Name:

1 As the European nations explored the New World, they claimed land that belonged to the Native Americans. These territories offered them gold, natural resources, and permanent settlements. The kings of Europe used this wealth to strengthen their armies in order to dominate their rivals. Spain struggled to keep up with England and France, so its king also sent explorers to claim rich lands across the ocean. Spain quickly claimed islands and began the conquest of major Native empires. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes led the charge with the crushing defeat of the Aztec.

2 Hernan Cortes was born in Medellin, Spain in 1485. Cortes’s parents were from noble families but had little wealth. When Cortes was 14, he studied law for two years until news of Columbus’s journey to the West Indies filtered through Spain. Cortes was riveted with these wild stories and dedicated himself to exploring the vast unknown. In 1504, he started this lethal journey to the island of Hispaniola.

3 This voyage across the ocean was filled with a plethora of dangers that sent men to the bottom. Often treacherous ocean currents were the hand of death sending many sailors to their maker. The Atlantic Ocean was susceptible to ferocious storms that sunk so many ships. These poorly constructed vessels also held disease spread by rodents and insects. Provisions would quickly spoil or run low, causing starvation or poor nutrition. Poor maps and navigational equipment often led ships far off their planned course. Many of the sailors were terrified of what creatures lurked in the black depths of the ocean and feared that these sea monsters would spring from the ocean and devour them.

4 He lived on the island for six years and made a great impression on Governor Velazquez. The governor asked Cortes for his help in conquering today’s Cuba in 1511. In 1518, Hernan led a mission to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. He became well known for his tough leadership, along with his obsession with wealth and power. Contact with the Indians of the area confirmed the presence of a wealthy and mighty tribe to the north, the Aztecs. The Spanish listened with glee to the stories of gold, silver, and jewels to be found in the Aztec capital. The governor ordered Cortes to move north but regretted this decision right away. Cortes was a loose cannon out for his own glory if treasure was discovered. Velazquez then told him not to leave, yet Hernan sailed off to Mexico anyway with 600 men.

5 When Cortes arrived in late 1519, he quickly gained the trust of the Aztec leaders. The Natives viewed the Spanish as gods dressed in shiny armor upon large horses, which they had never seen before. Cortes then set about exploring the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, and found treasure. When he heard that some of his men wanted to return to Cuba, he burned all of the ships to prevent this retreat. Outside the city, Cortes rallied tribes hostile to the Aztecs, gaining 6,000 fighters. They viewed the Spanish as saviors from the Aztec tyranny. They hated the Aztec Empire for its harsh religious rituals of human sacrifices. The communication and good will with the Aztecs quickly unraveled. Then the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, refused a meeting with Cortes. He took the king hostage and tried to rule through him, but Tenochtitlan got a new leader to rule. Repulsed by the bloody human sacrifice, Cortes began destroying Aztec temples. He replaced them with Christian versions, angering the population.

6 Velazquez sent an army from Cuba to attack Cortes for disobeying orders. Cortez left the Aztec capital and battled these fellow Spaniards, crushing them. The surviving conquistadors joined his army after promises of gold and jewels. He then turned his focus back to Tenochtitlan. When the Spanish returned to the city, the Aztecs were in complete rebellion. During the bloody fighting throughout the night, nearly a 1,000 Spanish soldiers were killed. Cortes escaped the city and regrouped his soldiers and planned another attack. To the Spaniards’ good fortune, the Aztecs were greatly weakened from the European diseases. These illnesses had plagued the empire over the previous months. In the December of 1520, Cortes marched into the city and conquered it after brutal fighting. The whole empire fell to the Spanish eight months later and was renamed New Spain.

7 In 1523, Cortes was made governor of New Spain as a reward for his staggering success. Although, Cortes behaved irresponsibly and the Spanish government started to dislike him. Cortes then sailed off to explore Honduras in 1524 and failed completely. To investigate the great blunder, the Spanish king sent an official who died the day after arrival. Suspicion fell upon Cortes and he sailed back to Spain in 1540 to clear his name. The Spanish crown stripped him of all titles and land. Before he could restore his reputation in the eyes of the king, he died in 1547.

G8.5 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 1

Hernan Cortes

Cortes

8 Hernan Cortes was best known for discovering and destroying the Aztec Empire for the Spanish. In successfully doing so, he allowed the Spanish to further conquer more land for New Spain. He plundered the Aztec Empire of precious metals and jewels and set the basis for 300 years of Spanish abuse.

