GRW_M02L03

Name ________________________________ Class ____________________ Date _____________
New Empires in the Americas

Lesson 3
Main ideaS
1. Spanish conquistadors conquered the Aztec and Inca empires.
2. Spanish explorers traveled through the borderlands of New Spain, claiming
more land.
3. Spanish settlers treated Native Americans harshly, forcing them to work on
plantations and in mines.
Key Terms and People

conquistadors Spanish soldiers who led military expeditions in the Americas
Hernán Cortés conquistador who conquered the Aztec empire
Moctezuma ii ruler of the Aztec empire during the early 1500s
Francisco Pizarro conquistador who captured the Inca capital and killed the
Inca leaders
encomienda system system that gave settlers the right to tax Native Americans
or to make them work
plantations large farms that grew just one kind of crop and made huge profits
for their owners
Bartolomé de Las Casas priest who wanted to convert Native Americans to
Christianity by treating them in a better manner
Lesson Summary
SPaniSH COnQUiSTadORS Why might Cortés have
The Spanish sent conquistadors to the Americas wanted to conquer the
aztec?
on military expeditions. Conquistador Hernán
He was looking for gold and
Cortés went to present-day Mexico in 1519. He silver, but also religon.
had heard of land to the west ruled by
Moctezuma II, the king of the Aztec empire. The
Spaniards believed the Aztec lands were a rich
source of gold and silver. They also wanted to
convert the Aztec to Christianity.
The conquistadors were greatly outnumbered. What advantage did the
However, they had superior weapons and formed Spanish have over the
aztec?
alliances with enemies of the Aztec. Cortés took
They had supperiour
control of the Aztec capital and killed weapons, and fought aginst
Moctezuma. Smallpox and other European them with allies.
diseases sped up the fall of the Aztec empire.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Guided Reading Workbook

Name_________________________________ Class_____________________ Date _____________
Lesson 3, continued
While seeking gold, Francisco Pizarro led his Why did Pizarro first enter
troops to capture the great Inca capital at Cuzco. the Inca empire?
Within a few years, Pizarro had conquered the Pizarro enterd the empire
entire Inca empire. The Spanish then began to while searching for gold.
They aloso conquired
create a vast empire. They called it New Spain. Cuzco.
They established settlements to serve as trading
posts, missions to convert local Native Americans
to Catholicism, and military bases.
EXPLORING THE BORDERLANDS OF NEW SPAIN

Spain’s empire in America extended well beyond
the lands taken from the Aztec and Inca. Regions
claimed by the Spanish explorers included the
island of Puerto Rico, the coast of present-day
Florida, and the coastal regions of the Gulf of
Mexico. The Spanish also explored what is now
the southwestern United States. They were
looking for cities of gold that were rumored to
exist there. They traveled through unclaimed
areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and as far north as
Kansas.
SPANISH TREATMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS

California was among the last borderlands settled Why might de Las Casas
by the Spanish. To pay back settlers for their have spoken out against
the encomienda system?
work, Spain established the encomienda system. It
gave settlers the right to tax Native Americans La Casas didn't want them
to tax the people for doing
and make them work. Most of the workers were nothng, it was unfair.
treated as slaves. They were forced to work on
plantations in New Spain. Many Native
Americans died of disease and exhaustion. The
priest Bartolomé de Las Casas spoke out against
the encomienda system.
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Identify Cause and Effect Make
a chart showing the causes and effects of Spain’s
conquests in the Americas.
When the Americas were discovered it lead to Spain going to invade and conqure their land.

Name_________________________________ Class_____________________ Date _____________
Lesson 3, continued
Bartolomé de Las Casas Francisco Pizarro Moctezuma II

conquistadors Hernán Cortés plantations
encomienda system
DIRECTIONS Answer each question by writing a sentence that

contains a word from the word bank.
Bartolomé de Las Casas was a priest who wanted to make Christian out of the Native
Americans.
What were the farms the Spanish operated in the Americas called?
Plantations were used by the Spanish on the Americans.
What Spanish system gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans?
The encomienda system let Spanish people tax the Native Americans whenever.
Which conquistador defeated the Inca?

Francisco Pizarro deafeated the Inca.
Moctezuma II was the king of the Aztec empire when it got conquired.
Hernán Cortés took over the Aztec empire.
Spanish soilders were called conqistadors.

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Name ____________________ Class Date _

New Empires in the Americas

Key Terms and People

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Guided Reading Workbook

EXPLORING THE BORDERLANDS OF NEW SPAIN

SPANISH TREATMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Guided Reading Workbook

Bartolomé de Las Casas Francisco Pizarro Moctezuma II

DIRECTIONS Answer each question by writing a sentence that

Which conquistador defeated the Inca?

Hernán Cortés took over the Aztec empire.

Spanish soilders were called conqistadors.

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Guided Reading Workbook

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