Zoe

Chase
Liam
Abby
James
NOTES
Cortes

Born in 1485
had a daughter - would be about 10 during this story

February 1519 August 13, 1521

Conquest

Arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519

Landed in Veracruz
Greeted by Moctezuma II, attempted to scare with
fire power
Captured city of 300,000
Slavery prohibited in 1542 by Charles V (Roman Emperor)
Antonio Mendoza sent to prevent Cortes from doing more stuff in
1532

Agriculture

Chinampas

Terracing

Crops

Chicomectl

Conquistadors replaced Original American Oligarchy

rectangle grow beds built in lakes

30m x 2.5m
Agriculture began in Xochimilco and Chalco
Walls hold mud and plants in.
Homeland plots
Farms layered on hills
Maize, Squash and Beans
goddess of agriculture, corn goddess, goddess of nourishment

LINKS
http://www.nndb.com/people/444/000092168/
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/cortes/
http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/cortes/cortes_flat.html
http://hernan-cortes.com/
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Spanish_colonization_of_the_America
s.html
http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-agriculture.html
http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-farming.html

CHARACTERS:
- BUSINESS CORTES - James
- MIKE/Moctezuma THE AZTEC KING - Chase
- JANICE THE AZTEC IN CHARGE OF THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT Abby
- NARRATOR / SECRETARY - Liam
- MARIA - HEAD OF THE HR DEPARTMENT - Zoe

Script
NARRATOR: Our story begins in the office of Hernan Cortes, but look - who do we have here?
A visitor enters our scene. Enter Moctezuma, King of the Aztecs.
MOCTEZUMA: Excuse me . . . Im here to see Mr. Cortes about the merger?
SECRETARY: Oh yes of course! You must be Mister . . . M- . .. . Mo - .. . .? You know what, Ill
just have you go right in, Mr Cortes is ready for you.
NARRATOR: Moctezuma, King of the Aztecs, enters the room in his classical Aztec attire.
BUSINESS CORTES: Heyyy!! Theres my guy!! Mr . . . Montec monte- wha . . . Can I call
you Mike? Hows your daughter? Isabel right?
MIKE: Actually its pronoBUSINESS CORTES: Great! So, Mike my OG, I understand youre a little bit nervous about the
merger. Lets go over the 1520 business calendar together and see what details we can hash
out.
MIKE: Well, first of all, thank you for letting me out of my house, but before we do that, Id like to
talk to you about this clause in the business contract.
NARRATOR: Monte- . . . Mike, King of the Aztecs(?)gestures to a particular portion of the
document hes holding.
MIKE: So theres this part about slaveryBUSINESS CORTES: Mike.
MIKE: Y-

BUSINESS CORTES: Mike( Repeat SEVERAL times). Let me level with you here. See, youre
about here. Just bring it down to about here, can you do that for me Mike?
MIKE: YBUSINESS CORTES: Mike. Ill be honest, I really dont know about how it was, but this is my
country now, and we do things a little differently here. And we. dont. interupt. our. superiors.
here.
MIKE: SorrBUSINESS CORTES: So about that slavery clause.
MIKE: What are your thoughts on it?
BUSINESS CORTES: Mike What did we just talk about? Am I going to have to send you to
HR?
MIKE: Ugh no.
BUSINESS CORTES: Listen, I havent been in Tenochtitlan (TEN AWK TEET LAWN) as long as
you have, Mike.
MIKE: I know, only since around early last November.
BUSINESS CORTES: AH YES! The 8th, it was, I remember it like it was yesterday. And to think
its barely taken me a year to take over your company. HOW TIME FLIES, MIKE!
MIKE: Indeed. If we could justBUSINESS CORTES: What is your interest in the slavery part? Would you like a share?
MIKE: Not exactly. See, Im actually not okay with enslaving people whove done nothing wrong!
BUSINESS CORTES: Now that just wont do. I own about 300,000 of your people and some of
them will be kept as slaves.
MIKE: Well, see, thats sort of what Im worried about. Im really not okay with slavery.
BUSINESS CORTES: Hmm . . . an interpersonal issue. Youre concerned about employee
treatment.
MIKE: You cant just take 300,000 people and tell them that, hey, youre mine now.

BUSINESS CORTES: Oh geez, thats certainly a complaint. Looks like I am gonna have to
send you to HR now.
MIKE: But Mr. Cortes-!
BUSINESS CORTES: Run along now Mike! Maria in HR is a VERY busy woman.
NARRATOR: And so, Mike, King of the Aztecs (?), exits the room and boldly makes his way to
Maria, the HR rep, pausing only to ask for directions from the secretary.
MIKE: Excuse me, miss. Which way to the HR department?
SECRETARY: Human resources is that way.
MIKE: Thank you.
NARRATOR: Mike approaches the HR desk only to see the woman there, Maria, already
engaged in a heated conversation with an Aztec woman. He recognizes the Aztec woman
immediately - it is none other than Janice, head of Mikes agricultural department.
JANICE: -But you cant tell me thats a problem for the zoning board! I already saw them, and
they told me to come speak to you.
MARIA: Well Im sorry, but here we mostly deal with interpersonal conflicts and such. Farming is
the responsibility of the zoning board.
JANICE: BUT THE ZONING BOARD TOLD ME TO COME HERE.
MARIA: Look . . . I get it. The guys on the zoning boards are total hacks. Let me tell you this: Ill
listen to you problems, and do what I can, but no guarantees, okay hon?
NARRATOR: It looks like Mike, King of the Aztecs (?), is in for a bit of a wait.
JANICE: Goodness, finally! THANK you.
MARIA: So, whats eatin you hon?
JANICE: Its the chinampasMARIA: What about China now?
JANICE: No, no, chinampas - we use them to farm. Theyre small garden beds in the lakes.
MARIA: Oh yes, the floating gardens!