G8.5 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 2

2. Hernan Cortes could best be described as—

A. careful B. ambitious C. compassionate D. cautious

3. About what years did Cortes study law?

A. 1485-1486 B. 1499-1500 C. 1504-1505 D. 1511-1512

4. True or False. Hernan Cortes had little interest in gold and treasure.

A. True B. False

5. How did Cortes preserve his army for the attack on the Aztec capital?

A. he took Montezuma hostage

B. he recruited Indians hostile to the Aztec

C. he torched his ships to prevent his men from leaving

D. by destroying bloody Aztec temples and promising treasure

6. What caused the Spanish king to not trust Cortes’s actions and motives?

A. the king’s investigator died after arriving in the colony

B. Cortes ignored the governor’s orders to not attack the Aztec

C. Cortes attacked the governor’s soldiers

D. Cortes burned his ships to prevent his men from fleeing

A. communication was poor and Cortes did not know

B. Cortes planned to conquer the Aztec for the glory and treasure

C. Cortes was unable to return to base

D. Cortes could not control his soldiers

1. What can you infer about Cortes marching to conquer the Aztec without the governor’s consent?

Directions: Read each question and circle the best answer.

Cortes

G8.5 ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 3

9. Which could be another title for the article?

A. The Fall of the Aztec B. The Conquistadors C. Spanish Colonies of the New World

D. The Man who Conquered the Aztec

10. Which would be the best resource for more information about the article?

A. a website on Spanish explorers

B. a novel about an Aztec warrior

C. a book on the weapons of Spanish conquistadors

D. an atlas used by the Spanish

11. The phrase “…treacherous ocean currents were the hand of death…” from paragraph 3 is an example of—

A. metaphor B. onomatopoeia C. simile D. hyperbole

12. What would be a synonym for the word plethora in paragraph 3?

A. little B. absence C. shortage D. surplus

13. The phrase “…storms that sunk so many ships.” from paragraph 3 is an example of—

A. personification B. simile C. alliteration D. rhyme

14. The phrase “Cortes was a loose cannon out for his own glory…” from paragraph 4 is an example of—

A. hyperbole B. idiom C. metaphor D. personification

8. Which question would not be answered by this article?

A. What weapons did the conquistadors use to crush the Aztec?

B. Did Cortes and his men locate wealth and treasure?

C. How did Cortes form an army to fight the Aztec?

D. What happened to the Aztec temples at the hands of the Spanish?

7. What does the word riveted mean in paragraph 2?

A. detached B. uninterested C. traumatized D. fascinated

Name:

1 As the European nations explored the New World, they claimed land that belonged to the Native Americans. These territories offered them gold, natural resources, and permanent settlements. The kings of Europe used this wealth to strengthen their armies in order to dominate their rivals. Spain struggled to keep up with England and France, so its king also sent explorers to claim rich lands across the ocean. Spain quickly claimed islands and began the conquest of major Native empires. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes led the charge with the crushing defeat of the Aztec.

2 Hernan Cortes was born in Medellin, Spain in 1485. Cortes’s parents were from noble families but had little wealth. When Cortes was 14, he studied law for two years until news of Columbus’s journey to the West Indies filtered through Spain. Cortes was riveted with these wild stories and dedicated himself to exploring the vast unknown. In 1504, he started this lethal journey to the island of Hispaniola.

3 This voyage across the ocean was filled with a plethora of dangers that sent men to the bottom. Often treacherous ocean currents were the hand of death sending many sailors to their maker. The Atlantic Ocean was susceptible to ferocious storms that sunk so many ships. These poorly constructed vessels also held disease spread by rodents and insects. Provisions would quickly spoil or run low, causing starvation or poor nutrition. Poor maps and navigational equipment often led ships far off their planned course. Many of the sailors were terrified of what creatures lurked in the black depths of the ocean and feared that these sea monsters would spring from the ocean and devour them.

4 He lived on the island for six years and made a great impression on Governor Velazquez. The governor asked Cortes for his help in conquering today’s Cuba in 1511. In 1518, Hernan led a mission to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. He became well known for his tough leadership, along with his obsession with wealth and power. Contact with the Indians of the area confirmed the presence of a wealthy and mighty tribe to the north, the Aztecs. The Spanish listened with glee to the stories of gold, silver, and jewels to be found in the Aztec capital. The governor ordered Cortes to move north but regretted this decision right away. Cortes was a loose cannon out for his own glory if treasure was discovered. Velazquez then told him not to leave, yet Hernan sailed off to Mexico anyway with 600 men.

