Conquistadors

Our forum on the Conquistadors is now closed. You can read the messages we received for the message boards below, but we are no longer posting messages.

Which conquistador would you have wanted to travel with: Cabeza de Vaca, Orellana, Pizarro or Cortes?
Each conquistador made a different contribution to the world and each had a different leadership style – with both positive and negative qualities.

Should the Amazon Rainforest be saved or should the countries involved be able to use and develop it in any way they wish?
The Amazon Rainforest provides many important benefits to the world. Cutting down the Rainforest offers the countries involved the chance to sell valuable resources to help its people and reduce national debt.

Which was more important in helping the Spanish conquistadors defeat the Incas: Spanish weapons, the Inca civil war, or the smallpox epidemic?
The technology of Spanish crossbows and horses against Inca spear-throwers and cotton armor, the five-year civil war in the Inca Empire, and the devastating effects of the smallpox epidemic all played a part in the Spanish Conquest of the Incas.

Would you have wanted to be a conquistador or an Aztec warrior?
The conquistadors could be seen as either honorable explorers or as opportunists who exploited the native peoples in order to gain riches and personal fame. Aztec warriors were greatly honored in the Aztec Empire, yet paid with their lives if they lost in battle.