Chapter 5 – The Age of Contact

Section 1 – Europeans Reach the Americas (Pages 90 – 93)

  1. Name two products from Asia valued by Europeans.
  2. Why were European nations anxious to find a sea route to Asia?
  3. Who gave Christopher Columbus the funding to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean?
  4. What advantages helped the conquistadors conquer the Caribbean?
  5. What was the first Spanish settlement on the American mainland?
  6. Who was the leader of the Aztec Empire?
  7. Why did Hernan Cortes sink his ships?
  8. How did Malintzin help Cortes defeat the Aztecs?
  9. Where did Cortes build Mexico City?
  10. How were the Aztec Empire and Spanish America similar?

Section 2 – The Spanish Explore Texas (Pages 94 – 97)

  1. Who was the first known European to explore the Texas coast?
  2. How did American Indians describe Apalachie?
  3. What happened to Panfilo de Narvaez?
  4. What is significant about the year 1528 in Texas?
  5. What Native Texan tribe helped the survivors of the Narvaez Expedition?
  6. What happened to most of the Spanish soldiers during their first winter in Texas?
  7. What did Cabeza de Vaca do during his first two years in Texas to survive?
  8. How did the explorers become celebrated as healers by the Native Americans?
  9. How did Estevanico help the explorers survive?
  10. What did Cabeza de Vaca do in 1542?

Section 3 – Searching For Cities of Gold (Pages 98 – 102)

  1. Who was sent to follow up on Cabeza de Vaca’s stories of gold?
  2. Who went with Fray Marcos as a guide?
  3. Who was sent to conquer Cibola?
  4. The cities of gold turned out to be villages of what Native tribe?
  5. Members of the Coronado expedition were the first Europeans to see what?
  6. Who was the Turk?
  7. What were Spanish explorers describing when they talked about “strange humpbacked cows”?
  8. Why did Coronado have the Turk killed.
  9. What geographic features did Coronado see while crossing the Texas Panhandle?
  10. Who became commander of the De Soto Expedition after his death?
  11. Why did Moscoso head back to Mexico City?

Section 4 – Consequences of Spanish Exploration (Pages 103 – 106)

  1. Why did Spanish officials lose interest in northern New Spain?
  2. Who established the colony of New Mexico?
  3. Why was the exploration of Texas important?
  4. Name two diseases spread to American Indians by the Europeans.
  5. What was the Columbian Exchange?
  6. How did the development of the Plains Indians horse culture effect the Spanish?
  7. What changed the relationship between the Apaches and Spanish?