The document provides information about the Aztec and Inca civilizations and their conquest by Spanish conquistadors. It discusses the locations and time periods of the Aztec and Inca empires. It describes key leaders like Montezuma II of the Aztecs and Atahualpa of the Incas. It explains how small forces led by Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro were able to defeat the large Aztec and Inca empires through military tactics, disease, and exploiting religious beliefs that Cortes was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

1. Aztec Incas
Location Mexico and Central America Colombia, Peru, Chile (western
South America) Andes Mnts
Dates 1250- 1521 AD
1428-1521 AD
1438-1532 AD
Fact #1 Had human sacrifice- saw
death as honorable
Montezuma II- Leader
Large empire and organized
society/Sapa Inca- leader of the
Incas
Fact #2 Capital city- Tenochtitlan
Nahuatl- Language
Cuzco- Capital City
Quecha language
Religion Quetzalocoat- sky god
Had human sacrifice
Polytheistic
Blamed earthquakes on god
Pachacamac
- Sacrificed children
Accomplishment #1 roads, bridges, taxes Quipu- a rope with knotted
cords of different lengths and
colors- kept records
Accomplishment #2 Farmers- Chinampas Thousands of miles of roads
and bridges- master craftsman

2. Spanish Conquistadors
 soldier-explorers who settled in the Americas
in hopes of finding treasurein hopes of finding treasure
 inspired by Columbus to seek fortune in the
New World
 Many came from the part of Spain called
Extremadura.
– poor soil, icy winters, & blistering hot summers
held little chance for wealth
– Hernan Cortes was born in this province

3. Spanish Conquistadors

4. Hernan CortesHernan Cortes - Aztec Conqueror- Aztec Conqueror
Spanish conquistador who reached
Mexico in 1519 in search of treasure
arrived in Mexico with 550 soldiers, 16
horses, 14 canons, & a few dogs
group was met by Aztec emperor,
Montezuma II

6. Who was Cortes?

8. How could such a
small force
conquer a huge
empire?

9. Cortes invades Mexico
How could such a small force conquer aHow could such a small force conquer a
huge empire?huge empire?
1. Cortes knew how to use Spanish horseSpanish horse and
gunsguns to shock Aztecs.
2. Cortes had invisible help--diseases that killed
more Aztecs than Spanish swords.
3. Montezuma believed Cortes to beMontezuma believed Cortes to be
Quetzalcoatl--an important Aztec godQuetzalcoatl--an important Aztec god..

10. Cortes Meeting Montezuma

11. Cortes Defeats the Aztec
Cortes traveled 400 miles to reach
Tenochitlan.
Montezuma did not attack right away
because he first thought Cortes wasCortes was
Quetzalcoatl.Quetzalcoatl.
The Spanish were able to take control
of the city & took Montezumatook Montezuma
hostagehostage.
Cortes ordered the Aztec to stop
sacrificing people.

12. Cortes Defeats Aztec
 Cortes’ orders angered Aztec; planned a
rebellion.
 Fighting broke out & Montezuma wasMontezuma was
killedkilled.
 The Spanish were outnumbered, so they fled
the city.
 Before they could prepare a 2nd
attack,
smallpox broke outsmallpox broke out in Tenochitlan & greatly
weakened the large Aztec empire.
 1521--Spanish destroyed the Aztec capital.

14. What happened
to Montezuma II?

15. Francisco Pizarro
Pizarro was also from the Extremadura.
– He was not of noble birth; could not even
write his name.
– At age 16, Pizarro fled a job herding pigs in
Italy.
1502--He arrived in the Americas and
became very wealthy by exploring
Panama.
– heard a rumor that there was a great empire
filled with gold in the mountains of South
America

17. Who was
Pizarro?

19. Why were the
Incas conquered?

20. The Inca
1530s--Inca thought they ruled most of
the world; two threats from the north
proved they did not.
1.They couldn’t stop the spread of1.They couldn’t stop the spread of
smallpoxsmallpox.
2. They couldn’t scare away Pizarro2. They couldn’t scare away Pizarro.

21. Pizarro Conquers the Inca
Pizarro led 160 soldiers to the Incan
homeland.
– raided Incan storehouses & fired guns& fired guns at
villagers
Incan emperor, AtahualpaIncan emperor, Atahualpa, thought
Pizarro was crazy--how could he stand
up to an army of 80,000 Incan
warriors?
1532--Pizarro came up with a plan to
defeat the Inca.

22. Atahualpa

23. Pizarro Defeats the Inca
 Spanish messengers invited Atahualpa to a
meeting.
 He agreed & left most of his army behind--
brought only 5,000 bodyguards.
 Pizarro’s 160 soldiers attacked the Inca &
kidnapped Atahualpakidnapped Atahualpa.
 Pizarro offered to free Atahualpaoffered to free Atahualpa if he filled
one room with gold & one with silver.
 Atahualpa kept his end of the bargain, but
Pizarro killed him in 1533Pizarro killed him in 1533.

24. What happened
to Atahualpa?

25. After Conquering the Inca…
Spanish king made Pizarro the
governor of Peru.
Pizarro’s conquest of Peru opened
most of South America to Spanish rule.
Spain controlled a vast territory
covering 375,000 miles with almost
seven million inhabitants.