6.2
Exercise
Learning pathways LEVEL1 1, 2, 7
LEVEL2
LEVEL3
4, 6
3, 5, 8
REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND 1. Determine whether the following statements are True or False. a. All Spanish accounts of the conquest of the Americas glorified themselves. b. The Spanish priest Bartolomé de las Casas wrote to King Charles V of Spain defending the rights of the indigenous peoples during the Spanish conquest of the Americas. c. The Spanish and Aztec attitudes towards human sacrifice were similar, as they both believed that their gods grew stronger through sacrifices. 2. Identify which of the following explains why few Aztec sources from before the conquest survived. A. Aztec records were passed on verbally and not recorded. B. They were destroyed by the Spanish. C. They may have been destroyed during the fighting for Tenochtitlan. D. They were lost at sea during transportation to Europe. 3. Explain how a historical source is ‘subjective’. 4. State the ways in which recording of events in the Aztec world changed after the Spanish arrived. 5. Explain why the perspectives of the Spanish missionaries might differ from those of the conquistadors. ANALYSE AND APPLY 6. a. Explain why there are differences between Cortés’s and de Sahagún’s accounts of the actions of the Spanish conquistadors. b. Identify how both Cortés’s and de Sahagún’s accounts could be useful to historians, despite their differences. 7. Explain why historical sources might be destroyed intentionally. 8. Identify strategies that could be used to minimise the effect of subjectivity when studying particular sources. Answers and sample responses for this topic are available online.
LESSON 6.3 Who were the Aztecs?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson, you should be able to describe the main features and the social organisation of the Aztecs and life in the capital city, Tenochtitlan.
6.3.1 Everyday life in Tenochtitlan The Aztec people arrived in what is now Mexico in the late 1100s. By 1250, they settled near Lake Texcoco and started building the grand city of Tenochtitlan in 1325. Tenochtitlan was one of the best-planned cities in the world at that time. It was built on five swampy islands in the middle of Lake Texcoco, with three long causeways connecting it to the land. The city had canals and roads, allowing people to move around by foot or canoe.
126 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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