A-HIST 4352 MEXICAN HISTORY, Study Guide #1
By 1/30 for online Blackboard discussion:
- Read text 44-73 (Chapters 4-5); Read Victors and Vanquished, ix-x, 1-33, 40-74. (We won’t discuss Victors and Vanquished until next week; but if you have it, get started reading it. Otherwise, there will be too much reading, so you might want to get ahead in the Meyer text so you can read the assigned pages in Victors when it arrives). MLA Students will also read: The Mexican Reader, 1-8, 57-85.
- We will view Columbus and The Age of Discovery: The Sword and the Cross, as well as The Spanish Conquest of Mexico documentaries in class. Please write a review by 1/30. See syllabus IIIB. Submit review under “assignments” in Blackboard.
- Post answers to EITHER 1 OR 2, AND 3, 4, OR 5 (Two answers total) by 9 PM; MLA students will also post a one-page analytical summary of one of the articles from The Mexico Reader pages above.
- By 2/1 @ Noon, post a comment on at least one classmate’s response to a question. Be sure to give substantive, constructive comments; and be considerate.
Here are the questions:
1. How did the Spaniards treat the natives? Are there differences of opinion about this? Why? What is the “Black Legend” which is referred to in the last 10 minutes of The Sword and the Cross documentary?
2. Describe Tenochtitlán.
3. Explain the religion of the Mexica. Who was Huitzilopochtli? Quetzalcoatl? What was the Aztec rationale for human sacrifice? What other purpose did it serve?
4. Examine the relationship between the Aztecs and the Tlaxcalans. Analyze the purpose of the “Wars of Flowers.”
5. Discuss the class divisions in Aztec society. Who was at the apex of their “social pyramid?” What were the economic, social, and political roles of the priests? What roles were played by the nobles, the pochteca, the commoners, and the slaves? What roles did women of the various classes play in Aztec society? What was their status?
Estimated time: reading- 6 hours; Writing documentary review-1 hour; formulating answers and reviewing other students’ postings and formulating comment/s- 2.5 hours. Total= 9.5 hrs. Additional time for MLA students= 2.5 hrs.
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For 2/06, the first campus class discussion meeting:
- Read Meyer et al text 77 – 97 (Chapter 6).
- Read Victors and Vanquished, 79-114, 119-217, 245-248, plus pages assigned last week, if you did not yet have the book.
- MLA Students will also read: The Mexican Reader,92-94, 105-113, and be prepared to give a brief oral summary of the main points to the class.
- Submit three major insights learned, one from the Meyer text chapter and two from different parts of Victors and Vanquished, as well as a question about the readings.
I will divide the class into “Mexica (I use Aztec and Mexica interchangeably) and Spaniards,” so be prepared to answer #1-4 below from both perspectives. Do not get discouraged. This is by far the longest reading assignment, but it will be part of the reading you need to do for your paper. Plus the discussion and role-play will help with your paper. These questions need to be answered from either the Spanish or Aztec perspective. Please arrive promptly.
1. Describe Cortes and his personality. Now describe Montezuma and his personality.
2. Compare and contrast the roles and motives of the warriors in Aztec society with the roles and motives of the conquistadors in Spanish society.
3. Analyze how the Spaniards, who numbered between 200-600, were able to conquer a nation of 25,000,000.
4. Discuss the class divisions in Aztec society. Who was at the apex of their “social pyramid?” What were the economic, social, and political roles of the priests? What roles were played by the nobles, thepochteca, the commoners, and the slaves? Did these social classes have any parallels in Spanish society? What role did religion play in both societies? Explain. What roles did women of the various classes play in Aztec society? What do you think their roles were in Spanish society?
5. How did the lives of the Aztec commoners change after the conquest? Who replaced the Aztec upper class after the conquest?
6. Analyze the role/image of Doña Marina in the conquest and shortly thereafter.
7. Describe the encomienda system.
8. Compare and contrast excerpts taken from Bernal Diaz and other Spaniards with excerpts taken from Mexica accounts. Why are the accounts so different?
9. Why do the contemporary accounts in Victors and Vanquished give you a different “flavor” from the text? What is the difference between a primary and secondary source?
10. What did the Spaniards use as their “justification” for the conquest? Was the conquest justified?
Estimated time: reading- 7 hours; formulating insights and a question- 1 hr; Class time-3 hrs. Total= 11 hours. Additional time for MLA students= .5 hr.