Helpful Notes on Reading:
1) begin reading at bottom of p. 286 where the author writes "It is probably..."
2) The author references multiple times the Canary Islands. These are islands off the coast of Africa that were slowly conquered over the course of 15th century by the Spanish (or, more properly, the Kingdom of Castile--hence the author's phrase p. 286 "accidents made the Canaries Castilian")
Your vocabulary quiz on the reading will draw upon the following words (with the page number where the word appear following the word).
Archipelago 287
Rudimentary 287
Debacle 288
Burgeoning. 296
Tribute (as a noun) 291, 296
Rouse 296
Recalcitrant 297
Hegemony 296
Answer the following questions:
1) How and why does the fact that it took the Spanish a century to conquer the Canary Islands make the conquest of the New World surprising? Be sure your answer addresses (A) the differences in the societies of the Canary Islands and the New World (B) the speed of conquests in both regions.
2) What two activities supported Tenochitlan, given that the huge city was not self-supporting.
3) How were the Aztec claims to their territory different from those of native groups in North America (and remarkably similar to those the Spanish would eventually make in the New World)?
4) Why was the system of tribute employed by the Aztecs (or, more properly, "the Triple Alliance") a strength and a weakness? USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THIS QUESTION AS THE ANSWER WILL HELP YOU DO THE LARGER, FINAL QUESTION IN THE NEXT HOMEWORK)
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