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Chapter 7 Recombinant DNA and Biotechnology

Multiple Choice

1. Yeast artificial chromosome vectors contain all of the following EXCEPT


A. centromeric sequences.
B. telomeric sequences.
C. an origin of replication.
D. a locus control region.
E. a selectable marker gene.

Ans: D

2. The genomic DNA library


A. contains DNA sequences from all species.
B. contains plasmid DNA copies of human total RNA.
C. contains amplified copies of a specific gene.
D. is often constructed using phage lambda.
E. is often screened by Southern blot hybridization.

Ans: D

3. PCR is used for all of the following EXCEPT


A. detection of exon deletions.
B. amplification of a target DNA sequence.
C. in vivo correction of a mutated gene.
D. detection of trinucleotide repeat expansions.

Ans: C

4. Restriction enzymes are:


A. DNA polymerases
B. RNA polymerases
C. endonucleases
D. exonucleases
E. none of the above

Ans: C

5. Screening a recombinant DNA library using an 125I-labeled antibody prepared against


a eukaryotic protein
A. requires that cDNA inserts have been used in the library being screened.
B. requires the utilization of vector sequences that provide high efficiency translation of
the cloned insert DNA including signals for initiation and termination of translation.
C. requires the utilization of vector sequences that provide high efficiency transcription
of the cloned insert DNA including signals for initiation and termination of transcription.
D. will isolate any gene that encodes a protein product recognized by the antibody.
E. all of the above statements are true.

Ans: E

6. Segments of pure samples of identical, relatively short DNA molecules from plasmids
can be subdivided into smaller pieces by
A. Southern blot analysis.
B. colony hybridization.
C. restriction enzyme digestion.
D. agarose gel electrophoresis.
E. ethidium bromide treatment.

Ans: C

7. RFLP linkage analysis followed by chromosome walking is used to find disease-


causing genes. Which of the following would be a good indication that the disease-
causing gene has been found by this analysis?
A. The gene is at least one cM from the RFLP.
B. The gene is homozygous in the affected individual.
C. The gene contains a nonsense mutation.
D. The gene is heterozygous in the individual.
E. The gene contains numerous polymorphisms.

Ans: C

8. All of the following would be required for the expression in E. coli of the cDNA for
proinsulin from humans EXCEPT
A. an E. coli promoter upstream from the cDNA.
B. a selectable marker, such as ampicillin resistance, on the plasmid.
C. a Shine-Dalgarno sequence for ribosome recognition upstream from the cDNA.
D. an E. coli specific replication origin on the plasmid.
E. a polyadenylation signal.

Ans: E

9. In Southern blot hybridization analysis


A. reverse transcriptase is used to synthesize a radioactive nucleic acid probe
B. nick translation is used to obtain a protein-derived probe.
C. DNA is denatured and lifted from the agar surface with a nitrocellulose filter.
D. restriction fragments containing a specific nucleotide sequence can be identified.
E. DNA fragments are resolved on a CsCl density gradient.
Ans: D

10. Restriction enzymes have all of the following properties EXCEPT


A. they cleave double stranded DNA.
B. they modify DNA by methylation.
C. they recognize specific DNA sequences.
D. they cleave DNA, producing staggered ends.

Ans: B

11. Reverse transcriptase and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase are used in gene
cloning to
A. remove single stranded DNA and repair the restriction enzyme site after
transformation respectively.
B. make cDNA and create sticky ends on the cDNA and the staggered ends of the
cleaved restriction site.
C. repair the restriction enzyme site before transformation.
D. repair the restriction enzyme site after transformation.
E. remove the sticky ends prior to the DNA ligase step.

Ans: B

12. M17476PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) products are of discrete length because
A. Taq polymerase can synthesize only 1000 base pairs of DNA at a time.
B. polymerization proceeds to the ends of the DNA.
C. Taq polymerase is denatured after each cycle is complete.
D. the DNA is cut with restriction enzymes prior to PCR.
E. the reaction contains a limiting amount of nucleoside triphosphate precursors.

Ans: B

13. A technique that is used to determine the abundance of a particular mRNA is


A. gel shift assay.
B. dideoxy chain termination.
C. Southern blotting.
D. DNA ligation.
E. Northern blotting.

Ans: E

14. Allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) analysis is used primarily for


A. identification of point mutations.
B. detection of deleted exons.
C. linkage analysis.
D. detection of trinucleotide repeat expansions.
Ans: A

15. For an expression vector that will be used to produce mRNA in a prokaryotic system,
which of the following is not required?
A. origin of replication.
B. selectable marker.
C. bacterial promoter.
D. polyadenylation signal.
E. Shine_Dalgarno sequence.

Ans: D

16. In the dideoxy method of DNA sequencing, the dideoxy analog


A. allows specific chemical cleavage of the DNA strand at random sites.
B. is required for the synthesis of the primer.
C. causes termination of DNA chain elongation.
D. cannot be utilized by DNA polymerase.
E. lacks a 5' phosphate group.

Ans: C

17. All of the following are used to construct genomic libraries EXCEPT
A. DNA ligase.
B. bacteriophage lambda.
C. reverse transcriptase.
D. restriction enzymes.

Ans: C

18. All of the following are TRUE regarding restriction endonucleases EXCEPT
A. they recognize specific palindromic sequences.
B. they may produce staggered ends when they cleave DNA into fragments.
C. they may produce flush ends when they cleave DNA into fragments.
D. they are used in gene cloning to cleave the single stranded regions of the cDNA
produced by reverse transcriptase.
E. they are used to cleave plasmid DNA in specific places in gene cloning experiments.

Ans: D

19. M17482Reverse transcriptase is employed in cDNA cloning as a


A. terminal transferase.
B. ligase.
C. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase.
D. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
E. kinase.
Ans: C

20. A technique that is used to determine the abundance of a particular mRNA is


A. gel shift assay.
B. dideoxy chain termination.
C. Southern blotting.
D. DNA ligation.
E. Northern blotting.

Ans: B

21. According to the Holliday model, the initial steps in recombination are which of the
following?
A. Double strand breakage and rejoining of nonhomologous chromosomes
B. Double_strand breakage and rejoining of homologous chromosomes
C. Single-strand breakage and strand transfer between non-homologous chromosomes
D. Single_strand breakage and strand transfer between homologous chromosomes

Ans: D

22. Which of the following statements pertaining to genome organization is true?


A. The fibroin gene undergoes DNA amplification within moth silk gland cells to enable
the synthesis of up to 109 silk fibroin proteins per cell.
B. Up to 98% of the human genome encodes proteins and structural RNA's.
C. Histone genes are tandemly repeated and localized in nucleoli.
D. Amplification of protein- encoding genes is commonly seen during amphibian
oogenesis, when enormous stores of protein are needed.
E. Eukaryotic chromosomes each consist of a single linear DNA molecule.

Ans: E

23. Applications using transgenic mice include all of the following EXCEPT
A. rescue of mutants.
B. generation of chemically_induced mutant loci.
C. synthetic bioreactors.
D. testing drug or gene therapies.
E. studies of structure_function relationships.

Ans: B

24. Which of the following are not required for expression of a human cDNA cloned in
E. coli?
A. promoter
B. ribosome binding site
C. initiation codon
D. DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II

Ans: D

25. To obtain recombinant DNA clones that encode a specific protein, a high affinity
antibody to that protein can be utilized to screen
A. a cDNA library in pBR.
B. a cDNA library in an expression vector.
C. a genomic DNA library cloned into a YAC vector.
D. a cDNA library cloned into a YAC vector.
E. a genomic DNA library cloned into a phage vector.

