Answer these question from the book.

Modern World History,pp. 59-68

List one thing you learned or found interesting in this reading.

Mexica Views of the Spaniards

1.What about the Spaniards most struck the authors of the Florentine Codex? Identify the factorsappearance, animals, behaviors, beliefsthey used to mark the Spaniards as different.

2. Evaluate the claim that Mactezuma believed the Spaniards to be gods. Is it plausible?

Approaching Tenochtitlan (1520), Cortes

1. Explain how Tenochtitlan compares to Spanish cities, in Cortess view.

1. Why does Cortes mention mosques in Tenochtitlan when there were no Muslims there?

2. What does Cortes admire about the Mexica, and what does he dismiss?

Leo Africanuss Travels in Africa (1550)

1. Leo describes the people of Egypt as savages. Explain how he uses the term.

2. Explain how Leo divides up the peoples of Africa he encounters. What groups does he describe? How does he distinguish them?

3. Does this document reveal more about Europe or Africa?

Commentary on Foreigners (c. 1420), Ming Official He Ao

1. Identify the factors He used to mark foreigners as different, and evauluate their relative significance. Pay special attention to his language and the terms he used.

2. What specific threats resulting from European influence does He identify, and what remedies does he propose?

3. Explain the distinction this document draws between the way trade was conducted in the past, in the time of our ancestors, and in the present. What is Hes view of commerce?

