La Noche Triste

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/la-noche-triste

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the date?June 30, 1520
2. What happened during La Noche Triste?The Spanish and their allies tried to leave the city of Tenochtitlan, but Mexica warriors attacked them from boats and on the causeways. Many soldiers drowned in Lake Texcoco and many were killed.
3. Why did the Mexica attack the Spanish on that night?The Mexica were angry because the Spanish had killed their nobles and treated them badly. They wanted to stop the Spanish from taking more gold and power.

La Noche Triste: A Spanish term meaning 'The Sad Night,' referring to the disastrous retreat of Hernán Cortés's forces from Tenochtitlan.
Spanish Conquistadors: European military adventurers who sought to conquer and colonize territories in the Americas for Spain.
Mexica Empire: The dominant indigenous civilization in central Mexico at the time of Spanish arrival, with its capital at Tenochtitlan.
Hernán Cortés: The Spanish explorer and military leader responsible for the expedition that led to the fall of the Mexica Empire.