Ans: B

26. Which one of the following statements about Southern blot analysis is true?
A. It will identify which RNA in a population is complementary to a specific DNA
probe.
B. It is used to purify a gene by electrophoretic separation from a population of genes.
C. It is useful for repetitive DNA but not unique sequence DNA.
D. It is used to amplify a specific DNA sequence in vitro.
E. It identifies a specific fragment of DNA based on complementarity to a radioactive
DNA probe.

Ans: E

27. Which of the following enzymes can be used for the construction of a recombinant
DNA molecule in vitro?
A. DNA polymerase + DNA ligase
B. DNA polymerase + RNA polymerase
C. Restriction enzyme + DNA ligase
D. Phosphorylase + DNA ligase
E. Acetylase + single stranded DNA specific deoxyribonuclease

Ans: C

28. Isolation and identification of a disease-causing gene by chromosome walking


requires all of the following EXCEPT
A. Genomic library
B. DNA sequence analysis
C. Comparison of the normal and mutant genes
D. Prior knowledge of the protein product
E. Overlapping genomic clones

Ans: D
29. Segments of pure samples of identical, relatively short DNA molecules from plasmids
can be subdivided into smaller pieces by
A. Southern blot analysis.
B. Colony hybridization
C. Restriction enzyme digestion.
D. Agarose gel electrophoresis.
E. Ethidium bromide treatment

Ans: C

30. Human genomic libraries would be expected to contain all of the following EXCEPT
A. introns.
B. exons.
C. promoters.
D. spliced sequences.
E. Alu sequences.

Ans: D

31. Recombinant DNA techniques currently can be used for all of the following except
A. preparation of large amounts of DNA for structural analysis.
B. preparation of proteins such as alpha globin, insulin, and interferon.
C. creation of phage collections which, in total, represent the entire genome of an
organism.
D. prenatal identification of some genetic diseases.
E. repair of genetic damage caused by radiation.

Ans: E

32. The advantage of cloning into a Yeast Artificial Chromosome (YAC) vector is
A. when recombinant DNA molecules function as chromosomes in the host organism,
there are more copies per cell than with plasmids.
B. transformation into yeast is more efficient than into E. coli.
C. it is always better to use the most current technology.
D. the ability to clone large (approximately 200Kb) inserts and therefore enable the rapid
manipulation of DNA from organisms bearing large genomes.
E. working in yeast leads to more efficient translation of eukaryotic genes.

Ans: D

33. Recombination does not


A. play a role in the repair of DNA.
B. generate new combinations of genes.
C. generate point mutations.
D. regulate the expression of DNA.
E. involve single strand breaks.
Ans: C

34. Which of the following statements about homologous recombination is TRUE?


A. recombination can only occur at Chi sites
B. recombination only occurs at specific DNA sequences
C. recombination requires a single_stranded region and a duplex DNA region with
closely related DNA sequence
D. recombination requires an RNA intermediate
E. recombination is site-specific

Ans: C

35. Which of the following techniques can be used to screen the general population for a
single base-pair mutation in disease-causing gene?
A. RFLP linkage analysis
B. Allele specific oligonucleotide (ASO) analysis
C. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
D. Multiplex PCR

Ans: B

36. Reverse transcriptase, like DNA polymerase, can build a complete complementary
nucleic acid strand
A. if there are substrate ribonucleotide triphosphates present.
B. if there is a template and a primer present.
C. if S1 nuclease is present
D. if there is present a strand of DNA.
E. A and D.

Ans: B

37. DNA sequencing by the Sanger technique makes use of ____________for chain
termination.
A. dNTPs
B. dideoxynucleotides
C. AZT
D. DNA polymerase

Ans: B

38. Reverse transcriptase catalyzes which of the following reactions?


A. synthesis of ribosomal RNA from pre-existing ribosomal RNA
B. synthesis of RNA primers for Okazaki fragments
C. synthesis of RNA using a single stranded RNA template
D. synthesis of mRNA from double stranded viral RNA
E. synthesis of DNA using a RNA template

Ans: E

39. In the preparation of labeled probes, which steps do nick-translation and random
oligonucleotide priming have in common?
A. Labeling reactions are initiated by synthetic oligonucleotides.
B. The incorporation of labeled precursor involves an in vitro DNA replication reaction.
C. Nuclease activity can degrade newly synthesized, labeled DNA.
D. They both incorporate -labeled ribonucleotides.

Ans: B

40. Accessibility of DNA to trans-acting molecules is, in general, reduced by its being
packaged into a nucleosome core, both in vitro and in vivo. A prominent exception to
this is the behavior of:
A. The TATA box-binding protein, TBP, which binds within the minor groove.
B. Retrovirus proviral DNA, which integrates within the major groove.
C. Topoisomerase II, which binds to the sugar-phosphate backbone.
D. SV40 large T-antigen, which binds to the major groove.
E. None of the above.

Ans: B

41. In constructing a genomic DNA library, limited digestion with a restriction enzyme
that recognizes and cuts a 4 base pair sequence
A. ensures that the DNA fragments being cloned are very small.
B. ensures that introns are separated from exons.
C. generates overlapping fragments of the genome.
D. separates repetitive sequences from unique sequences.

Ans: C

42. Two general types of viral vectors utilized frequently for gene therapy include.
A. bacteriophage and HIV
B. DNA viruses and RNA viruses
C. adenoviruses and foamy viruses
D. influenza viruses and liposomes

Ans: B

43. Topoisomerase I
A. unwinds double stranded DNA by breaking base pairs
B. will decrease the writhing number of negatively supercoiled DNA
C. will decrease the linking number of negatively supercoiled DNA
D. nicks one strand of double stranded DNA
E. cuts both strands of double stranded DNA

Ans: D

44. It is sometimes possible to design a degenerate oligonucleotide probe for screening a


DNA library if the amino acid sequence of the protein is available. These probes are
A. composed of a mixture of different oligonucleotide sequences.
B. composed only of the most frequently used codon for each amino acid.
C. completely random oligonucleotide sequences.
D. small restriction enzyme fragments.

Ans: A

45. The best technique for determining on which chromosome a specific human gene is
located would probably involve
A. digestion of total human DNA with restriction endonucleases, separation of fragments
by gel electrophoresis and hybridization with a labeled gene probe.
B. somatic cell hybridization.
C. isolation of fetal messenger RNA and in vitro translation.
D. None of the above techniques could yield such information.

Ans: B

46. Eukaryotic chromosomes are characterized by each of the following, EXCEPT


A. contain negatively supercoiled DNA.
B. consist of linear DNA polynucleotide chains.
C. contain both repetitive and nonrepetitive DNA.
D. contain nucleosomes spaced approximately 200 bp apart.
E. contain restriction enzymes.

Ans: E

47. RFLP analysis can be used for all of the following except
A. classical genetic mapping.
B. DNA fingerprinting.
C. locating a disease gene.
D. prenatal screening for a possible genetic defect.
E. creating a cDNA library.

Ans: E

48. All of the following statements concerning DNA cloning are true EXCEPT which
one?
A. Vectors such as plasmids or bacterial viruses can be used for cloning foreign DNA in
bacterial cells.
B. Recombinant molecules between plasmid DNA and foreign DNA can be generated by
using restriction endonucleases.
C. cDNA synthesized from the messenger RNA of a desired gene can be cloned.
D. If foreign DNA is inserted into a bacterial plasmid, the recombinant plasmid cannot
be used for transforming eukaryotic cells.
E. Some eukaryotic genes can be expressed when transformed into bacteria.