5 When Cortes arrived in late 1519, he quickly gained the trust of the Aztec leaders. The Natives viewed the Spanish as gods dressed in shiny armor upon large horses, which they had never seen before. Cortes then set about exploring the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, and found treasure. When he heard that some of his men wanted to return to Cuba, he burned all of the ships to prevent this retreat. Outside the city, Cortes rallied tribes hostile to the Aztecs, gaining 6,000 fighters. They viewed the Spanish as saviors from the Aztec tyranny. They hated the Aztec Empire for its harsh religious rituals of human sacrifices. The communication and good will with the Aztecs quickly unraveled. Then the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, refused a meeting with Cortes. He took the king hostage and tried to rule through him, but Tenochtitlan got a new leader to rule. Repulsed by the bloody human sacrifice, Cortes began destroying Aztec temples. He replaced them with Christian versions, angering the population.

6 Velazquez sent an army from Cuba to attack Cortes for disobeying orders. Cortez left the Aztec capital and battled these fellow Spaniards, crushing them. The surviving conquistadors joined his army after promises of gold and jewels. He then turned his focus back to Tenochtitlan. When the Spanish returned to the city, the Aztecs were in complete rebellion. During the bloody fighting throughout the night, nearly a 1,000 Spanish soldiers were killed. Cortes escaped the city and regrouped his soldiers and planned another attack. To the Spaniards’ good fortune, the Aztecs were greatly weakened from the European diseases. These illnesses had plagued the empire over the previous months. In the December of 1520, Cortes marched into the city and conquered it after brutal fighting. The whole empire fell to the Spanish eight months later and was renamed New Spain.

7 In 1523, Cortes was made governor of New Spain as a reward for his staggering success. Although, Cortes behaved irresponsibly and the Spanish government started to dislike him. Cortes then sailed off to explore Honduras in 1524 and failed completely. To investigate the great blunder, the Spanish king sent an official who died the day after arrival. Suspicion fell upon Cortes and he sailed back to Spain in 1540 to clear his name. The Spanish crown stripped him of all titles and land. Before he could restore his reputation in the eyes of the king, he died in 1547.

G8.5* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 1

Hernan Cortes *

Cortes

8 Hernan Cortes was best known for discovering and destroying the Aztec Empire for the Spanish. In successfully doing so, he allowed the Spanish to further conquer more land for New Spain. He plundered the Aztec Empire of precious metals and jewels and set the basis for 300 years of Spanish abuse.

A. communication was poor and Cortes did not know

B. Cortes planned to conquer the Aztec for the glory and treasure *

C. Cortes was unable to return to base

D. Cortes could not control his soldiers

2. Hernan Cortes could best be described as—

A. careful B. ambitious * C. compassionate D. cautious

3. About what years did Cortes study law?

A. 1485-1486 B. 1499-1500 * C. 1504-1505 D. 1511-1512

4. True or False. Hernan Cortes had little interest in gold and treasure.

A. True B. False *

5. How did Cortes preserve his army for the attack on the Aztec capital?

A. he took Montezuma hostage

B. he recruited Indians hostile to the Aztec

C. he torched his ships to prevent his men from leaving *

D. by destroying bloody Aztec temples and promising treasure

6. What caused the Spanish king to not trust Cortes’s actions and motives?

A. the king’s investigator died after arriving in the colony *

B. Cortes ignored the governor’s orders to not attack the Aztec

C. Cortes attacked the governor’s soldiers

D. Cortes burned his ships to prevent his men from fleeing

G8.5* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 2

1. What can you infer about Cortes marching to conquer the Aztec without the governor’s consent?

Directions: Read each question and circle the best answer.

Cortes

8. Which question would not be answered by this article?

A. What weapons did the conquistadors use to crush the Aztec? *

B. Did Cortes and his men locate wealth and treasure?

C. How did Cortes form an army to fight the Aztec?

D. What happened to the Aztec temples at the hands of the Spanish?

9. Which could be another title for the article?

A. The Fall of the Aztec B. The Conquistadors C. Spanish Colonies of the New World

D. The Man who Conquered the Aztec *

10. Which would be the best resource for more information about the article?

A. a website on Spanish explorers *

B. a novel about an Aztec warrior

C. a book on the weapons of Spanish conquistadors

D. an atlas used by the Spanish

11. The phrase “…treacherous ocean currents were the hand of death…” from paragraph 3 is an example of—

A. metaphor * B. onomatopoeia C. simile D. hyperbole

12. What would be a synonym for the word plethora in paragraph 3?

A. little B. absence C. shortage D. surplus *

13. The phrase “…storms that sunk so many ships.” from paragraph 3 is an example of—

A. personification B. simile C. alliteration * D. rhyme

14. The phrase “Cortes was a loose cannon out for his own glory…” from paragraph 4 is an example of—

A. hyperbole B. idiom * C. metaphor D. personification

G8.5* ©2015 IntegratedLessons.com 3

7. What does the word riveted mean in paragraph 2?

A. detached B. uninterested C. traumatized D. fascinated *