Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 9 of 10
Contact & Conquest in Mexico
Cortés, allies, disease and the fall of Tenochtitlan
What your child practises
How the Spanish and many Indigenous allies came into conflict with the Mexica between 1519 and 1521, why the outcome had several causes, and how Nahua peoples and culture continue today.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: 8.3 · the arrival of the Spanish, alliances, disease, the fall of Tenochtitlan, and the lasting effects of the conflict
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Malintzin has been described in different ways by different people. What does this show?
- People can judge the same historical figure differently depending on perspective.
- Nobody wrote about her
- There is only one correct view
- She never existed
Show answer
People can judge the same historical figure differently depending on perspective.
Hint: Historians weigh evidence from many sources.
Question 2
Which peoples became important allies of Cortés?
- the Japanese
- the Tlaxcalans and other peoples who opposed Mexica rule
- the Vikings
- the Medici
Show answer
the Tlaxcalans and other peoples who opposed Mexica rule
Hint: Many peoples hoped to end the tribute they paid to the Mexica.
Question 3
Which of these was a motive for Spanish explorers?
- Learning Nahuatl
- Planting trees
- Setting up a school for the Mexica
- Gold, power and spreading Christianity
Show answer
Gold, power and spreading Christianity
Hint: Spanish leaders wanted wealth and glory.
Question 4
What does 'conquest' mean?
- building a school
- visiting for a holiday
- trading goods
- taking control of a place and its people by force
Show answer
taking control of a place and its people by force
Hint: Conquest changes who governs a place.
Question 5
Why was Cuauhtémoc's surrender in 1521 important?
- It marked the end of Mexica rule in Tenochtitlan.
- It started the Renaissance
- It created Japan
- It ended the Black Death
Show answer
It marked the end of Mexica rule in Tenochtitlan.
Hint: The city fell on August 13, 1521.
Question 6
Put the events of the Spanish arrival in Mexico in order.
- 🛡️Tenochtitlan falls after a siege (1521)
- ⛵Cortés lands on the coast of Mexico (1519)
- 🏙️The Spanish enter Tenochtitlan (1519)
- 🌧️The Spanish are forced out of the city (1520)
Show answer
Cortés lands on the coast of Mexico (1519) → The Spanish enter Tenochtitlan (1519) → The Spanish are forced out of the city (1520) → Tenochtitlan falls after a siege (1521)
Hint: Cortés landed in 1519 and entered Tenochtitlan that autumn. The Spanish were forced out in 1520, and Tenochtitlan fell in 1521.