MLA RESEARCH NOTE MAKING SHEET
Name: Aiden Scheben
Topic: The Fall of the Aztec Empire
Highlight type of source:
Book
Encyclopedia
Database
Internet
MLA Formal Citation (Paste your EasyBib citation here )
Hudson, Myles. "Battle of Tenochtitlán". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Tenochtitlan. Accessed 27 November 2023.
Categories Page
Key Ideas and Details – A minimum of 5 Direct Quotes
and YOUR thoughts for each quote (This shows me…)
“Battle of Tenochtitlan, military engagement between the Aztecs and a coalition
of Spanish and indigenous combatants.”
- Was not just a 1-day battle, went on for a while and included many different groups in
the battle. The Aztecs were on one side and they fought against an alliance of the
Spanish (commanded by Hernan Cortes and other Indigenous peoples. Took place
at the city of Tenochtitlan.
“Cortés’s victory destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control
over what became the colony of New Spain.”
- Ended in Spanish victory that finished the Aztec empire and the land became a
Spanish colony. New Spain would be built on the ruins of the old empire and
Tenochtitlan would become Mexico City.
“Ritual human sacrifice did not always sit well with the vassal tribes.”
- The indigenous help Cortes received can be explained by the dissatisfaction with the
human tributes that the Aztec empire expected from all it’s subjugated land
“Although wary of Cortés, Montezuma sent emissaries with lavish gifts to the Spanish in a
cautious game of diplomacy.”
- While Cortes became more and more powerful and established within the Aztec
region, the Aztec ruler attempted to placate cortes with gifts in hopes for diplomacy.
This allowed Cortes to gain more influence relatively untouched and unbothered.
“Cortés forged alliances with several disgruntled Aztec subject tribes, chief among them
the Totonac and the Tlaxcalans.”
“He placed Montezuma under house arrest and forced him into the role of a puppet king.”
- The battle itself started very strangely, as it began from the inside and seemed to end
in Cortes’s victory quickly. This changed fast however, when outside factors as well
as a bloody revolt turned the relatively bloodless takeover into a bloody mess.
“He left Tenochtitlán in the hands of his trusted officer Pedro de Alvarado and set out to
subdue the arrest party.”
“Revolt throughout the city, and many members of Cortés’s garrison were killed in
retaliation.”
“Smallpox had been introduced to the Aztecs through the Spanish, and during those months
the disease killed half of Tenochtitlán’s inhabitants”
“In May 1521 Cortés and his coalition army reached the outskirts of the Aztec capital and laid
siege to the city.”
What is the most important thing I learned from the research above? Explain WHY.
I learned that much of the undoing of the Aztec empire was due to dissatisfaction with the
empire from those under it – many groups helped the attacking force to control the city. This
gives me an insight into how the population of the Aztec empire felt about it, as well as giving
me insight into how the mighty empire met its doom.
MLA 8 Blank Note Card
St. Mary CSS – Learning Commons
Mrs. T. Trofimencoff – Teacher-Librarian
MLA RESEARCH NOTE MAKING SHEET
Name:
Aiden Scheben
Topic: Fall of the Aztec Empire
Highlight type of source:
Book
Encyclopedia
Database
Internet
MLA Formal Citation (Paste your EasyBib citation here )
Eastman, Scott. "The History of the Conquest of New Spain." Journal of World History, vol. 21, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp.
757+. Gale OneFile: World History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A246449878/PPWH?u=ko_k12hs_d30&sid=bookmarkPPWH&xid=b9247afb. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
Categories Page
Key Ideas and Details – A minimum of 5 Direct Quotes
and YOUR thoughts for each quote (This shows me…)
“Transcribed his memories of multiple expeditions to Mesoamerica and of his participation in
the legendary offensive that brought down the Aztec empire.”
- The info from this source is from the journal of someone who was there – therefore it
should be accurate if biased information.
“Carrasco insists that we view the aftermath of the war and analyze tales of further Spanish
conquest and the cultural changes that took place. Within this context, readers are not awed by
"the heroism of the Spaniards," a theme pursued by earlier editors.”
- Important to look at information objectively and see the consequences of both sides of
the battle
“The last chapter centers on a festival held in Mexico City that vividly demonstrates the
transformation of both the visual and cultural landscape. By the 1530s, Africans, Europeans,
mestizos, and Indians peopled the diverse urban environments of New Spain.”
- Shows that the land no longer belongs to the Indigenous people and their way of life
anymore, as urbanization has begun
“it was her [La Malinche’s, also know as Malintizn or Marina] talent for languages that 'was the
greatest beginning of our conquests.'”
- Once again shows the pivotal role that the help of the indigenous people played within
the conquest of the Aztec empire.
“Carrasco asserts that Spaniards exaggerated the scale of human sacrifice, or debt payment
as it was called in Nahuatl. He posits that ‘no archaeological dig has found human remains
approaching even one-half of 1 percent of these numbers.’”
- Could mean that the dissatisfaction of the Indigenous people came from other sources
such as food or law. Also goes to show how it is important to look at objective facts and
not exaggerated numbers meant to fearmonger.
What is the most important thing I learned from the research above? Explain WHY.
Gives me important insight in how to go about understanding the fall of the Aztec empire as
well as the consequences it had for the indigenous people. Causes me to look at the long term
affects, as well as think critically about commonly presented information.
MLA 8 Blank Note Card
St. Mary CSS – Learning Commons
Mrs. T. Trofimencoff – Teacher-Librarian