Ans: D

49. The Holliday model of general recombination provides for


A. exchange of genetic information between nonhomologous chromosomes.
B. reciprocal translocation of unlike DNA between sister chromatids.
C. conversion of one allele to another by DNA repair.
D. exchange of genetic information between homologous chromosomes.

Ans: D

50. Two small plasmids undergoing recombination will look like a figure 8. If they are
each cut once at a unique restriction site, they will form a Chi structure. Which of the
following will be true
A. each of the arms of the Chi structure will be a different length
B. each of the arms will be the same length
C. two of the arms will be the same length and the other two arms will be the same
length
D. three of the arms will be the same length and the fourth arm will be a different length
E. none of the above are true

Ans: C

51. Which of the following would be required for the efficient expression of human low
density lipoprotein (LDL) in a bacterial host?
A. a cDNA construct encoding LDL, under the control of a bacterial promoter
B. the human gene encoding LDL, under the control of a bacterial promoter
C. a cDNA construct encoding LDL, under the control of the LDL promoter
D. the human gene encoding LDL, under the control of the LDL promoter

Ans: A

52. Enzymes necessary for the construction of a recombinant molecule of DNA are
A. restriction endonucleases and DNA ligase.
B. restriction endonucleases and Pol I.
C. Pol I and DNA ligase.
D. recombinase and DNA gyrase.

Ans: A
53. DNA libraries contain
A. copies of genes.
B. mRNAs.
C. fragments of genomic DNA.
D. DNA copies of mRNA.
E. intron DNA sequences.

Ans: D

54. For an expression vector that will be used to produce mRNA in a prokaryotic system,
which of the following is not required?
A. origin of replication
B. selectable marker
C. bacterial promoter
D. polyadenylation signal
E. Shine-Dalgarno sequence

Ans: D

55. cDNA usually is made initially from an RNA of choice, using which of the following
enzymes?
A. E. coli RNA polymerase
B. reverse transcriptase
C. E. coli DNA polymerase I
D. bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I
E. the sarc gene protein kinase

Ans: B

56. Vector development, design of the corrective gene construct, proliferation and
maintenance of target cells, efficient transfection and transport of nucleic acid to the
nucleus for integration into the genome, and expansion of engineered cells and
implantation into the patient are all examples of
A. challenges to successful gene therapy.
B. techniques used to study developmental regulation.
C. protocols used in the production of transgenic and chimeric mice.
D. problems encountered in the development of pharmaceuticals.

Ans: A

57. In the Holliday model for recombination, which is not true


A. one of two recombination products are formed depending on how the branch is
cleaved
B. strand exchange leads to an intermediate structure with crossed single strands
C. two homologous duplexes are aligned
D. the branch can move along the strands leading to additional strand exchange
E. the strand exchange is initiated by DNase I nicking.

Ans: E

58. Techniques utilized to produce mouse models of human disease include all of the
following EXCEPT
A. knock-in mutation.
B. transgenesis.
C. nuclear transfer.
D. transposition.
E. knockout mutation.

Ans: D

59. RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerases are required by all


A. viruses.
B. non-tumor forming RNA viruses.
C. single stranded RNA viruses.
D. segmented-genome viruses.

Ans: C

60. DNA sequencing makes use of


A. chemical base-modification reactions to fragment the DNA.
B. base-specific enzymes to obtain the sequence.
C. families of restriction enzymes of known specificity to obtain the sequence.
D. alkaline hydrolysis and thin layer chromatography to obtain the base composition.
E. reassociation kinetics to determine the sequence complexity of DNA.

Ans: A

61. Attenuation is dependent upon all of the following EXCEPT


A. direct physical interaction between the ribosome and RNA polymerase.
B. pausing of a ribosome in the leader peptide due to low levels of an operon-specific
charged tRNA.
C. no proteins other than those in ribosomes and RNA polymerase.
D. the formation of a stem loop structure in the nascent mRNA strand that acts as a
transcriptional terminator.

Ans: A

62. A cloned cDNA copy of beta-globin mRNA could direct the biosynthesis of a
complete and correct peptide in E. coli while the corresponding cloned chromosomal
gene could not because
A. bacterial polymerases can not transcribe intervening sequences.
B. intervening sequences contain codons that are not recognized by cellular tRNA.
C. bacteria do not have the enzymatic machinery necessary for splicing eukaryotic
mRNA precursors.
D. intervening sequences contain hairpin loops which block the progress of ribosomes
during translation.
E. bacterial protein processing machinery is not capable of processing the protein
precursor to its correct size.

Ans: C

63. Transgenic animals are defined as


A. Those that have been treated with a drug regimen.
B. Those that are bred for polymorphic alleles of one gene.
C. Clones derived by nuclear transfer.
D. Those that carry a foreign gene that was deliberately inserted into their genomes.
E. Those that are infected with a virus to test vaccine efficacy.

Ans: D

64. The Sanger method of nucleotide sequence determination involves


A. the activity of DNA polymerase
B. the use of chemical agents that modify DNA
C. the transfer of electrophoretically resolved DNA to a nitrocellulose filter.
D. the incorporation of poly dT the 3'-OH end of a DNA strand.

Ans: A

65. Restriction enzymes have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT that they cut
A. DNA sequence specifically.
B. each DNA strand separately.
C. palindromic sequences.
D. DNA using an exonuclease activity.

Ans: D

66. Which one of the following properties would make a plasmid an ineffective vehicle?
A. very small size
B. multiple copies are incorporated per cell
C. codes for the protein required for tetracycline resistance
D. contains three sites for the restriction endonuclease to be used

Ans: D

67. Eukaryotic genes coding for proteins usually have introns. The production of
recombinant eukaryotic proteins (insulin, for example) in bacteria does not necessarily
pose a problem because
A. bacteria possess the necessary enzymes to correctly process the primary transcript
containing intron sequences.
B. a cDNA copy of the mRNA can be cloned and expressed.
C. the protein synthetic machinery of the bacteria will only translate the exon portions of
the resulting RNA.
D. the translation of intron regions will not alter the activity of the protein if they are
removed by proteolytic processing.

Ans: B

68. Southern blots are used to analyze DNA that has been fractionated based on
difference in
A. length.
B. sequence.
C. GC content.
D. AT content.
E. density.

Ans: A

69. Which ONE of the following single stranded DNA molecules would be understood to
contain a palindrome in the double stranded state as this term has been defined for DNA
sequence arrangements?
A. ApTpGpCpCpGpTpAp
B. GpCpTpApTpGpApCp
C. ApTpGpCpTpApCpGp
D. GpTpCpApTpGpApCp

Ans: D

70. Transgenic mouse lines are useful for studies of human disease for all the following
reasons EXCEPT
A. Mice are physiologically similar to humans.
B. New diseases can be induced in mice for which there is no human counterpart yet.
C. They allow the study of polygenic disease.
D. Technology advances have increased the ability to create mouse models of human
disease.
E. A large reservoir of potential models exists in spontaneous or induced mutant loci.

Ans: B

71. Bacteria were infected with phages labeled with 35S and then whirled in a food
blender. Cells were then separated from the fluid medium supernatant. Which of the
following would be true?
A. No radioactivity would be detected in either cells or supernatant.
B. The radioactivity would be found in the progeny phage particles if infection of the
cells was allowed to continue.
C. The supernatant fluid would contain most of the radioactivity
D. The radioactivity would be found in the phage DNA within the infected cells

Ans: C

72. In constructing a genomic DNA library, limited digestion with a restriction enzyme
that recognizes and cuts a 4 base pair sequence
A. ensures that the DNA fragments being cloned are very small.
B. ensures that introns are separated from exons.
C. generates overlapping fragments of the genome.
D. separates repetitive sequences from unique sequences.