JANICE: Well they dont actually float, but yes. Basically, were having some problems with
them. Cortes and his men sort of . . . trampled everything.
MARIA: Mm yes, I remember that.
JANICE: And so we dont really have a lot of food.
MARIA: And why is that?
JANICE: BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL BEEN TRAMPLED. Our gardens have flooded and now
we wont have beans or squash for months!
MARIA: Yes, I see but that isnt really my domain.
JANICE: Well, the zoning board said I had to come here and make sure I had permission from
you to bring it up with Mr. Cortes . . . we need his permission before I can go BACK to the
zoning board, and get permission to rebuild the 30 x 2.5m garden plots.
MARIA: Sure, go ahead.
JANICE: Really? Ive got permission to see Mr. Cortes?
MARIA: Yes, of course hon. Just go up and talk to his secretary.
JANICE: Um, Thank you.
NARRATOR: Janice from the Agricultural Department made her way to Cortess office.
MIKE: Excuse me Maam, I was sent from Cortess office to see you?
MARIA: Oh, you must be Mike! I heard you were coming. What can I do for you?
MIKE: Im, uh, not entirely sure. You see, I think Cortes might be intending to use some of my
people as slaves.
MARIA: Your people? Do you mean Cortess new people?
MIKE: Well you see I didnt really consent tMARIA: Anyway, Im very sorry youre upset hon but the thing is, Cortes is in charge here and if
he wants his people to be used as slaves then he gets to do that

MIKE: But thats the thing! Who said he could be in charge? We had a perfectly good system
running here and he just sort of sailed in and decided all of this already belonged to him
because some man half way around the world said he could. You cant just do that.
MARIA: Hmm . . . so youre saying you want land rights?
MIKE: Yes - wait! No! Im saying this was already my land and someone who doesnt even live
here cant give some stranger permission to own my people!
MARIA: Hon if this is a land dispute youre gonna have to talk to the zoning board.
MIKE: THIS ISNT A LAND DISPUTE. I AM TRYING TO STOP THE ENSLAVEMENT OF MY
PEOPLE!
MARIA: That sounds like a policy dispute . . . youre gonna have to talk to Mr. Cortes about it.
MIKE: I WAS JUST THERE, HE SAID TO COME TO YOU.
MARIA: Well you see, thats not really my domain.
MIKE: Fine! Ill go back to Corts!
NARRATOR: Mike, King of the Aztecs returns to the office, only to see Cortes secretary busy
with Janice.
JANICE: I am here to see Mr Cortes
SECRETARY: Go right in
JANICE: Mr. Cortes
BUSINESS CORTES: Welcome welcome! What can I do for you today miss?
JANICE: The farms are ruined, can you do something about it?
BUSINESS CORTES: Yeah yeah, of course. Give me a few days, Im really swamped.
JANICE: Thank you so much, Ive been all over the place today asking abouBUSINESS CORTES: Listen, I appreciate your concern but I must get working. Toodles!
Secretary, send in the next one.
NARRATOR: Janice leaves as MIKE enters the room, prepared for yet another draining
conversation with his new boss.

MIKE: Mr. Cortes, I went down to HR but they sent me back up here . . .
BUSINESS CORTES: Mike, mike. Mike. Ive come to a solution, the board all agrees, -I- agree,
and Im sure youll agree as well.
NARRATOR: Then, Cortes straight up stabs Mike.
BUSINESS CORTES: Goodnight sweet prince . . .
NARRATOR: Years pass, and an Antonio Mendoza enters the scene -Viceroy as appointed by
Charles V The Holy Roman Emperor, appointed to rule New Spain (Mexico)
ANTONIO: Cortes! is that a dead body? Is that the Kings dead body?
BUSINESS CORTES: . . . Maybe
ANTONIO: Dude, this is exactly the kind of stuff His Holiness sent me to stop. Did you kill all of
them?
BUSINESS CORTES: I didnt kill everyyy onnnnne. Just the emperor, and more than TEN
YEARS AGO.. And like half the population. But that wasnt really my fault. Can you help me out
Antonio?
ANTONIO: Look, I wanna help you out. I really do. Heres how well do it.
BUSINESS CORTES: Ye?
ANTONIO: Lets just not ever go back to spain. I GOT THIS BRO.
BUSINESS CORTES: Perfect.
NARRATOR: And so, Antonio maintained New Spains government until 1536, only to leave the
government of Mexico in complete and total anarchy. The end.
ANTONIO: I dont got this.