PRIMARY SOURCE 12.2 Approaching Tenochtitln (1520), Hernn Corts Written in the midst of the Spanish invasion of Mexico, Corts's Second Letter was addressed to Emperor Charles V of Spain. In it, Corts provides an account of his meeting with Moctezuma. He also describes the capital city of Tenochtitln and its houses of worship. - Explain how Tenochtitln compares to Spanish cities, in Corts's view. - Why does Corts mention mosques in Tenochtitln when there were no Muslims there? - Analyze the relationship between respect and contempt in this source. What does Corts admire about the Mexica, and what does he dismiss? This great city of Tenochtitlan is built on the salt lake, and from the mainland to the city is a distance of two leagues, from any side from which you enter. It has four approaches by means of artificial causeways, two cavalry lances in width. The city is as large as Seville or Cordoba. Its streets (I speak of the principal ones) are very broad and straight, some of these, and all the others, are one half land, and the other half water on which they go about in canoes. All the streets have openings at regular intervals, to let the water flow from one to the other, and at all of these openings, some of which are very broad, there are bridges, very large, strong, and well constructed, so that, over many, ten horsemen can ride abreast. Perceiving that, if the inhabitants wished to practise any treachery against us, they had plenty of opportunity, because the said city being built as I have described, they might, by raising the bridges at the exits and entrances, starve is without our being able to reach land, as soon as I ntered the city, I made great haste to build four brigntines, which I had completed in a short time, capale whenever we might wish, of taking three hundred en and the horses to land. The city has many squares where markets are held nd trading is carried on. There is one square, twice as rge as that of Salamanca, all surrounded by arcades, here there are daily more than sixty thousand souls, lying and selling, and where are found all the kinds of merchandise produced in these countries, includi food products, jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, cop per, zinc, stone, bones, shells, and feathers. Stones sold, hewn and unhewn, adobe bricks, wood, both the rough and manufactured in various ways. There is street for game, where they sell every sort of bird, such as chickens, partridges, quails, wild ducks, fly-catchen, widgeons, turtle-doves, pigeons, reed-birds, parrots, owls, eaglets, owlets, falcons, sparrow-hawks and kes. trels, and they sell the skins of some of these birds of prey with their feathers, heads, beaks, and claws. They sell rabbits, hares, and small dogs which they castrate, and raise for the purpose of eating. This great city contains many mosques, or houses for idols, very beautiful edifices situated in the different precincts of it; in the principal ones of The Aztec which are the religious orders of their sect. Priests for whom, besides the houses in which they keep their idols, there are very good habitations provided. All these priests dress in black, and never cut or comb their hair from the time they enter the religious order until they leave it; and the sons of all the principal families, both of chiefs as well as noble citizens, are in these religious orders and habits from the age of seven or eight years till they are taken away for the purpose of marriage. This happens more frequently with the firstborn, who inherit the property, than with the others. They have no access to women, nor are any allowed to enter the religious houses; they abstain from eating certain dishes, and more so at certain times of the year than at others. Amongst these mosques, there is one principal one, and no human tongue is able to describe its greatness and details, because it is so large that within its circuit, which is surrounded by a high wall, a village of five hundred houses could easily be built. Within, and all around it, are very handsome buildings, in which there are large rooms and galleries, where the religious who live there are lodged. There are as many as forty very high and well-built towers, the largest having fifty steps to reach the top; the principal one is higher than the tower of the chief church in Seville. They are so well built, both in their masonry, and their wood work, that they could not be better made nor constructed anywhere; for all the masonry inside 4 I CHAPTER 12 | Global Themes and Sources the chapels, where they keep their idols, is carved with figures, and the wood work is all wrought with designs of monsters, and other shapes. All these towers are places of burial for the chiefs, and each one of their chapels is dedicated to the idol to which they have a particular devotion. Within this great mosque, there are three halls wherein stand the principal idols of marvelous grandeur in size, and much decorated with carved figures, both of stone and wood; and within these halls there are other chapels, entered by very small doors, and which have no light, and nobody but the religious are admitted to them. Within these are the images and figures of the idols, although, as I have said, there are many outside. The principal idols in which they have the most faith and belief I overturned from their seats, and rolled down the stairs, and I had those chapels, where they kept them, cleansed, for they were full of blood from the sacrifices; and I set up images of Our Lady, and other Saints in them, which grieved Montezuma, and the natives not a little. At first they told me not to do it, for, if it became known throughout the town, the people would rise against me, as they believed that these idols gave them all their temporal goods, and, in allowing them to be ill-treated, they would be angered, and give nothing, and would take away all the fruits of the soil, and cause the people to die of want. I made them understand by the interpreters how deceived they were in putting their hope in idols, made of unclean things by their own hands, and I told them that they should know there was but one God, the Universal Lord of all, who had created the heavens, and earth, and all things else, and them, and us, who was without beginning, and immortal; that they should adore, and believe in Him, and not in any creature, or thing. Source: Letters of Cortes, translated and edited by Francis Augustus MacNutt (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908), vol. 1, pp. 256-57, 259-61. PRIMARY SOURCE 12.3 Leo Africanus's Travels in Africa (1550) Published in Italian in 1550, The History and Description of Africa was the first European account of the geography of Africa. The author, Leo Africanus, was a Berber, born in Spanish Grenada. His family moved to Morocco when he was a young child, and he later served as a diplomat. (Archaic spelling from the original translation has been preserved.) - Leo describes the people of Egypt as savages. Explain how he uses the term. - Explain how Leo divides up the peoples of Africa he encounters. What groups does he describe? How does he distinguish them? - Does this document reveal more about Europe or Africa? Wherein he intreateth of the land of Negros, and of the confines of Egypt. Our ancient Chroniclers of Africa, to wit, Bichri and Meshudi knew nothing of the