Ans: C

73. Construction of a plasmid containing a human beta globin cDNA may involve all of
the following EXCEPT
A. isolation of human beta globin mRNA.
B. use of poly dT as a primer for reverse transcriptase.
C. transcription with E. coli RNA polymerase.
D. homopolymer tailing of the cDNA and ligation of the tailed cDNA to the vector.

Ans: C

74. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results in discrete length products because
A. Taq polymerase can only synthesize DNA of discrete size from any DNA template.
B. the reaction is terminated by denaturation at the same time following each round of
polymerization.
C. the primers are of discrete size.
D. of the exponential production of run-off products.
E. the template for amplification is always a specific cloned DNA fragment.

Ans: D

75. Jumping clones expedite chromosomal walking by generating inserts that


A. are compatible with YAC vectors.
B. contain non-contiguous but linearly related fragments.
C. can be amplified by the polymerase chain reaction.
D. contain unclonable sequences.

Ans: B

76. Restriction endonucleases


A. digest DNA duplex molecules from the 5'-OH ends.
B. attack only single stranded DNA.
C. have base sequence specificity.
D. randomly digest double stranded DNA molecules.
E. are not produced by bacteria.

Ans: C

77. Knockout mice are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT


A. They contain null mutations in mouse genes.
B. They are generated by homologous recombination of a gene targeting vector in
embryonic stem cells.
C. The initial mice produced are chimeric.
D. The effects of the mutations are usually pleiotropic.
E. The mutations are usually lethal during the embryonic stage of development.

Ans: E

78. Which of the following would most likely be found in a recombinant plasmid
containing a copy of DNA from a human gene?
A. The entire protein coding sequence of the gene.
B. A sequence complementary to the 3' poly-A tail of the mRNA encoded by the gene.
C. The chromosome containing the gene.
D. A segment of intron DNA.

Ans: D

79. Reverse transcriptase has all of the following characteristics EXCEPT that it
A. is a viral DNA polymerase.
B. requires a primer.
C. uses either DNA or RNA as a template.
D. synthesizes both DNA and RNA.

Ans: D

80. Hybridization (Southern) analysis is best used to


A. compare polypeptide conformation.
B. prepare large, unilamellar lipid vesicles.
C. determine enzyme turnover numbers.
D. establish DNA sequence homologies.
E. investigate ribosome assembly.

Ans: D

81. Southern blotting is used for all of the following, EXCEPT


A. to determine restriction fragment sizes.
B. to detect deleted genes.
C. to detect gene rearrangements.
D. to measure mRNA size.

Ans: D

82. DNA libraries are constructed from


A. genomic DNA from specific tissues.
B. reverse transcribed cellular RNA.
C. reverse translated cellular proteins.
D. reverse transcriptase.
E. satellite DNA.

Ans: B

83. A nuclease is an enzyme which catalyzes


A. the synthesis of nucleotides from bases and sugar-phosphates.
B. the hydrolysis of nucleotides to nucleosides and inorganic phosphate.
C. the hydrolysis of cyclic AMP.
D. the synthesis of a polynucleotide chain from nucleotide units.
E. the hydrolysis of internucleotide linkages of a polynucleotide chain.

Ans: E

84. In general, PCR primers need to have which of the following characteristics?
A. Each primer needs to base-pair with a site on one of the two DNA strands.
B. The primers need to base-pair with each other.
C. Each primer needs to base-pair with two sites on each of the two DNA strands.
D. The two primers need to base-pair with sites that are repetitive in the genome.

Ans: A

85. Reverse transcriptase carries out all of the following activities except?
A. RNA directed DNA synthesis.
B. DNA directed DNA synthesis.
C. DNA directed RNA synthesis.
D. Hydrolysis of RNA.

Ans: C

86. Alternative splicing


A. gives rise to different arrangements of genomic DNA.
B. results in the production of distinct proteins having a number of domains in common.
C. requires different U1 snRNAs.
D. results from the actions of different RNases to degrade exon sequences.
E. involves different proteolytic processing events to generate different proteins.

Ans: B
87. Which of the following sequences would NOT be represented in a cDNA library?
A. promoter sequences
B. translation termination codons
C. polyadenylation signals
D. translation initiation codons

Ans: A

88. In the Sanger dideoxy method of DNA sequencing, the dideoxy analog
A. allows specific chemical cleavage of the DNA strand.
B. is a component of the primer.
C. causes termination of DNA synthesis.
D. cannot be utilized for DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase I.
E. lacks a 5' phosphate group.

Ans: C

89. M1749Which of the following is not always required for DNA blotting (Southern
hybridization)?
A. digestion of DNA with restriction endonucleases
B. separation of digested DNA by electrophoresis
C. amplification of DNA fragment by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
D. hybridization with some kind of probe which contains regions of complementarity

Ans: C

90. One enzyme necessary for the genetic information of some RNA virus to be
incorporated into the chromosome of a host eukaryotic cells
A. viral polynucleotide RNA polymerase.
B. DNA-dependent-RNA polymerase.
C. DNA-dependent RNA ligase.
D. RNA-dependent DNA polymerase.
E. host cell RNA-DNA polymerase.

Ans: D

91. The severity of an inherited disease can depend on all of the following EXCEPT
A. the presence of a closely linked RFLP marker.
B. the genetic background of the individual.
C. environmental influences.
D. the nature of the mutation.

Ans: A

92. Attenuation is dependent upon all of the following EXCEPT:


A. direct physical interaction between the ribosome and RNA polymerase
B. pausing of a ribosome in the leader peptide due to low levels of an operon specific
charged tRNA
C. no proteins other than those in ribosomes and RNA polymerase
D. the formation of a stem loop structure in the nascent mRNA strand that acts as a
transcriptional terminator

Ans: A

93. Chromosome walking


A. finds overlapping cDNAs.
B. allows long contiguous regions of DNA to be isolated.
C. requires the synthesis of artificial chromosomes.
D. requires somatic cell hybridization.
E. involves the direct sequencing of genomic DNA.

Ans: B

94. Human reproductive cloning, therapeutic cloning, nuclear transfer and nuclear
transplantation are all variations of the same technique in which
A. in utero gene transfer is performed.
B. transgenes are microinjected into embryonic stem cells.
C. the nucleus of a somatic cell is introduced into the cytoplasm of an enucleated cell.
D. homologous recombination is used to achieve new traits.

Ans: C

95. All of the following statements about genetic engineering are correct EXCEPT
A. recipient strains of bacteria to be utilized for cloning of foreign DNA should have
mutated restriction enzyme systems.
B. recombinant plasmids are introduced into bacterial cells by transformation.
C. recombinant DNA clones containing eukaryotic DNA inserts can be made to
synthesize eukaryotic proteins in bacterial cells.
D. bacterial plasmid vectors replicate and lyse bacterial cells forming plaques.
E. DNA ligase is utilized to covalently join DNA molecules in the construction of
recombinant molecules.

Ans: D

96. Selection of a Yeast Artificial Chromosome (YAC) vector for the cloning of human
genomic DNA would greatly expedite
A. chromosomal walking.
B. efficient translation of human proteins.
C. expression screening.
D. differential screening.
Ans: A

97. The degree of homology between DNA from two organisms can most accurately be
determined by
A. base composition.
B. comparing melting curves.
C. density measurements.
D. hybridization.

Ans: D

98. The "penetrance" of an inherited disease refers to the


A. variation in phenotypes caused by differences in genetic background.
B. proportion of individuals with a particular mutation that expresses the disease
phenotype.
C. variation in phenotypes caused by different environmental factors.
D. tendency for the severity of the disease to increase over several generations.

