In this Grade 4 lesson from Discovering Our Past: a History of the World, students explore how Spanish conquistadors Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro conquered the Aztec and Inca empires in Central and South America. Students examine the key factors behind Spain's victories, including the use of guns and horses, the role of interpreter Malintzin in building alliances, and the devastating impact of diseases like smallpox on native populations. The lesson addresses the essential question of why civilizations rise and fall within the broader context of Chapter 21's Age of Exploration and Trade.
Section 1
Spanish Conquistadors Overthrew Powerful Empires
Conquistadors like Cortés and Pizarro conquered the Aztec and Inca empires despite having small armies. They used superior weapons, deception, local alliances, and diseases that devastated native populations.
Section 2
Cortés Exploited Fears to Defeat the Aztec
Cortés conquered the Aztec by using guns and horses to intimidate, finding allies who resented Aztec rule, and benefiting from Montezuma's belief that he might be the returning god Quetzalcoatl.
Section 3
Diseases Decimated Native American Populations
European diseases like smallpox and measles spread among Native Americans who had no immunity. These invisible allies killed more Aztec people than Spanish weapons, weakening resistance to conquest.
Section 4
Pizarro Betrayed Atahualpa to Seize Inca Gold
Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa through trickery, demanded a room full of gold for his release, then executed him anyway. This deception helped Spain gain control of Peru.
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Section 1
Spanish Conquistadors Overthrew Powerful Empires
Conquistadors like Cortés and Pizarro conquered the Aztec and Inca empires despite having small armies. They used superior weapons, deception, local alliances, and diseases that devastated native populations.
Section 2
Cortés Exploited Fears to Defeat the Aztec
Cortés conquered the Aztec by using guns and horses to intimidate, finding allies who resented Aztec rule, and benefiting from Montezuma's belief that he might be the returning god Quetzalcoatl.
Section 3
Diseases Decimated Native American Populations
European diseases like smallpox and measles spread among Native Americans who had no immunity. These invisible allies killed more Aztec people than Spanish weapons, weakening resistance to conquest.
Section 4
Pizarro Betrayed Atahualpa to Seize Inca Gold
Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa through trickery, demanded a room full of gold for his release, then executed him anyway. This deception helped Spain gain control of Peru.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter