Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade Social Studies Unit 5: Lesson 6 

Name: Malia Malden

Date: 3/6/18

Class: Medieval World History - JUST 7.1 Kids

 
Slides and Notes 
Slide Student Notes

Title  ☆ MesoAmerican ​Fall of Empires​ ☆

Describe the fall of the Maya empire and explain how
Goal of Lesson  the Aztec and Inca empires were defeated by the
Spanish.

Pre-Lesson Question: 
It tells you when the civilization started and ended. It
Critical Thinking 
also showed how they died.
Answer -> 
The Aztecs  
Sometime between 1517 and 1519, the Aztec city of
Tenochtitlan had an earthquake. Lake Texcoco had
Earthquake Facts 
flooded the capital city. The Aztecs believed the
disasters warned of the fall of the empire.

In 1519, the Spanish explorer, Cortes arrived on the

Conquest Facts 
east coast of Mexico.

Doña Marina was the spanish translator and helped

negotiate alliances. Cortés and his ships landed on
the shore of Mexico in 1519. The Conquistadores are
Video​ Notes 
the Spanish soldiers who invaded Mexico. The Mexica
were the rulers of the Aztec Empire.

Critical Thinking  Why are you here? You don’t stand a chance against
Partner Answer  us.

 
Image Case Study  The civilians that the Aztec’s 
  conquered are attacking the 
Write your answer  Aztec’s. The Aztec’s are not 
beside the image. ->  prepared.  

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade Social Studies Unit 5: Lesson 6 

 
 
 

 
 
Image Case Studies  The first one is 
Comparison  bias of the 
  Aztec’s. It 
Write your answer  shows that you 
beside the images. ->  should have 
sympathy for the Aztec’s. The second one is bias of the 
Spanish.  
The Incas  
With the arrival of Spain in 1532 of Pizarro and his
Conquest Facts  entourage of conquistadores, the Inca empire was
seriously threatened for the first time.

Pizarro was inspired by Cortes. Pizarro took his

brothers to the Andes Mountains in the 1500’s. The
Video​ Notes  Inca were already weak from smallpox and the civil
war. Pizarro killed guards and took ruler, eventually
killed him in 1532.

Critical Thinking  In the image you can see Incan stone work on the
Partner Answer  bottom, but a spanish monastery on the top.

The first image shows the Incan empire superior to

the spanish conquistadors. The second image shows
Bonus Question 
the Incan emperor being burned by the spanish
conquistadors.

Image Case Study 

  Incan’s because their is a alpaca.
Write your answer  Alpacas were only in the Incan
beside the image. ->  civilization.

The Mayas  
Does history change?  No, your perspective can change, but not history.

Current evidence  From around 900 CE into the 1500’s, the Mayan
supports:   culture has significantly declined, but continued to

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 7th Grade Social Studies Unit 5: Lesson 6 

exist in small tribal bands. However other

MesoAmerican cultures, including the Aztec’s,
influenced them and visa versa.

They had 13 million people at the height of their

civilization. Around the 900’s the civilization
Video​ Notes 
collapsed. They collapsed because of droughts,
starvation, wars and diseases.

Critical Thinking  They collapsed because of droughts, starvation, wars

Partner Answer  and diseases.
Spanish Conquistadors: Extra Info 
Define  Conquerors

Wealth, power, prestige, spreading christian religion

Motives 
and increasing spanish trade.

Two Major Spanish  Cortes went to conquer the Aztec’s in the mexican
Leaders and their  basin. Pizarro went to conquer the Incan’s in the
Areas of Conquest  Andes mountain range.

Challenge Opportunities = Choose ONE.  

Write a short summary using three sentences or more. 

The Aztecs did human sacrifices to please the gods.

The Mayans studied the behavior of celestial objects
Challenge Opportunity:
Maya and Aztec  because they believed that the sun, moon, and stars
Religions ​Video  were alive and could intervene in human affairs.
Ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures were located in
mexico and central america.
Challenge Opportunity:
Cortes Army Facts 
Video 
Challenge Opportunity:
Inca Army Facts 
Video 
 

 
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