Cortés and the Aztecs

With this primary source portfolio, you will share one of history's most exciting and improbable true adventures with your students; the conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés and his small army. In the savage battles, which gained the Aztec Empire for Spain, Cortés and his followers, through trickery and much bloodshed, destroyed a magnificent ancient civilization. Students will be intrigued by "Cortés' plan of Tenochtitlán" and the other hands-on documents. This portfolio presents evidence of that civilization and describes the way in which it met its end. Also included is a Study Guide with reproducible student activities, a recommended reading list, and a timeline covering events from 1485 to 1547. The timeline can be paired with the Map of Expeditions, covering exploration from 1519 to 1535, to easily give students the full experience of important details. 4 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Two Leaders * Welcome Quetzalcoatl * The Peace Ends * The Spanish Try Again 10 Primary Source Documents: * Pages from the Codex Laud, a Mexican folding book * Songs from the Florentine Codex, with translation * Durer engraving of Hernán Cortés' plan of Tenochtitlán * Poster: Mexican gods and temples * Pages from the Codex Mendoza * Pages from the Lienzo de Tlaxcala * Page from Bernal Díaz del Castillo's "True History of the Conquest of New Spain," with translation * Pages from a letter from Hernan Cortes to the Emperor Charles V, with translation * Maya stone lintel depicting a religious penance * Illustrations showing instructions given to Mexican children