Conquest of the Americas Quiz

Who led an expedition to Mexico in 1519?

• Hernán Cortés

• Francisco Vásquez de Coronado

• Juan Ponce de León

• Moctezuma

What was the capital city of the Aztec empire?

• Tenochtitlán

• Mexico City

• Cuzco

• Lima

What did the Aztec ruler Moctezuma do when Cortés arrived?

• Welcomed Cortés

• Fought against Cortés

• Ignored Cortés

• Fled the city

What made the Aztecs weak, allowing Cortés to defeat them?

• Smallpox

• Lack of weapons

• Internal conflict

• Famine

What did Spain rename the Aztec empire after defeating them?

• New Spain

• New Mexico

• New Granada

• New Castile

Who claimed present-day Florida for Spain in 1513?

• Juan Ponce de León

• Hernán Cortés

• Francisco Vásquez de Coronado

• de Soto

What was Juan Ponce de León searching for in Florida?

• A fountain of youth

• Gold

• New lands

• Spices

Which river did de Soto travel as far as in his search for gold?

• Mississippi River

• Amazon River

• Rio Grande

• Colorado River

How far did Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and his men travel looking for gold?

• 3,500 miles

• 1,000 miles

• 2,000 miles

• 4,000 miles

What did Spanish explorers learn about while exploring North America?

• Geography and peoples of the region

• New trade routes

• New types of crops

• New languages