The Aztec Empire and Spanish Conquest

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, locations, and social systems related to the Aztec Empire and the Spanish Conquest.

La Malinche

A native woman, also known as Mariana or Trader, who possessed a talent for languages and served as Hernán Cortés's interpreter and later wife.

Montezuma II

The Aztec emperor who initially welcomed Hernán Cortés thinking he might be the god Quetzalcoatl, but was subsequently captured and held prisoner by Cortés.

Quetzalcoatl

The legendary Aztec god whom Montezuma II initially suspected Hernán Cortés might be upon his arrival.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded in 1325 CE in the Valley of Mexico, known for its clean architecture and large sandstone pyramids.

Encomienda System

A system instituted by the Spanish, similar to European feudalism, that granted conquistadors the forced labor of natives living on assigned lands to extract wealth for Spain.

Encomendero

A Spanish soldier or official granted the use of a plot of land and the forced labor of resident natives under the encomienda system.

Mesoamerica

A geographical region in Central America extending from northern central Mexico through the Pacific Coast to Costa Rica.

Toltecs

A civilization in northern Mexico during the 11th and 12th centuries, believed by historians to be related to the Aztec civilization.

Mexica

The self-designated name for the Nahuatl-speaking people who established the Aztec Empire.

Aztlan

A location in northern Mexico from which the semi-nomadic Mexica originated, providing the root word for 'Aztec'.

Huitzilopochtli

The Aztec god who instructed the priest Coahuacoatl to build Tenochtitlan where they saw an eagle perched on a Tenochtli cactus.

Triple Alliance

A political alliance formed in 1428 between Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan that launched the golden age of the Aztec Empire.

Tepanecs

A powerful city-state whose blockade of Tenochtitlan in 1426 and oppressive rule spurred the formation of the Triple Alliance.

Moctezuma I

The Aztec emperor who assumed power in 1440, expanded Aztec control into Morelos and Oaxaca, and began building the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan.

Tlatoani

The title given to the sovereign ruler of an individual Aztec city-state.

Codex Mendoza

A primary source manuscript providing detailed historical accounts of Aztec life, social classes, and child labor responsibilities by age.

Smallpox

A European disease introduced by the Spanish that killed approximately half of the Aztec population, contributing significantly to the fall of Tenochtitlan.