land of Negros but onely the regions of Guechet and Cano: for in their time all other places of the land of Negros were vndiscouered. But in the yeere of the Hegeira 380, by the meanes of a certaine Mahumetan which came into Barbarie, the residue of the said land was found out, being as then inhabited by great numbers of people, which liued a brutish and sauage life, without any king, gouernour, common wealth, or knowledge of husbandrie. Clad they were in skins of beasts, neither had they any peculiar wiues: in the day time they kept their cattell; and when night came they resorted ten or twelue both men and women into one cottage together, using hairie skins instead of beds, and each man choosing his leman which he had most fancy vnto. Warre they wage against no other nation, ne yet are desirous to trauell out of their owne countrie. Some of them performe great adoration vnto the sunne rising: others, namely the people of Gualata, worship the fire: and some others, to wit, the inhabitants of Gaoga, approch (after the Egyptians manner) neerervnto the Christian faith. These Negros were first subject vnto king Ioseph the founder of Maroco, and afterward vnto the fiue nations of Libya; of whom they learned the Mahumetan lawe, and diuers needfull handycrafts: a while after when the merchants of Barbarie began to resort vnto them with merchandize, they learned the Barbarian language also. But the foresaid fiue people or nations of Libya diuided this land so among themselues, that euery third part CHAPTER 12 Global Themes and Sources 585 of each nation possessed one region. Howbeit the king of Tombuto that now raigneth, called Abuacre Izchia, is a Negro by birth: this Abuacre after the decease of the former king, who was a Libyan borne, slue all his sonnes, and so vsurped the kingdome. And hauing by warres for the space of fifteen yeeres conquered many large dominions, he then concluded a league with all nations, and went on pilgrimage to Mecca, in which iournie he so consumed his treasure, that he was constrained to borrow great summes of money of other princes. Moreouer the fifteene kingdomes of Negros knowen to vs, are all situate 'pon the riuer of Niger, and vpon other riuers which fall thereinto. And all the land of Negros standeth betweene two vast deserts, for on the one side lieth the maine desert betweene Numidia and it, which extendeth it selfe vnto this very land: and the south side thereof adioineth vpon another desert, which stretcheth from thence to the maine Ocean: in which desert are infinite nations vnknowen to vs, both by reason of the huge distance of place, and also in regarde of the diuersitic of languages and religions. They haue no traffique at all with our people, but we haue heard oftentimes of their traffique with the inhabitants of the Ocean sea shore. A description of the kingdome of Gualata. This region in regarde of others is very small: for it containeth oncly three great villages, with certaine granges and fields of dates. From Nun it is distant southward about three hundred, from Tombuto northward fiue hundred, and from the Ocean sea about two hundred miles. In this region the people of Libya, while they were lords of the land of Negros, ordained their chiefe princely seate: and then great store of Barbarie merchants frequented Gualata: but afterward in the raigne of the mighty and rich prince Heli, the said merchants leauing Gualata, began to resort vnto Tombuto and Gago, which was the occasion that the region of Gualata grew extreme beggerly. The language of this region is called Sungai, and the nhabitants are blacke people, and most friendly vnto trangers. In my time this region was conquered by he king of Tombuto, and the prince thereof fled nto the deserts, whereof the king of Tombuto haung intelligence, and fearing least the prince would eturne with all the people of the deserts, graunted him peace, conditionally that he should pay a greer yeerely tribute vnto him, and so the said prince have remained tributaric to the king of Tombuto vntill the present. The people agree in manners and fashioes with the inhabitants of the next desert. Here groweth some quantitic of Mil-seed, and great store of a roend \& white kind of pulse, the like where of 1 neuer sow in Europe; but flesh is extreme scarce among them Both the men \& the women do so couer their heads. that al their countenance is almost hidden. Here is no forme of a common wealth, nor yet any gouernours or iudges, but the people lead a most miserable life. Source: Leo Africanus, The Hirtary and Deacriprome of A finca and of ale Sira We Things Tarrin Contained, edited by Robert Beowa ( Landoa: Priated far the Hakluyt Society, Lincoin's Ian Fieids WC, 1996, FP. 919-21. PRIMARY SOURCE 12.4 Commentary on Foreigners (c. 1420), Ming Official He Ao He Ao was a censor, a high official in the provincial bureaucracy of the Ming Empire. The censorate was part of the central state. Responsible directly to the emperor, it was tasked with rooting out corruption at the local level. This document, in which He describes the threats posed by Europeans (called Feringis), is an official government report to his superiors. - Identify the factors He used to mark foreigners as different, and evaluate their relative significance. Pay special attention to his language and the terms he used. - What speciflc threats resulting from European influence does He identify, and what remedies does he propose? - Explain the distinction this document draws between the way trade was conducted in the past. in the "time of our ancestors," and in the present. What is He's view of commerce? The Feringis are most cruel and crafty. Their arms are superior to those of other foreigners. Some years ago they came suddenly to the city of Canton, and the noise of their cannon shook the earth [these were cannonshots fired as a salute by the fleet of Fernio Peres]. Those who remained at the post-station [places where CHAPTER 12 foreigners were lodged] disobeyed the law and had intercourse with others. Those who came to the Capital were proud and struggled [among themselves?] to become head. Now if we allow them to come and go and to carry on their trade, it will inevitably lead to fighting and bloodshed, and the misfortune of our South may be boundless. In the time of our ancestors, foreigners came to bring tribute only at fixed periods, and the law provided for precautionary measures, therefore the foreigners who could come were not many. But some time ago the Provincial Treasurer, Wu T'ing-ch, saying that he needed spice to be sent to the Court, took some of their goods no matter when they came. It was due to what he did that foreigner ships have never ceased visiting our shores and that barbarians have lived scattered in our departmental cities. Prohibition and precaution having been neglected, the Feringis became more and more familiar with our fair ways. And thus availing themselves of the situation the Feringis came into our port. I pray that all the foreign junks in our bay and the foreigners who secretly live (in our territory) be driven away, that private intercourse be prohibited and that our strategical defence be close, so that that part of our country will have peace. Source: T'ien-Tse Chang, Sino-Portuguese Trade from 1514 to 1644: A Synthesis of Portuguese and Chinese Sources (Leyden: E. J. Brill, 1934), pp. 51-52