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Sourcing: Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire

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WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.8 ACTIVITYSOURCING: SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTEC EMPIREUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Sourcing: Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeExtend your sourcing skills by reading and analyzing two primary source documents, each written from a different perspective, about the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Focus on the Point of View, Purpose, and Importance sections of the Sourcing Tool. By comparing these two sources, which were written from different perspectives on the same topic, you’ll refine your sourcing skills and become better at understanding how an author’s point of view and purpose impacts the “why” (importance) of a historical work. Process 1.Open and analyze Sourcing Excerpts: Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. As you read the documents, focus on completing the Point of View, Purpose, and Importance sections of the Sourcing Tool on the next page. 2.After you’ve read, take some quick bullet-point notes on the following questions. This will help you later in the activity: •What were the motivations of the Spanish conquerors? •What were the responses of the Indigenous peoples to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.8 ACTIVITY SOURCING: SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE2Sourcing ToolProcess: Answer each of the questions below. If you are sourcing more than one document, provide responses for each. Name of document and/or source:Author’s name:Location and date source was written:Historical ContextWhat about the author’s location may have influenced the source’s location (for example, the location’s geography, demography, or the region’s political situation, religious influences, or industry)?What events might have influenced the source’s creation?What other information helps you understand this source?Audience Who was the source created for (that is, was this written for anyone to read or was it private, for one specific person or group)?What were the readers of this source supposed to do or think once they read it?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.8 ACTIVITY SOURCING: SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE3Purpose What was the author’s goal, and what evidence supports your answer?POV(Point of View)Can you identify anything about the author that might explain why they wrote this? For example, does their economic class, occupation, religion, nationality, political group, ethnic group, or gender help explain why they wrote this?WhY(Importance)What is the main idea of the source?What parts of this document are most valuable and why?What are the limitations of this document? In other words, where does it fall short?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.8 ACTIVITY SOURCING: SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE43.Write a one- to two-paragraph response that answers the question posed earlier: What were the motivations of the Spanish conquerors? What were the responses of the Indigenous peoples to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire? Your paragraphs should make specific reference to the Point of View, Purpose, and Importance sections of the tool but can include other categories as well.