Unit 4: The XVII th Century

In this link you have a good presentation about the Unit 4 from our book, focused to the XVIIth Century in Europe, the Hispanic Monarchy and the colonies. 

Here you are the final scene of the Spanish movie "Alatriste", based upon the novels of Arturo Pérez Reverte. This scene is placed on the Battle of Rocroi (1,643), the first defeat of the Spanish Tercios. This battle decided the sign of the Thirty Years War (1,618-48), when Spain lost the European hegemony in favour of France.  

2/3 of this presentation, after the main contents in demography, economy and politics, are focused about the History of art, with many examples from the Baroque in architecture, sculpture and painting throughout Spain and Europe.  

On the other hand, the previous presentation ignores the English Revolution (actually, at least two different social and political processes) in the XVII th Century. You can learn something about these facts here and here. As usual, all these materials are simple supports to the contents present in our book and explained in the class. 

  

Work with texts: fragments of the 2nd and 4th Hernán´s Cortés´ "Cartas de Relación"

In this link you will find a primary source for History. It is some fragments of the "Cartas de Relación" (more accurately, some parts of the 2nd and the 4th ones). 

The "Cartas de Relación" were the chronicles that Hernán Cortés himself sent to Charles V, Emperor of the Roman Germanic Holy Empire and also king of the Hispanic Monarchy (with the name of Charles I) at that time. The aim of these documents, thus, it is to summarize and to inform the Spanish crown about the process of conquest, colonization and settlement in Nueva España (Northern and Central America).

Here you can find some key concepts to understand the process of the Spanish conquests, specially in the Aztec Empire. 

Read the text and answer these questions. You have to the monday Novembre, 9th (so, after our exam) to give your exercise to the teacher:

1- Focus: Where and when is written this texts? Who is the author? To whom are these documents adressed? What kind of text do you think it is? (economic, social, politic, religious, laws, managing, historial, literary, a handbook, etc...)

2- Internal analysis: What are the main ideas of this text? What geographic discoveries do the Spaniards in the paragraph #2 (page 3)? How is the treatment from Moctezuma to the conquistadores? What did he think about them? Does he recall any Aztec myth? What is the role of the Cortes´men on it?

On the other hand: How is the description of Tenochtitlán made by Cortés?. Name some of the main characteristics he recognized in that city. In general, do you think his writing is in good or bad terms?

On the 4th Carta, what he is asking to the Emperor? the arrival of whom and for which purpose? What he says about the settlement of Spaniards in new lands? What habits he is complaining about?

3- External commentary: Write half a sheet relating this Cartas from Cortés with the contents in our book.