Conquest in the Americas

Various factors enabled the Spanish to conquer the Aztec and Incan empires.

As you read section 1, complete the following charts by writing four supporting details for each of the main ideas given.

Main Idea: Spanish conquistadors raided the Americas for riches and mistreated the native people they found.
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Main Idea: Several reasons explain the Spanish successes in the Americas.
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Briefly define the following term.

Conquistador:

Conquest in the Americas

1. What were the results of the first encounters between the Spanish and Native Americans?

2. How did Spanish conquistadors conquer the Aztec and Incan empires?

3. Why were the Spanish victorious?

First Encounters

In 1492, landed in the West Indies, in the Caribbean. He encountered the Taíno people, who were friendly and generous toward the Spanish.

Spanish, or conquerors, followed in the wake of Columbus. They settled on Caribbean islands, seized gold from the Taínos, and forced them to convert to Christianity.

Meanwhile, smallpox, measles and influenza carried by the Europeans wiped out village after native village. Native Americans had no , or resistance, to such diseases.

The Conquistadors

I. Hernan Cortés landed on the coast in 1519.

Cortés arranged with discontented peoples who hated their Aztec overlords.

The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma, thought Cortés might be a . He offered tribute to Cortés and welcomed him to Tenochtitlán.

When relations grew strained, the Aztecs drove the out of Tenochtitlán.

In 1521, Cortés returned and and demolished Tenochtitlán.

II.

Francisco Pizarro arrived in in 1532, just after the conclusion of a bloody .

Helped by Indian allies, Pizarro captured the new king, Atahualpa, and killed of his followers.

The then overran the Incan heartland.

Land Claims in the Americas

Why Were the Spanish Victorious?

The Spanish had superior technology, such as muskets, cannons, and armor. They used horses, which frightened some Indians, who had never seen such animals.

The Spanish were able to take advantage of and among the Indians. In fact, Indians provided the Spanish with much of their fighting power.

Disease brought by the weakened the Aztecs and Incas.

Many Indians believed that the disasters they suffered marked the end of the world.

Section 1 Assessment

Which of the following countries did not have land claims in North America in 1675?

Conquest in the Americas