Ans: B

99. Which of the following is required for constructing a cDNA library?


A. a genomic clone of the gene of interest.
B. Purified RNA polymerase
C. RNA_dependent DNA polymerase.
D. Antibody raised against the protein encoded by the mRNA of interest.

Ans: C

100. Each of the following statements concerning reverse transcriptase is true EXCEPT?
A. It has been found as a component of RNA tumor viruses.
B. It can use an RNA template for the synthesis of DNA.
C. It can be used for the construction of cDNA clones from mRNA.
D. It carries out the transcription of viral_specific mRNAs.
E. It can utilize phosphorylated AZT for nucleic acid synthesis.

Ans: D

101. Which stage in the process of gene cloning are the restriction endonucleases
utilized?
A. isolation of mRNA
B. synthesis of double-stranded cDNA
C. insertion of the cDNA into the vehicle
D. transformation
E. expression of the cDNA in the bacterial cell

Ans: C
102. Most human genes which are cloned in E. coli would not be expressed because
A. prokaryotes cannot translate mRNAs for eukaryotic proteins.
B. E. coli lacks the ability to splice mRNA precursors.
C. the genetic code is completely different in bacteria and humans.
D. bacteria lack the appropriate suppressor tRNAs for translation of a eukaryotic mRNA.
E. eukaryotic ribosomes cannot function in bacteria.

Ans: B

103. RFLP screening during a chromosomal walk would permit the identification of a
A. DNA interval deleted in unrelated individuals who suffer from the same genetic
disease.
B. point mutation in a gene that does not alter a restriction enzyme recognition sequence.
C. cDNA clone for the disease of interest.
D. clone expressing the mutant protein.

Ans: A

104. Reverse transcription refers to


A. DNA synthesis from an RNA template.
B. RNA synthesis from an RNA template.
C. protein synthesis.
D. movement of ribosomes along a messenger RNA.
E. modification of nucleic acid bases.

Ans: A
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NEW SPAIN AS KNOWN TO THE CONQUERORS IN 1521.
HISTORY OF MEXICO.
CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE OF HERNANDEZ DE CÓRDOBA TO YUCATAN.

1516-1517.

A Glance at the State of European Discovery and Government in America


at the Opening of this Volume—Diego Velazquez in Cuba—Character of
the Man—A Band of Adventurers Arrives from Darien—The Governor
Counsels them to Embark in Slave-Catching—Under Hernandez de
Córdoba they Sail Westward and Discover Yucatan—And are Filled
with Astonishment at the Large Towns and Stone Towers they See
there—They Fight the Natives at Cape Catoche—Skirt the Peninsula to
Champoton—Sanguinary Battle—Return to Cuba—Death of Córdoba.

