Documenting United States History

Document 1.1 Gold Frog Ornaments

Mixtec, Southern Mexico, 15th to 16th century

A member of the Mixtec people, who lived within the Aztec empire, made this necklace

for an Aztec aristocrat. Mixtec and Aztec peoples associated frogs with rain and fertility,

which were important factors for survival in civilizations with large cities and complex

societies that depended on stable crop yields of maize and other products.

The Diverse Societies

of Native America

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prACTICINg historical Thinking

What does it mean to read closely? Three questions accompany each document in

this textbook. They ask you to examine the text—either written or visual—a second

or third time to develop your critical reading and thinking skills.

The most fundamental task of close reading is to identify the visible, concrete,

or literal features of the text, as in this question:

4 ChApTEr 1 | firSt ContaCtS | period one 14 91–1607

02_STA_2012_ch1_001-026.indd 4 26/03/15 10:35 AM

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