Question

important vocabulary
captive: coutivo overthrow: derrocamiento invaders: invasoros wrath: ira/cólera
the aztec empire reached its peak in 1502. emperor montezuma ii came to power in the early 1500s. in 1521, the spanish arrived on the shores of current day mexico. hernan cortes, a spanish conquistador, landed on the coast. cortes used other natives who did not like the aztecs to help him. at first, emperor moctezuma ii tried to work peacefully with the conquistadors, but he was taken captive. he died as a prisoner of the spanish.

1. what is a conquistador (busca la definicion)?
2. who (quien) conquered the aztecs?

cortes men gained control of the city and quickly set fires all around. they left the city in ruin and let many trapped on the island. diseases brought by the spanish, including smallpox and syphilis, wiped out nearly 50% of the native population. soon there were just not enough native people left to overthrow the invaders. the art and treasures of mesoamerica were melted down, destroyed, or burned by the spanish. survivors were forced to abandon their traditions and beliefs or face the wrath of their new overlords. the area once controlled by the aztecs would soon be called new spain and a new capital, mexico city, would be built over the ruins of tenochtitlan.

1. besides fighting the spanish, what killed many natives?
2. complete the sentence: one thing i learned about the aztecs is

Explanation:

1. A conquistador is a Spanish conqueror.
2. Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquered the Aztecs.
3. Diseases brought by the Spanish, including smallpox and syphilis.
4. One thing I learned about the Aztecs is that their empire reached its peak in 1502 and was conquered by the Spanish in 1521.

Answer:

1. A Spanish conqueror.
2. Hernan Cortes and the Spanish.
3. Diseases (smallpox and syphilis).
4. One thing I learned about the Aztecs is that their empire reached its peak in 1502 and was conquered by the Spanish in 1521.