Vocabulary/Inferences

1. Vocabulary/Inferences • Intricate • Page 363: Why do you think the professor’s find was the discovery of a lifetime? • Complicated; made up of many details • The professor’s find was the discovery of a lifetime because the Temple was a building of great importance, in what was once the most powerful empire in North America. Also, the Aztecs were his own ancestors.

2. Vocabulary • Sites • Metropolis • Causeways • Conquered • Tributes • Places where things are located • A major city; a center of culture • Raised roadways across water or marshlands • Defeated in battle • Gifts given to those in power by people who have been defeated or want protection

3. Compare/Contrast, Author’s viewpoint • Page 365: In what ways was Technochtitlan like a major city? In what ways was it different? • The author uses the word remarkable to describe Technochtitlan. What does this tell you about her viewpoint? • Technochtitlan was like a major city in that it had a large population, large buildings, and gardens. It was different because it was in the middle of a lake and no streets for motor vehicles. • This positive word, remarkable, shows a favorable opinion of the author.

4. Inferences/ Judgments • Momentous • Page 369: What kind of animal are the huge deer? What does this phrase tell you about the Aztec’s experience with this kind of animal? • Based on the author’s description of Moctezuma, what kind of person do you think he was? • Extremely important • The huge deer were horses. This phrase tells you Aztecs had never seen horses before and did not know what to call them. • Based on the author’s description of Moctezuma, it is likely he was smart, thoughtful, and superstitious.

5. Cause and Effect • Empire • Page 370: Moctezuma thought several unusual events were warnings from Aztec gods. What other explanations could there be? • A large area made up of many territories under one government • Instead of being signs from the gods, the events could have been caused by comets (tongues of fire), underwater gases (boiling lake), and wind or animals (woman wailing).

6. Inferences/conclusions • Page 371: What do you think Cortes’s intentions were when he landed in Tenochtitlan? • What do Moctezuma’s reactions to Cortes’s arrival suggest about the importance of religion in Aztec culture? • I think Cortes was intending to see if the Aztecs had treasures he could steal. • Moctezuma’s reactions to Cortes’s arrival suggest religion was very important to the Aztec culture. People believed in the power of their gods.

7. Inferences/Writer’s Craft • Adorned • Page 372: Why do you think Moctezuma wanted to offer Quetzalcoatl gifts? • Why do you think the author includes the sentence Surely he was Quetzalcoatl himself? • Decorated • Moctezuma wanted to offer Quetzalcoatl gifts because the god would not be angry at them. • The author includes this sentence to show the messengers were thinking about Cortes.

8. Inferences/Text Organization • Page 374/375: Why do you think Cortes fired his gun for Aztec messengers? • How can you tell that the biographical information about Cortes and Moctezuma is not part of the main text? • Cortex fired his gun at the Aztec messengers to frighten them and to show his power. • The biographical information is clearly separate from the main text in that it is set off in a shaded box, it gives additional information, and, and does not continue the story.

9. Writer’s Craft/Text Organization • Page 376: Why do you think the author chose to end this segment with the sentence When Moctezuma heard all this, he could not sleep or eat? • What information does the summary give that is not included in the main selection? • The author chose to end the segment with this sentence to show how concerned Moctezuma was about the messenger’s report. • The summary explains how Cortes was able to conquer the Aztec city, which is not in the main selection.