During the first quarter of a century after the landing of


Columbus on San Salvador, three thousand leagues of mainland
coast were examined, chiefly in the hope of finding a passage
through to the India of Marco Polo. The Cabots from England and
the Cortereals from Portugal made voyages to Newfoundland and
down the east coast of North America; Amerigo Vespucci sailed
hither and thither in the service of Spain, and wrote letters
confounding knowledge; Vasco da Gama doubled the Cape of Good
Hope; Columbus, Ojeda, Niño, Guerra, Bastidas, and Pinzon and
Solis coasted the Tierra Firme of Central and South America;
Ocampo skirted Cuba and found it an island; Cabral accidentally
discovered Brazil; Juan Ponce de Leon hunted for the Fountain of
Youth in Florida; Vasco Nuñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus and
floated his ships on the South Sea. Prior to 1517 almost every
province of the eastern continental seaboard, from Labrador to
Patagonia, had been uncovered, save those of the Mexican Gulf,
which casketed wonders greater than them all. This little niche alone
remained wrapped in aboriginal obscurity, although less than forty
leagues of strait separated the proximate points of Cuba and
Yucatan.
Meanwhile, in the government of these Western Indies,
Columbus, first admiral of the Ocean Sea, had been succeeded by
Bobadilla, Ovando, and the son and heir of the discoverer, Diego
Colon, each managing, wherein it was possible, worse than his
predecessor; so that it was found necessary to establish at Santo
Domingo, the capital city of the Indies, a sovereign tribunal, to which
appeals might be made from any viceroy, governor, or other
representative of royalty, and which should eventually, as a royal
audiencia, exercise for a time executive as well as judicial
supremacy. But before clothing this tribunal with full administrative
powers, Cardinal Jimenez, then dominant in New World affairs, had
determined to try upon the turbulent colonists the effect of
ecclesiastical influence in secular matters, and had sent over three
friars of the order of St Jerome, Luis de Figueroa, Alonso de Santo
Domingo, and Bernardo de Manzanedo, to whose direction
governors and all others were made subject. Just before the period
in our history at which this volume opens, the Jeronimite Fathers, as
the three friars were called, had practically superseded Diego Colon
at Española, and were supervising Pedrarias Dávila of Castilla del
Oro, Francisco de Garay governor of Jamaica, and Diego Velazquez
governor of Cuba. It will be remembered that Diego Colon had sent
Juan de Esquivel in 1509 to Jamaica, where he was succeeded by
Francisco de Garay; and Diego Velazquez had been sent in 1511 to
Cuba to subdue and govern that isle, subject to the young admiral’s
dictation; and beside these, a small establishment at Puerto Rico,
and Pedrarias on the Isthmus, there was no European ruler in the
regions, islands or firm land, between the two main continents of
America.
The administration of the religiosos showed little improvement on
the governments of their predecessors, who, while professing less
honesty and piety, practised more worldly wisdom; hence within two
short years the friars were recalled by Fonseca, who, on the death of
Jimenez, had again come into power in Spain, and the
administration of affairs in the Indies remained wholly with the
audiencia of Santo Domingo, the heirs of Columbus continuing to
agitate their claim throughout the century.
It was as the lieutenant of Diego Colon that Velazquez had been
sent to conquer Cuba; but that easy work accomplished, he
repudiated his former master, and reported directly to the crown.
Velazquez was an hidalgo, native of Cuéllar, who, after
seventeen years of service in the wars of Spain, had come over with
the old admiral in his second voyage, in 1493, and was now a man
of age, experience, and wealth. With a commanding figure, spacious
forehead, fair complexion, large clear eyes, well-chiselled nose and
mouth, and a narrow full-bearded chin, the whole lighted by a
pleasing intellectual expression, he presented, when elegantly attired
as was his custom, as imposing a presence as any man in all the
Indies. In history he also formed quite a figure. And yet there was
nothing weighty in his character. He was remarkable rather for the
absence of positive qualities; he could not lay claim even to
conspicuous cruelty. He was not a bad man as times went; assuredly
he was not a good man as times go. He could justly lay claim to all
the current vices, but none of them were enormous enough to be
interesting. In temper he was naturally mild and affable, yet
suspicious and jealous, and withal easily influenced; so that when
roused to anger, as was frequently the case, he was beside himself.
Chief assistant in his new pacification was Pánfilo de Narvaez,
who brought from Jamaica thirty archers, and engaged in the
customary butchering, while the governor, with three hundred men,
quietly proceeded to found towns and settlements, such as Trinidad,
Puerto del Príncipe, Matanzas, Santi Espíritu, San Salvador,
Habana, and Santiago, making the seat of his government at the
place last named, and appointing alcaldes in the several settlements.
Other notable characters were likewise in attendance on this
occasion, namely, Bartolomé de las Casas, Francisco Hernandez de
Córdoba, Juan de Grijalva, and Hernan Cortés.
Discreet in his business, and burdened by no counteracting
scruples, Velazquez and those who were with him prospered.
Informed of this, above one hundred of the starving colonists at
Darien obtained permission from Pedrarias in 1516 to pass over to
Cuba, and were affably received by the governor. Most of them were
well-born and possessed of means; for though provisions were
scarce at Antigua, the South Sea expeditions of Vasco Nuñez,
Badajoz, and Espinosa, had made gold plentiful there. Among this
company was Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a soldier of fortune, who had
come from Spain to Tierra Firme in 1514, and who now engages in
the several expeditions to Mexico, and becomes, some years later,
one of the chief historians of the conquest.
Ready for any exploit, and having failed to receive certain
repartimientos promised them, the band from Tierra Firme cast
glances toward the unknown west. The lesser isles had been almost
depopulated by the slave-catchers, and from the shores of the
adjoining mainland the affrighted natives had fled to the interior. It
was still a profitable employment, however, for the colonists must
have laborers, being themselves entirely opposed to work. The
governor of Cuba, particularly, was fond of the traffic, for it was safe
and lucrative. Though a representative of royal authority in America,
he was as ready as any irresponsible adventurer to break the royal
command. During this same year of 1516, a vessel from Santiago
had loaded with natives and provisions at the Guanaja Islands, and
had returned to port. While the captain and crew were ashore for a
carouse, the captives burst open the hatches, overpowered the nine
men who had been left on guard, and sailed away midst the frantic
gesticulations of the captain on shore. Reaching their islands in
safety, they there encountered a brigantine with twenty-five
Spaniards lying in wait for captives. Attacking them boldly, the
savages drove them off toward Darien, and then burned the ship in
which they themselves had made their enforced voyage to Cuba.
As a matter of course this atrocious conduct on the part of the
savages demanded exemplary punishment. To this end two vessels
were immediately despatched with soldiers who fell upon the
inhabitants of Guanaja, put many to the sword, and carried away five
hundred captives, beside securing gold to the value of twenty
thousand pesos de oro.
Happy in the thought of engaging in an occupation so profitable,
the chivalrous one hundred cheerfully adventured their Darien gold
in a similar voyage, fitting out two vessels for the purpose, and
choosing for their commander Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba,
now a wealthy planter of Santi Espíritu.[1] Velazquez added a third
vessel, a small bark, in consideration of a share in the speculation.[2]
After laying in a supply of cassava, a bread made from the yucca
root, and some salt beef, bacon, and glass beads for barter, the
expedition departed from Santiago de Cuba, and went round to the
north side of the island. There were in all one hundred and ten[3]
soldiers, with Antonio de Alaminos as chief pilot, Alonso Gonzalez
priest, and Bernardino Iñiguez king’s treasurer. Here the chief pilot
said to the commander, “Down from Cuba Island, in this sea of the
west, my heart tells me there must be rich lands; because, when I
sailed as a boy with the old admiral, I remember he inclined this
way.” Suddenly the vision of Córdoba enlarged. Here might be
something better, nobler, more profitable even than kidnapping the
poor natives. Despatching a messenger to Velazquez, Córdoba
asked, in case new discoveries were made while on the way to catch
Indians, for permission to act as the governor’s lieutenant in such
lands. The desired authority was granted, and from the haciendas
near by were brought on board sheep, pigs, and mares, so that
stock-raising might begin if settlements were formed.
Sailing from the Habana, or San Cristóbal, the 8th of February,
1517, they came to Cape San Antonio, whence, on the 12th, they
struck westward, and after certain days,[4] during two of which they
were severely tempest-tossed, they discovered land;[5] first the point
of an island, where were some fine salt-fields, and cultivated ground.
The people who appeared on the shore were not naked as on the
Islands, but well dressed in white and colored cotton, some with
ornaments of gold, silver, and feathers. The men were bold and
brave, and the women well-formed and modest, with head and
breast covered. Most wonderful of all, however, were some great
towers, built of stone and lime, with steps leading to the top; and
chapels covered with wood and straw, within which were found
arranged, in artistic order, many idols apparently representing
women, and that led the Spaniards to name the place De Las
Mugeres.[6] Proceeding northward, they came to a larger point, of
island or mainland; and presently they descried, two leagues from
the shore, a large town, which was called El Gran Cairo.
While looking for an anchorage, on the morning of the 4th of
March, five canoes approached the commander’s vessel, and thirty
men stepped fearlessly on board. The canoes were large, some of
them capable of holding fifty persons; the men were intelligent, and
wore a sleeveless cloak and apron of cotton.[7] The Spaniards gave
them bacon and bread to eat, and to each a necklace of green glass
beads. After closely scrutinizing the ship and its belongings, the
natives put off for the shore. Early next day appeared the cacique
with many men in twelve canoes, making signs of friendship, and
crying, Conex cotoch! that is to say, Come to our houses; whence
the place was called Punta de Catoche,[8] which name it bears to-
day.
Thus invited, Córdoba, with several of his officers, and twenty-
five soldiers armed with cross-bows and firelocks, accompanied the
natives to the shore, where the cacique with earnest invitations to
visit his town managed to lead them into ambush. The natives fought
with flint-edged wooden swords, lances, bows, and slings, and were
protected by armors of quilted cotton and shields, their faces being
painted and their heads plumed. They charged the enemy bravely,
amidst shouts and noise of instruments; several of the Spaniards
were wounded, two fatally. At length the natives gave way before the
sharp and sulphurous enginery of their exceedingly strange visitants,
leaving fifteen of their number dead upon the ground. Two youths
were taken prisoners, who were afterward baptized and named
Julian and Melchor, and profitably employed by the Spaniards as
interpreters. Near the battle-ground stood three more of those
curious stone temples, one of which was entered by Father
Gonzalez during the fight, and the earthen and wooden idols and
ornaments and plates of inferior gold found there were carried away
to the ship.
Embarking, and proceeding westward, the Spaniards arrived a
fortnight later at Campeche,[9] where their amazement was
increased on beholding the number and beauty of the edifices, while
the blood and other evidences of human sacrifice discovered about
the altars of the temples filled their souls with horror. And as they
were viewing these monuments of a superior culture, the troops of
armed natives increased, and the priests of the temples, producing a
bundle of reeds, set fire to it, signifying to the visitors that unless they
took their departure before the reeds were consumed every one of
them would be killed. Remembering their wounds at Catoche, the
Spaniards took the hint and departed.
They were soon caught in a storm and severely shaken; after
which they began to look about for water, which had by this time
become as precious to them as the Tyrian mures tincture, of which
each shell-fish gave but a single drop. They accordingly came to
anchor near a village called Potonchan, but owing to a sanguinary
battle in which they were driven back, Córdoba named the place
Bahía de Mala Pelea.[10] In this engagement the natives did not
shrink from fighting hand to hand with the foe. Fifty-seven Spaniards
were killed on the spot, two were carried off alive, and five died
subsequently on shipboard. Those whom the natives could not kill
they followed to the shore, in their disappointed rage, wading out into
the sea after them, like the bloodthirsty Cyclops who pursued the
Trojan Æneas and his crew. But one man escaped unharmed, and
he of all the rest was selected for slaughter by the natives of Florida.
Córdoba received twelve wounds; Bernal Diaz three. The survivors
underwent much suffering before reaching Cuba, for the continued
hostilities of the natives prevented their obtaining the needful supply
of water.
There being no one else to curse except themselves, they
cursed the pilot, Alaminos, for his discovery, and for still persisting in
calling the country an island. Then they left Mala Pelea Bay and
returned along the coast, north-eastwardly, for three days, when they
entered an opening in the shore to which they gave the name of
Estero de los Lagartos,[11] from the multitude of caimans found
there. After burning one of the ships which had become
unseaworthy, Córdoba crossed from this point to Florida, and thence
proceeded to Cuba, where he died from his wounds, ten days after
reaching his home at Santi Espíritu.
Diego Velazquez was much interested in the details of this
discovery. He closely questioned the two captives about their
country, its gold, its great buildings, and the plants which grew there.
When shown the yucca root they assured the governor that they
were familiar with it, and that it was called by them tale, though in
Cuba the ground in which the yucca grew bore that name. From
these two words, according to Bernal Diaz, comes the name
Yucatan; for while the governor was speaking to the Indians of yucca
and tale, some Spaniards standing by exclaimed, “You see, sir, they
call their country Yucatan.”[12]
The people of this coast seemed to have heard of the Spaniards,
for at several places they shouted ‘Castilians!’ and asked the
strangers by signs if they did not come from toward the rising sun.
Yet, neither the glimpse caught of Yucatan by Pinzon and Solis in
1506 while in search of a strait north of Guanaja Island where
Columbus had been, nor the piratical expedition of Córdoba, in 1517,
can properly be called the discovery of Mexico.[13] Meanwhile
Mexico can well afford to wait, being in no haste for European
civilization, and the attendant boons which Europe seems so
desirous of conferring.

