disease. They ate lizards, swalows, corncobs, and salt grass.
3. The spanish gained hold of the market place and burned the temples.
4. The Quetzal Owl was finery that belonged to a great king and it was worn by a warrior to terrify the enemy.

11. How did the surrender occur. What was the final omen
How did the surrender occur? What was the final omen? What happened to the city and the people of the city?
1. The final omen was when it rained a great bonfire appeared in the sky and circled the lake then disappeared.
2. Cuauhtemoc was put in a war canoe and the people cried “he is going to surrender to the gods”. The spaniards then set off their canons in celebration.
3. Many more people were killed and so many fled the city. Refugees were searched for gold and gold was demanded of the King in tribute. Of the 300,000 warriors in the city only 60,000 are left.
What is the aftermath of the destruction of the Aztecs? How do the Nahuas express their feelings about it?
1. Although the city and empire was destroyed, many of the citizens survived to record the events and their feelings about.
2. Letters were written to the King of Spain requesting support.

12. Modern Indigenous People

13. Modern Indigenous People
Indigenous rights
Zapatistas
Nahuatl Culture