Name: ______Date:______

2-1 Document Worksheet

Document 1
In the years after Columbus’s voyages,many Spanish explorers sailed to theAmericas. They were known as
conquistadores, or conquerors. Theycame in search of gold and silver.The conquistador Hernándo Cortéslanded in Mexico in 1519. He soon heardabout the rich Aztec empire. Cortés’sarmy conquered the Aztecs and took their gold. The Aztecs regrouped and rebelled.However, by this time many Aztecs haddied from European diseases. As a result,they did not have enough forces to put upa strong fight. In 1521, the Spanishdefeated the Aztecs again and claimedtheir land for Spain.
Cortés marched 200 miles to the Azteccapital, Tenochtitlán. The Spanishmarveled at the Aztec capital. Cortés wasa skilled diplomat as well as a solider. TheAztec Emperor, Montezuma, believed theSpanish leader to be a god and gave himgold. But the Spanish kept demandingmore. Finally the Aztec rebelled. Whilethey were successful at first, the Aztecwere weakened by disease and Spanisharms. Cortés launched a counterattack in1521. After several months of fighting, theinvaders conquered Tenochtitlán andburned the capital. Cortés then laid plansfor the colony of New Spain whosecapital he called Mexico City.
Most of the Spanish who settled in theAmericas were men. They often marriedNative American women. This created alarge population of mestizos. These arepeople who were part Spanish and partNative American. Their descendants livetoday in Mexico, other Latin Americancountries, and the United States.Spanish settlers forced native workersto work under the encomienda system.They made Native Americans farm, ranch,or mine the land. The settlers treated theirworkers badly. Many workers died fromdisease and abuse. In 1542, Spain endedthe encomienda system because it was sobrutal. Soon after that, Spanish settlersbegan to use African slaves.
Document 2:
The Spanish eventually moved into thepresent-day United States. Juan Ponce deLeón explored the area that is present-dayFlorida. The Spanish also explored thesouthwestern United States. Throughoutthe late 1500s and early 1600s, Spain sentmostly Catholic priests to settle thisregion. The colony became known as NewMexico.
The priests’ mission was to convertNative Americans to the Roman Catholicfaith. To do this, the priests moved theNative Americans into large communitiescalled congregaciónes. In addition toconverting Native Americans, Spanishmissionaries taught them European stylesand ways.
The Spanish rulers saw the scatteredmissions, forts, and small ranches thatdotted the lands of New Mexico as
headquarters for spreading the Catholicreligion.
Document 3:
Spanish settlers in New Mexico tried toimpose Spanish culture on the NativeAmericans. The settlers destroyed objectsthat the Native Americans consideredsacred. The settlers also did not allow theNative Americans to perform their ancientceremonies and rituals. In addition, theSpanish forced the Native Americans towork for them. Sometimes they abusedworkers physically.
One Native American who sufferedsuch abuse was the Pueblo religiousleader, Popé. The Spanish priests viewedPopé’s religious practices as witchcraft.As a result, they beat and whipped him.In 1680, Popé led a large rebellionagainst the Spanish. The uprising involved17,000 Native Americans from all overNew Mexico. The fighters drove theSpaniards back into Mexico. It would beanother 14 years before the Spanishreconquered New Mexico.

Document 1 Question(s):

  1. What were conquistadores and what were they after?
  1. How were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztecs?
  1. What was the encomienda system?

Document 2 Question(s):

  1. What areas of the future United States did the Spanish explore?
  1. How did the priests treat Native Americans?

Document 3:

  1. How did the Spanish settlers treat the Native Americans?
  1. How did the Native Americans respond to their treatment?

Writing Assignment:

Directions: Using the space below and/or a separate sheet of paper, answer the following question in the form of a short essay (of at least one paragraph) using the question answers, documents, claims and evidence from above:

  • Inquiry Question: What is the main idea, issue or theme that ties these documents together? What evidence can you offer to support this idea, issue or theme?