COMING TO AMERICA
Why the Spanish wanted to come to TEXAS(Gold, God, Glory) Spain’s rulers
wanted to Expand their empire Take Christianity to
the New World Gain the riches and
lands of the Americas
Vocab
Spices- Asian goods that preserve and improve food
Conquistadors- Spanish soldiers who sought gold, god and glory
Land routes- adds to the cost of trading goods
Columbus Sails to America Europeans wanted trade goods from Asia and would
pay a high price for spices In the 1400s silks and other Asian goods came by
means of land routes, which added to the cost Europeans wanted to find an all-water route to Asia An Italian sailor named Christopher Columbus
believed he could reach Asia by sailing west. Spain would finance the trip and give Columbus three
ships
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The Voyage On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail for Asia On October 12, Columbus first landed on an island in
what is now the Bahamas Columbus believed that he had reached the Indies and
called the people there Indians
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Columbus
Goals Find an all water trade route to Asia Italian sailor who wanted to reach Asia by sailing west
Results Queen Isabella will support his expedition He will first land on the Bahamas and he thinks that
he has landed in Asia But he quickly found out that he had hit North
America Therefore his expedition was a failure
Conquistadors Conquistadors were
Spanish soldiers and adventurers in search of gold, glory, and land
They wore suits of armor and steel helmets, rode mighty horses, and armed themselves with swords and muskets
The Spanish soon conquered many of the Caribbean Islands
Now they turned to the American mainland
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Hernan Cortes In 1519 conquistodor
Hernán Cortés sailed from Spanish Cuba to the eastern coast of what is now Mexico
They met many Mexican Indians and were told about a powerful and wealthy Aztec Empire led by Moctezuma
Cortés decided to find Moctezuma “wherever he might be…..take him alive in chains or make him subject to Spain”
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Cortés and the Aztec To make sure his soldiers
would not retreat, Cortés set his ships on fire.
He was dedicated and wanted victory at any cost
Cortés would need a lot of help since the Aztec had conquered a vast area and ruled several million people.
And Indian woman named Malintzin helped Cortés as a guide and interpreter.
With her help Cortés gained allied among the Aztec subjects and thousands joined him Do
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Fight for the Aztec Empire Cortés and his army
marched toward Tenochtitlán the Aztec capital
When they arrived the marveled at the city
Moctezuma gave Cortés peace offerings
But Cortés took Moctezuma captive and began planning on how to conquer the Aztec
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Fighting Breaks Out Before Cortés was
prepared the Aztec attacked the Spanish fled the city in June 1520
Cortés began planning a new assault and convinced more Indians to join him
His men built boats armed with canons
In May 1521, the Spanish and their Indian allies attacked Tenochtitlán
After and long and brutal fight, they defeated the Aztec in August 1521
Many Aztec were killed or enslaved and Tenochtitlán lay in ruins
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Aftermath Spain had captured the
great wealth and land of the Aztec Empire
They sent the treasures over to Spain
On top of the ruins of the Aztec capital Cortés built Mexico City
Mexico City became the capital of New Spain
Spanish explorations increased
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Hernan Cortes
Goals Find gold and conquer central America
Results Local Indians tell him about the Aztec Empire He captures Montezuma, the leader of the
Aztecs He captures Tenochtitlan, the capital of the
Aztec Empire, and defeats the Aztecs He sends much of the Aztec gold and treasure
back to Spain His expedition and war was a success.
Journal #1
You are starting an expedition to explore Texas….
Tell me What you hope to find in Texas? What are you taking with you? Reasons why you think you will be
successful.