In the Year of One Reed

A classroom game for four groups of history students, grades 6 to 8. The game requires a print-and-play mapsheet, a standard deck of playing cards, and a six-sided die.

“Historical Background (1519 - 1521): In the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlan Emperor Montezuma had reason to worry. It was the year of One Reed, when the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl would return to bring an end to Aztec civilization. A comet had been seen in the sky, a very bad omen."

"Messengers arrived to tell Montezuma that powerful strangers had arrived at the coast. The strangers were Spaniards under the command of Hernan Cortes. Montezuma was paralyzed by indecision. Should he fight the newcomers or welcome them?"

"He would soon learn that the Spanish conquistadors were on a mission to conquer and loot the Aztec empire. They brought with them horses, powerful weapons, and deadly germs. Many of the local tribes saw the invaders as a chance to defeat their Aztec overlords and joined their army. Cortes and his men would destroy Tenochtitlan and the Aztec empire.”

The game ends once Cortes (controlled by the teacher) has conquered the Aztecs by destroying their armies or occupying their capital. Sample questions for classroom discussion are included.