Handout
PBS

Pbs: The Conquistadors: Aztec Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the development of the Aztec Empire and its status just before the Spanish Conquest. Click on the hyperlinks or pictures for more information. From part of an extensive PBS website about the Conquistadors.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Guaman Poma and the First New Chronicle and Good Government

For Students 9th - 10th
This letter written by Guaman Poma is the most famous manuscript from South America dated to this time period in part because it is so comprehensive and long, but also because of its many illustrations. View pictures of the illustrations...
Handout
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Chronicles of the Incas, 1540

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Fordham University "provides quite a lot of information about the Incan economy--a redistributive typical of all early civilizations."
Website
PBS

Pbs: Conquistadors: Franciso Pizarro

For Students 9th - 10th
Use the navigation at the left to click into more information on the Incas and the Spanish conquest by Francisco Pizarro.
Handout
Other

Traditions of Mexico: El Dia De Los Muertos

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of "El Dia de los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead) in Mexico, with emphasis on the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, the blending of Spanish and native Mexican cultures, and even American influence upon this Mexican tradition.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Rise and Fall of the Incan Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the achievements and sophistication of the Incan Empire prior to being conquered by the Spaniards under Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro had their emperor, Atahualpa, executed after keeping him captive for months while the Inca gave...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: Shifting the Balance of Power

For Students 9th - 10th
This site introduces ideas about how the English became a naval power and competed with the Spanish in settling the New World.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Moctezuma Ii

For Students 9th - 10th
Under Moctezuma, the Aztec empire was strong and expanded its borders. However, when the Spanish arrived, their superior power and weapons enabled them to conquer the Aztecs. Read about Moctezuma's life, his interactions with the Spanish...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Fourteen Portraits of the Inka Kings

For Students 9th - 10th
The Brooklyn Museum of Art has in its collection a series of fourteen portraits of Inka rulers. View pictures of this collection and read the history of Inkan ruler Atahualpa in this essay.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The First Europeans

For Students 9th - 10th
The first Europeans to arrive in North America -- at least the first for whom there is solid evidence -- were Norse, traveling west from Greenland, where Erik the Red had founded a settlement around the year 985. In 1001 his son Leif is...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Conquest, American Beginnings: 1492 1690

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A series of illustrations and accounts of Spanish conquest of Indians that reflect the fascination with and the brutality directed against native cultures.
Handout
San Jose State University

San Jose State University: Conquest of the Cities of Gold: Europe's Interactions

For Students 6th - 8th
The arrival of Hernan Cortez in Mexico, his encounters with the Aztec ruler Montezuma II and the Spanish defeat of the Aztecs are described.
Handout
BBC

Bbc: History: The Story of the Conquistadors

For Students 9th - 10th
A well known historian tells the story of the early Spanish explorers known as "conquistadors". He discusses their motivation, what effect they had on the native American societies and much more. Archived.
Website
University of Calgary

University of Calgary: Latin America & the Conquistadors

For Students 9th - 10th
Information about the way the Spanish conquistadors were able to conquer the indigenous people they met.
Unit Plan
The Newberry Library

The Aztecs and the Making of Colonial Mexico: Europeans Invade the Aztec Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes invaded the Aztec empire in the 16th century. This conquest led to the colonization of Mexico. The Newberry Library provides an in depth look into this period of Mexican history through photos,...
Website
Other

Language Crossing: History of Peru

For Students 9th - 10th
Offers a brief summary of the history of Peru starting with the Pre-Conquest, going through the Spanish Conquest and Independence and ending with modern times.
Website
CZBrats

Cz Brats: Taboga

For Students 9th - 10th
This page is an article entitled "TABOGA", taken from the Panama Canal Review -- Spring 1972. It contains information about the Spanish Conquest and the effect it had on Taboga's inhabitants.
Activity
Other

El Salvador: History

For Students 9th - 10th
This site deals with the general history of El Salvador. It includes information on El Salvador before the Spanish conquest, its independence, military rule, civilian rule, its civil war, and its progress since.
Website
Mex Connect

Mexico's Colonial Era Part Ii: Religion and Society in New Spain

For Students 9th - 10th
This article examines religion in Mexico beginning with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and some of the changes since then.
Handout
Other

Fundacion Puertorriquena De Las Humanidades: Encyclopedia of Puerto Rico

For Students 9th - 10th
The first online bilingual encyclopedia on Puerto Rico. A work in progress, current articles can be found on topics such as the Spanish conquest of the island and the historic architecture of Puerto Rico.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: Spain's Territorial Conquest in the Americas

For Students 9th - 10th
The history of Spanish territorial conquest in the New World is the history of the succession of conquistadors who often overwhelmed native empires, but were sometimes overwhelmed themselves. Read about the conquistadors who came to the...
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1491 1607: The Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick comprehension check over the Columbian Exchange and Spanish Exploration.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Convento of San Nicolas De Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo

For Students 9th - 10th
After the Conquest, Spanish colonizers' first task was to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity and eliminate their religious beliefs. Painted murals within their missions demonstrate the great fear and urgency of the...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1491 1607: The Columbian Exchange

For Students 9th - 10th
The Columbia exchange moved commodities, people, and diseases across the Atlantic.