The Aztecs were an empire filled with massive cities and sophisticated technologies when the Spanish arrived in 1519. Unfortunately, the Spanish sought to conquer the land for Spain despite its native inhabitants and war soon broke out. In this activity, students will research the events leading up to the fall of the Aztec empire and then create a poster timeline. They should include facts and illustrations with their poster.
You can find additional timeline poster templates to give students lots of options, and update the instructions accordingly.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Research the events leading to the fall of the Aztec empire and create a poster of facts and illustrations.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Six events in order along with six illustrations.
Start by giving a succinct summary of the cultural accomplishments, social structure, and governmental framework of the Aztec civilization. Emphasize the civilization's importance to Mesoamerican history. Students can also explore other topics related to the civilization such as their way of living, culture, and religion to get a holistic view to analyze the facts.
Establish explicit guidelines for participation, such as allowing each student to speak once before allowing someone to speak again. Encourage courteous disagreement and active listening. Ask the students to be respectful while discussing other civilizations and different cultures and encourage active participation and note taking.
Encourage the students to assess the effects of the numerous variables, including the Spanish conquest, sickness, internal strife, and alliances. Ask the students to analyze the impact of religion on the decisions and what small yet significant causes became the reason for the decline of the civilization.
Encourage pupils to make claims that are supported by evidence from the original sources or historical narratives offered. All of the arguments should have some credible source with an analysis of their own.
At the end of the discussion ask the students to reflect on their notes and all the information that they have collected so far. Students can use this information to present their analysis and listen to different insights presented by their friends and class fellows.
Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés was in charge of the expedition that led to the overthrow of the Aztec Empire. He came to Mesoamerica in 1519 and eventually defeated the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II through a mix of military strategies, partnerships with native factions, and the exploitation of internal strife. Initially, he was perceived as a God by the Emperor of the Aztec Civilization but later he conspired against him which led to the decline.
Alliances were forged by Hernán Cortés with indigenous communities who were against Aztec dominance. The Tlaxcalans, who had a long-standing rivalry with the Aztecs, were the most renowned of them. Cortés benefited from these partnerships' increased military assistance and got tactical benefits. These alliances resulted in the ultimate decline of the Aztec Civilization.