The following questions refer to the given excerpt. It is a heavily populated land. We asked why they did not sow maize, they replied that they were not
doing so in order not to lose the crop, for during two consecutive years the rains had failed and the
weather had been so dry that all had lost their whole crop of maize, and they did not dare sow it again
until there had been copious rain. And they begged us to tell the heavens to rain, and implore them to do
so, and we promised that we would do this. We also asked them from where they had brought (the maize
they had], and they said from the direction the sun had set, and in all that land there was maize
everywhere.
-Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Castaways, 1542
Is
1 This excerpt by de Vaca reflects which of the following?
a. The European focus on finding wealth in the New World at all costs
b. The emphasis on a diversified economy among Native Americans
c. The expansion of irrigation in the Southwest, based on the technology brought by the
Europeans
d. The use of agriculture to support settlement and development