Ancient Aztec Reading Guide
Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent–a god that is half SNAKE_____ and half BIRD____. He
was 1 of the most important gods, not only in Teotihuacan, but throughout Mesoamerica.
The last wave of Chichimecs to come into this mixing pot was the tribe we know today as the
AZTECS.
The sign from Huitzilopochtli appeared in an unexpected place–on an _ISLAND_in Lake
Texcoco.
List 3 things the Aztecs built (in or around the capitol):
1) chinapas (floating islands)
2) bridges
3) gardens, cities, buildings, calendars, ect.
When the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés arrived here in _1519____, he was stunned by the
beauty of the city. When they climbed the stairways of the great temples, they discovered,
to their horror, for the Aztecs practiced ______human sacrifice_____ almost continuously.
The fall of the Aztec Empire was strangely foretold by one of their own legends.
According to the legend, the god Quetzalcóatl, who had gone to live ___across the
ocean____, would return in the year One Reed to rule over the Aztecs. In one of the most
extraordinary coincidences in all of human history, One Reed fell on the year 1519–precisely
when ___Hernan Cortes_ landed in Mexico. The king Montezuma, thinking he might be a
god_, welcomed him into Tenochtitlan. The Aztec were no match for the Spanish.
List 2 reasons why the Spanish came:
1) glory, god, gold
2) to take over, to convert them, ect.
*Sum-It-Up:
In at least 4 sentences, describe the Aztec Civilization from *Your Side’s* point-of-view.
Include appropriate bias. OR List the top 5 key words/phrases you would need to search for to
find the best pictures to illustrate the Aztec/Spanish conflict.
Guns, Germs, & Steel Viewing Guide (Pizarro versus Atahualpa)
Everyone:
1. At the time that the Spanish conquistador’s invaded the Inca Empire, they were armed with
state-of-the-art weaponry. Describe this weaponry.
Jacobus: inaccurate, slow gun
Rapier: long, flexible sword made of steel
2. Why did the Spanish have such advanced weapons?
They added on to the guns from the Middle East and the gunpowder
from China
3. How did the battle tactics used by the Spanish conquistadors help the small army defeat the
Inca army that outnumbered it by the thousands?
Pizarro used Cortez’ takeover of the Aztecs as a guide. He surrounded
the Inca at their party and surprised them. He used the horses to
confuse them.
4. Explain the role of the Horse in Spanish conquest.
The horses could make the Spanish taller and faster than the inca.
They could go backwards, sideways, and in a tight circle. The Inca
never saw a horse before, so these horses scared them and help the
Spanish kill them.
5. Explain the role of Smallpox in Spanish conquest.
20,000,000 natives died from Smallpox. That’s 90% of the population.
The Europeans didn’t get it because they grew up around cows, sheep,
pigs, horses, dogs, ect. And were immune. This made it easy for the
Europeans to take over the dead Inca.
*Sum-it-up:
In at least 4 sentences, describe Pissarro’s conquest of the Inca from *Your Side’s* point-ofview. Include appropriate bias. OR List the top 5 key words/phrases you would need to search
for to find the best pictures to illustrate the Inca/Spanish conflict.