B. Short Answers: In 3-6 sentences, please answer the following questions. 6 points each.

​ 1. Describe the circumstances that led to the first epic journey of Cabeza de Vaca. When

and where did he explore and how long did it take him to reach his goal? What is one way

he survived the Indians? What is the significance of his first journey?

Cabeza de Vaca and his associates traveled in the center of the country to avoid running into the

natives. They walked barefoot through Texas and crossed Colorado and Pecos Rivers. Their

clothes were worn out and they were starving. It took him seven years to reach his goal. On July

25, 1536, they arrived in Mexico City. In order to survive the Indians they told people they were

medicine men and made friends with some of the tribes. He is significant for his first walk across

the Southwestern part of North America.

​ 2. Describe Christopher Columbus’s journey across the Atlantic. What year did it

occur? Who supported his journey and why? What were the names of his ships? What did

he discover? What were the conditions and results of his first return trip?

His plan was to go west only, nothing north or south. A month later the crew was getting

annoyed because they still haven’t found land yet. Columbus promised his second in command,

Pinzon, that he will turn back home if they don’t sight land in three days. Three days later they

sighted land. His journey started in 1492. Queen Isabel of Spain had a vision of the glory of God

in the New World, just as Christopher did. In order to help him on his voyage she found him

financial backing, gave him royal commission as Admiral of the Ocean Sea and gave him official

documents claiming any land he discovers. His ships were named ​Nina, t​ he​ Pinta, ​and the​ Santa

Maria. ​He discovered an island, which is now known as Samana Cay in the Bahamas. He
claimed the island and christened it ​San Salvador,​ meaning “ Holy Saviour”. During Christmas

Eve, everyone was celebrating and the officer in duty of the ​Santa Maria h​ ad too much to drink

and mindlessly turned the tiller over to a young boy. The young boy got the boat stuck in a coral

reef and the men weren’t able to save the boat. On his return home he ran into horrible storms,

and they prayed to God to save them.

3. Describe the adventures of Francisco de Orellana. What year did it occur? What were

the circumstances regarding the beginning of his long journey? What and where did he

explore? What were some of the hardships he endured? What was the outcome and

significance of his discovery?

In 1541, Francisco’s brother, Pizarro, ordered him to take sixty men and sail down the Canelos

River in a small boat named the ​San Pedro​, until they found food to bring back. Twelve days had

passed and they had still found no food, but continued to keep going. They found an Indian

village, where Orellana befriended the Indians, and treated them like brothers. The longer they

stayed the less friendly the Indians were, so they left and found branches of one river, bigger

than they had ever seen. They named it the Maranon, but is now known as the Amazon. The

other boat, the ​Victoria,​ and the ​San Pedro​ split up due to the rough seas. Orellana outcome and

significance of his discovery was that he had explored 6,000 miles of river.

​ 4. Give 2 pieces of evidence for the miraculous nature of the apparition of Our Lady of

Guadalupe. What is the tilma’s significance in the Catholic history of the Americas?

She performed her first miracle for the Indians and gave Juan a sign for the Bishop.
She made castilian roses grow on the hillside in the winter. Juan took some of the roses and put it

in his cactus fiber tilma and ran to find the bishop. When he opened his cloak to the bishop,

instead of the bishop noticing the roses he noticed a lifelike image of the lady on Juans cloak.

The significance of the the tilma is that the face never faded and the tilma has not disintegrated.

5. Give 3 reasons, according to the text, why Catholic Spain led the way in the Age of

Exploration.

During the year of Columbus’ great discovery of America, the Spaniards had recently won a

770- year war with the Moslems. The Spaniards were excited to go to the New World all for

different reasons. Catholic Spain was ruled by Ferdinand and Isabel, the ​los Reyes Catolicos

meaning “The Catholic Kings”. Queen Isabel’s mission in life was to make Spain unshakably

Catholic, which she accomplished. The Spaniards built a Catholic society which exist today

throughout South America, Central America and Mexico.

Essay: (10 points) Describe in 8-10 sentences, with narrative detail, conquest of Mexico,

beginning with Cortes’ landing in Vera Cruz. Please include one date (year), name the

main actors (or groups of actors) and events in the story. At the end of the essay, explain

the outcome or significance of the Conquest.

Cortes arrived in Montezuma’s territory in 1519. Montezuma sent them gifts in order to keep

them out of Tenochtitlan out of fear but Cortes denied any gifts. They went to Tlaxcala where

Cortes tried to negotiate with the Tlaxcalans, but they did not trust them so they attacked. The

Spaniards won and Tlaxcalans asked Cortes for an alliance. They then went to Cholula, where
the Cholulans prepared an ambush on Cortes and his men, but with their luck a girl named

Marina warned them about the ambush. During the battle, the idol was destroyed and Cortes

replaced it with a stone cross. They finally arrived in Tenochtitlan, and Cortes talked to

Montezuma, trying to explain Christianity to him but Montezuma refused to believe in that.

Cortes took Montezuma prisoner and ordered him to end human sacrifice and destroy the images

of the devil gods. The Aztecs in Tenochtitlan were not to pleased with what Cortes was doing so

they rebelled and Cortes brought Montezuma on the balcony to persuade them to stop but they

threw stones at them and one stone struck Montezuma on the head which caused him to die. The

Aztecs had taken back there temple, Cortes and his men turned back and called the night ​Noche

​ hich meant the Night of Sorrow. After being run out by the Aztecs, Cortes and his men
Triste w

refused to give up. Cortes had one goal he was not going to give up and that was to go to Mexico

and form a Christian reign. He took his men to Tlaxcala to recover before attacking again but on

their way their they ran into an Aztec emperor, Cuitlahuac. Still wounded and weak, Cortes and

his men prayed to God and asked for the help of Our Lady, St. James and St. Peter. They

defeated them and the battle was called “The Battle of Otumba. Reinforcements arrived to Spain

and Indian allies came to help Cortes. In 1521 they marched in Tenochtitlan and captured

Cuauhtemoc. The devil gods had been overthrown and the Spaniards had won. Hernan Cortes

was known as one of the greatest captains of all time.