FOOTNOTES
[1] In the memorial of Antonio Velazquez, successor of the adelantado, Diego
Velazquez, Memorial del negocio de D. Antonio Velazquez de Bazan, in Mendoza,
Col. Doc. Inéd., x. 80-6, taken from the archives of the Indies, the credit of this
expedition is claimed wholly for the governor. Indeed, Velazquez himself
repeatedly asserts, as well as others, that the expedition was made at his cost.
But knowing the man as we do, and considering the claims of others, it is safe
enough to say that the governor did not invest much money in it. The burden
doubtless fell on Córdoba, who was aided, as some think, by his associates,
Cristóbal Morante and Lope Ochoa de Caicedo, in making up what the men of
Darien lacked, Torquemada, i. 349, notwithstanding the claims for his fraternity of
Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., i. Ogilby, Hist. Am., 76, says the three associates were
all Cuban planters; that they equipped three ships, Velazquez adding one. This
Hernandez de Córdoba was not he who served as lieutenant under Pedrarias,
though of the same name.

[2] Opinion has been divided as to the original purpose of the expedition. As it
turned out, it was thought best on all sides to say nothing of the inhuman and
unlawful intention of capturing Indians for slaves. Hence, in the public documents,
particularly in the petitions for recompense which invariably followed discoveries,
pains is taken to state that it was a voyage of discovery, and prompted by the
governor of Cuba. As in the Décadas Abreviadas de los Descubrimientos,
Mendoza, Col. Doc. Inéd., viii. 5-54, we find that ‘El adelantado Diego Velazquez
de Cuéllar es autor del descubrimiento de la Nueva España,’ so, in effect, it is
recorded everywhere. Indeed, Bernal Diaz solemnly asserts that Velazquez at first
stipulated that he should have three cargoes of slaves from the Guanaja Islands,
and that the virtuous one hundred indignantly refused so to disobey God and the
king as to turn free people into slaves. ‘Y desque vimos los soldados, que aquello
que pedia el Diego Velazquez no era justo, le respondimos, que lo que dezia, no
lo mandaua Dios, ni el Rey; que hiziessemos á los libres esclavos.’ Hist. Verdad.,
i. On the strength of which fiction, Zamacois, Hist. Méj., ii. 224, launches into
laudation of the Spanish character. The honest soldier, however, finds difficulty in
making the world believe his statement. Las Casas, Hist. Ind., iv. 348, does not
hesitate to say very plainly that the expedition was sent out to capture Indians, ‘ir é
enviar á saltear indios para traer á ella,’ for which purpose there were always men
with money ready; and that on this occasion Córdoba, Morante, and Caicedo
subscribed 1,500 or 2,000 castellanos each, to go and catch Indians, either at the
Lucayas Islands or elsewhere. Torquemada, i. 349, writes more mildly, yet plainly
enough; ‘para ir à buscar Indios, à las Islas Convecinas, y hacer Rescates, como
hasta entonces lo acostumbraban.’ Cogolludo, Hist. Yucathan, 1-6, follows Bernal
Diaz almost literally. Gomara, Hist. Ind., 60, is non-committal, stating first ‘para
descubrir y rescatar,’ and afterward, ‘Otros dizen que para traer esclauos de las
yslas Guanaxos a sus minas y granjerias.’ Oviedo and Herrera pass by the
question. Landa, Rel. de Yucatan, 16, ‘a rescatar esclavos para las minas, que ya
en Cuba se yva la gente apocando y que otros dizen que salio a descubrir tierra.’
Says the unknown author of De Rebus Gestis Ferdinandi Cortesii, in Icazbalceta,
Col. Doc., i. 338, ‘In has igitur insulas ad grassandum et prædandum, ut ita dicam,
ire hi de quibus suprà dictum est, constituerant; non in Iucatanam.’ It is clear to my
mind that slaves were the first object, and that discovery was secondary, and an
after-thought.

[3] Bernal Diaz holds persistently to 110. It was 110 who came from Tierra Firme,
and after divers recruits and additions the number was still 110.
[4] Authorities vary, from four days given by Las Casas, and six by Oviedo, to 21
by Bernal Diaz and Herrera. The date of departure is also disputed, but the
differences are unimportant. Compare Peter Martyr, dec. iv. cap. vi.; Dufey,
Résumé Hist. Am., i. 93; Clavigero, Storia Mess., iii. 3; Las Casas, Hist. Ind., iv.
348-63; Cogolludo, Hist. Yucathan, 3-8; Gomara, Hist. Ind., 60-1; Bernal Diaz,
Hist. Verdad., 1-2; Herrera, dec. ii. lib. ii. cap. xvii.; Solis, Hist. Mex., i. 22-4; Vida
de Cortés, or De Rebus Gestis Ferdinandi Cortesii, in Icazbalceta, Col. Doc., i.
331-41; March y Labores, Marina Española, i. 463-8; Robertson’s Hist. Am., i.
237-40; Fancourt’s Hist. Yuc., 5-8.

[5] Though remarkably fair and judicious in the main, Mr Prescott’s partiality for a
certain class of his material is evident. To the copies from the Spanish archives,
most of which have been since published with hundreds of others equally or more
valuable, he seemed to attach an importance proportionate to their cost. Thus,
throughout his entire work, these papers are paraded to the exclusion of the more
reliable, but more accessible, standard authorities. In the attempt, at this point, to
follow at once his document and the plainly current facts, he falls into an error of
which he appears unconscious. He states, Conq. Mex., i. 222, that Córdoba
‘sailed with three vessels on an expedition to one of the neighboring Bahama
Islands, in quest of Indian slaves. He encountered a succession of heavy gales
which drove him far out of his course.’ The Bahama Islands are eastward from
Habana, while Cape San Antonio is toward the west. All the authorities agree that
the expedition sailed directly westward, and that the storm did not occur until after
Cape San Antonio had been passed, which leaves Mr Prescott among other errors
in that of driving a fleet to the westward, in a storm, when it has already sailed
thither by the will of its commander, in fair weather.

