Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 13

1. Evaluating evidence and objectivity: Based on these sources, how might a historian compose a history of the conquest of Mexico, seeking to be as objective as possible? What information from these sources might be reliably used, and what might be discarded? Is it in fact possible to be wholly objective about these events? How would such an account differ if it were written from a distinctly Aztec or Spanish point of view?
2. Considering morality: What moral or ethical issues arose for the participants in these events? Should historians take a position on such questions? Is it possible to avoid doing so?
3. Considering outcomes: Was Spanish victory inevitable? Under what circumstances might the outcome have been different?
4. Assessing perspective: What differences in outlook can you identify between the Spanish and the Aztec sources?