Mesoamerican DBQ
Connor Penn
Mrs.Bagnell
AP World History
11 December 2014
Mesoamerican DBQ When people think of the early Native Americans that were found by the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers, they would probably think of mindless human beings that hadn’t been exposed to western culture. These people would be entirely wrong. The early Mesoamericans had many technological and intellectual accomplishments that they had used and perfected to create thriving civilizations. This was all accomplished from the ancient times to the post-classical periods. Granted that it is a large span of time, the fact that they had achieved so much with no contact with the Eastern World is what the amazing part is. The Mesoamericans did amazing things in the time that they were around and although they weren’t as advanced or as powerful as the Europeans, they were able to make amazing things happen.
In Documents 1, 2, 5, and 7 we see how the Spanish invaders saw the technological and intellectual accomplishments of the Mesoamericans. In Doc 1, from the Florentine Codex, Friar Bernardino describes how the Aztecs made clay bricks. He tells of the process the brick maker used and he described that the quality was “well tempered”. This shows that the Aztecs had sustainable methods of creating sturdy, clay brick structures. In Document 2, Francisco Hernandez is telling of all the uses of the Maguey plant. He says that it can be used for almost everything. He tells us “As a whole can be used as fuel or to fence fields. Its shoots can be used as wood and its leave as roofing materials, as plates or platters, to make paper, to make cord with which they make shoes, cloth, and all kinds of clothes…. From the sap…they make wines, honey, vinegar, and sugar.” This shows that the Mesoamericans were very resourceful and knew how to use the entirety of what they had available. This can be linked to their intellectual accomplishments and how they figured out uses for everything. However, based on the
Mrs.Bagnell
AP World History
11 December 2014
Mesoamerican DBQ When people think of the early Native Americans that were found by the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers, they would probably think of mindless human beings that hadn’t been exposed to western culture. These people would be entirely wrong. The early Mesoamericans had many technological and intellectual accomplishments that they had used and perfected to create thriving civilizations. This was all accomplished from the ancient times to the post-classical periods. Granted that it is a large span of time, the fact that they had achieved so much with no contact with the Eastern World is what the amazing part is. The Mesoamericans did amazing things in the time that they were around and although they weren’t as advanced or as powerful as the Europeans, they were able to make amazing things happen.
In Documents 1, 2, 5, and 7 we see how the Spanish invaders saw the technological and intellectual accomplishments of the Mesoamericans. In Doc 1, from the Florentine Codex, Friar Bernardino describes how the Aztecs made clay bricks. He tells of the process the brick maker used and he described that the quality was “well tempered”. This shows that the Aztecs had sustainable methods of creating sturdy, clay brick structures. In Document 2, Francisco Hernandez is telling of all the uses of the Maguey plant. He says that it can be used for almost everything. He tells us “As a whole can be used as fuel or to fence fields. Its shoots can be used as wood and its leave as roofing materials, as plates or platters, to make paper, to make cord with which they make shoes, cloth, and all kinds of clothes…. From the sap…they make wines, honey, vinegar, and sugar.” This shows that the Mesoamericans were very resourceful and knew how to use the entirety of what they had available. This can be linked to their intellectual accomplishments and how they figured out uses for everything. However, based on the
Cited: Hirst, K. Kris. "Mesoamerica Culture History and Archaeology." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/mesoamerica/>. Lotter, Don. "Pan-American Adventure: Tepotzotlan, Mexico." Pan-American Adventure: Tepotzotlan, Mexico. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.newfarm.org/international/pan-am_don/sept04/pulque.shtml>. Sneed, Dr. Joseph D. "LISS.398A TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT and HUMAN ADAPTATION: PART II PRE-EUROPEAN MESOAMERICA." TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT, ADAPTATION: MESOAMERICA. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://inside.mines.edu/fs_home/jsneed/courses/LISS.380-83/LISS.381/resources/reading/required/index.shtml>.