Computer Simulation: Was Cortes a Hero, or a Villain? | Student Worksheet

A major simulation complete with multimedia and a leaderboard, designed to take students up to two hours to complete. The accompanying worksheet helps students to build up evidence to decide whether Cortes was a hero, or a villain:

“In 1519, Hernan Cortes marched into deepest Mexico with 500 hundred men. Two years later he had conquered the mighty Aztec Empire, which ruled over 5 million people. Ever since, historians have debated how he did this and whether he was right to do so. There are two main interpretations of Cortes and the Aztecs.

• Interpretation 1: Cortes was a villain. He was a vicious gangster who crushed the noble Aztec civilisation.
• Interpretation 2: Cortes was a hero. He was a brave explorer who brought civilisation to the barbaric Aztecs.

In this simulation, you will learn about each key moment in this dramatic story. At each point, you will be asked to consider how you think Cortes should react. This will help you decide if he was a hero, or a villain”