History

Reading Questions for Townsend 85-154

Instructions

Read Camilla Townsend’s Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs (through p. 154) then complete these reading questions as a word document and submit it to blackboard. This assignment may be turned in at any time during Section I, but should be turned in by the end of Section I (2/28)

Guidelines

In a reading questions assignment, you read and respond to a specific prompt or prompts on assigned reading material. Responses are expected to articulate clear arguments that are supported with specific evidence from the material you have read. A vague response or a thesis that restates the prompt is not effective, avoid this. Be bold, take a stand. All responses should be approximately 2 typed, double-spaced pages. In your responses, you may also use the textbook and notes from lecture where relevant (all readings should be cited). All quotations must be cited.

Remember, all work that is not your own must be cited. All quotations must be cited. Whether from the documents or from somebody else, be sure to follow an approved citation method (parenthetical or footnotes). For exact citation formatting, see the Chicago Manual of Style or Kate L. Turabian, ed. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Unacceptable documentation of sources means that the essay will not be graded. No outside sources are permitted on these assignments without instructor approval.  Obviously, any essay must be spell checked and proofread. Form, style and content as well as logic and reasoning will all contribute to the assessment of the essay.  PLEASE DO NOT COPY/PASTE THESE GUIDELINES INTO YOUR PAPER.

Questions

1. Describe a few of the myths that Townsend seeks to disprove about contact and conquest. How did these myths develop? What is the truth behind these myths (i.e. what does Townsend argue to disprove the myths)?

2. How would you describe the first years of post-Aztec empire rule? What were they like? What elements of crisis/change faced native villages in the immediate post-war period (1530s)?