Social Studies chapter 3Lesson 4Conquest of the Americas©cjm 10/21/2009

Cortés Conquers the Aztecs

• Spain’s rulers were still looking for gold

• Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Mexico in 1519

• An expedition is

A journey to achieve a goal

• Cortés had an army of more than 500 conquistadors, horses, and weapons

A conquistador is

a Spanish word for conqueror

The Aztecs

• The Aztecs had built an empire by conquering other Indian Nations.

• They controlled a huge empire and lived in a city bigger than any in Europe.

• An empire is

many nations or territories ruled by a single group or leader

Cortés Conquers the Aztecs

• The Aztec ruler, Moctezuma, welcomed Cortés in their capital city, Tenochtitlán.

• Cortés wanted the Aztec gold so he put Moctezuma in prison.

• The Aztecs fought Cortés and drove him and his army away.

Cortés Conquers the Aztecs

• Cortés made friends with other Indian nations who were the Aztec’s enemies.

• Cortés defeated the Aztecs with the help from:1. Aztec enemies

2. Diseases from the Spanish

3. Weapons• After the Aztec’s defeat,

Cortés explored Central looking for gold.

Spain conquers the Incas

• Spain sent Francisco Pizarro to South America to look for gold during the 1530’s.

• The Incas were a powerful tribe who also had a large empire.

• Pizarro fought and defeated the Incas.

Spain Explored North America

• Spanish conquistadors also explored North America looking for gold

• Juan Ponce de León explored present day Florida in 1513. He was looking for the “Fountain of Youth”.

• In 1539, Hernando de Soto explored the southeast part of the United States, including Florida and Georgia.

Spain Explored North America

• In 1540, Francisco de Coronado led an expedition looking for gold.

• Coronado and his men traveled over 3,500 miles looking for the cities of gold.