[6] Following Gomara and Torquemada, Galvano mentions the name of no other
place in this voyage than that of Punta de las Dueñas, which he places in latitude
20°. He further remarks, Descobrimentos, 131, ‘He gẽte milhor atauiada que ha
em neuhũa outra terra, & cruzes em q’ os Indios adorauam, & os punham sobre
seus defuntos quando faleciam, donde parecia que em algum tẽpo se sentio aly a
fe de Christo.’ The anonymous author of De Rebus Gestis and all the best
authorities recognize this as the first discovery. ‘Sicque non ad Guanaxos, quos
petebant, appulerunt, sed ad Mulierum promontorium.’ Fernando Colon places on
his map, 1527, y: de mujeres; Diego de Ribero, 1529, d’ mugeres, the next name
north being amazonas. Vaz Dourado, 1571, lays down three islands which he calls
p:. de magreles; Hood, 1592, Y. de mueres; Laet, 1633, Yas de mucheres; Ogilby,
1671, yas desconocidas; Dampier, 1699, I. mugeras; Jefferys, 1776, Ia de
Mujeres, or Woman’s I. It was this name that led certain of the chroniclers to
speak of islands off the coast of Yucatan inhabited by Amazons. ‘Sirvió de asilo en
nuestros dias al célebre pirata Lafitte.’ Boletin de la Sociedad Mex. de Geog., iii.
224.
[7] For a description of these people see Bancroft’s Native Races, i. 645-747.

[8] See Landa, Rel. de Yuc., 6. ‘Domum Cotoche sonat: indicabant enim domus et
oppidum haud longè abesse.’ De Rebus Gestis Ferdinandi Cortesii, in Icazbalceta,
Col. Doc., i. 339. ‘Conez cotoche, q̄ quiere dezir, Andad aca a mis casas.’ Herrera,
dec. ii. lib. ii. cap. xvii. ‘Cotohe, cotohe,’ that is to say, ‘a house.’ Fancourt’s Hist.
Yuc., 6. ‘Cotoche, q̄ quiere dezir casa.’ Gomara, Hist. Ind., 61. ‘Con escotoch, con
escotoch, y quiere dezir, andad acá á mis casas.’ Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., 2.
This, the north-eastern point of Yucatan, is on Fernando Colon’s map, 1527,
gotoche; on the map of Diego de Ribero, 1529, p: d’cotoche; Vaz Dourado, 1571,
C:. de quoteche; Pilestrina, c:. de sampalq. Hood places a little west of the cape a
bay, B. de conil; the next name west is Atalaia. Goldschmidt’s Cartog. Pac. Coast,
MS., i. 358. Kohl, Beiden ältesten Karten, 103, brings the expedition here the 1st
of March. Las Casas, Hist. Ind., iv. 350, confounds Córdoba’s and Grijalva’s
voyages in this respect, that brings the former at once to Cozumel, when, as a
matter of fact, Córdoba never saw that island.

[9] So called by the natives, but by the Spaniards named San Lázaro, because ‘it
was a Domingo de Lazaro’ when they landed. Yet Ribero writes chãpa, while Vaz
Dourado employs llazaro, and Hood, Campechy; Laet gives the name correctly;
Ogilby and Jefferys call the place S. Frco de Campeche. ‘Los Indios le deziã
Quimpech.’ Herrera, dec. ii. lib. ii. cap. xvii.

[10] Now Champoton, applied to river and town. Ribero writes camrõ; Hood,
Champoto; Mercator, Chapãton, and town next north, Maranga. Potonchan, in the
aboriginal tongue, signifies, ‘Stinking Place.’ Mercator has also the town of
Potõchan, west of Tabasco River. West-Indische Spieghel, Patõcham. Laet,
Ogilby, and Jefferys follow with Champoton in the usual variations. ‘Y llegaron á
otra provincia,’ says Oviedo, i. 498, ‘que los indios llaman Aguanil, y el principal
pueblo della se dice Moscoba, y el rey ó caçique de aquel señorio se llama
Chiapoton;’ and thus the author of De Rebus Gestis Ferdinandi Cortesii, ‘Nec diu
navigaverant, cùm Mochocobocum perveniunt.’ Icazbalceta, Col. Doc., 340.

[11] Pinzon and Solis must have found alligators in their northward cruise,
otherwise Peter Martyr could not honestly lay down on his map of India beyond
the Ganges, in 1510, the baya d’ lagartos north of guanase. Mariners must have
given the coast a bad name, for directly north of the R. de la of Colon, the R:. de
laḡ r̄ tos of Ribero, the R:. de lagarts of Vaz Dourado, and the R. de Lagartos of
Hood, are placed some reefs by all these chart-makers, and to which they give the
name Alacranes, Scorpions. The next name west of Lagartos on Map No. x.,
Munich Atlas, is costanisa, and on No. xiii. Ostanca. Again next west, on both, is
Medanos. On No. x., next to costa nisa, and on No. xiii., west of Punta de las
Arenas, is the name Ancones. Ogilby gives here B. de Conil, and in the interior
south, a town Conil; east of R. de Lagartos is also the town Quyo, and in large
letters the name Chuaca.

[12] ‘Dezian los Españoles q’ estavan hablãdo con el Diego Velazquez, y con los
Indios: Señor estos Indios dizen, que su tierra se llama Yucatã, y assi se, quedò
cõ este nõbre, que en propria lengua no se dize assi.’ Hist. Verdad., 5. Gomara,
Hist. Ind., 60, states that after naming Catoche, a little farther on the Spaniards
met some natives, of whom they asked the name of the town near by. Tecteta, was
the reply, which means, ‘I do not understand.’ The Spaniards, accepting this as the
answer to their question, called the country Yectetan, and soon Yucatan. Waldeck,
Voy. Pittoresque, 25, derives the name from the native word ouyouckutan, ‘listen
to what they say.’ The native name was Maya. See Bancroft’s Native Races, v.
614-34. There are various other theories and renderings, among them the
following: In answer to Córdoba’s inquiry as to the name of their country, the
natives exclaimed, ‘uy u tan, esto es: oyes como habla?’ Zamacois, Hist. Mej., ii.
228. ‘Que preguntando a estos Indios, si auia en su tierra aquellas rayzes que se
llama Yuca.... Respondian Ilatli, por la tierra en que se plantan, y que de Yuca
juntado con Ilatli, se dixo Yucatta, y de alli Yucatan.’ Herrera, dec. ii. lib. ii. cap.
xviii. Whencesoever the origin, it was clearly a mistake, as there never was an
aboriginal designation for the whole country, nor, like the Japanese, have they
names for their straits or bays. For some time Yucatan was supposed to be an
island. Grijalva called the country Isla de Santa María de Remedios, though that
term was employed by few. In early documents the two names are united;
instance the instructions of Velazquez to Cortés, where the country is called la
Ysla de Yucatan Sta María de Remedios. On Cortés’ chart of the Gulf of Mexico,
1520, it is called Yucatan, and represented as an island. Colon, 1527, and Ribero,
1529, who write Ivcatan; Ptolemy, in Munster, 1530, Iucatana; Orontius, on his
globe, 1531, Iucatans; Munich Atlas, no. iv., 1532-40, cucatan; Baptista Agnese,
1540-50, Iucatan; Mercator, 1569, Ivcatan; Michael Lok, 1582, Incoton; Hondius,
1595, Laet, Ogilby, etc., Yucatan, which now assumes peninsular proportions.

[13]
Arms of the Republic of Mexico.

Ancient Arms of the City of


Mexico, from a rare print.
The term Mexico has widely different meanings under different conditions. At
first it signified only the capital of the Nahua nation, and it was five hundred years
before it overspread the territory now known by that name. Mexico City was
founded in 1325, and was called Mexico Tenochtitlan. The latter appellation has
been connected with Tenuch, the Aztec leader at this time, and with the sign of a
nopal on a stone, called in Aztec, respectively nochtli and tetl, the final syllable
representing locality, and the first, te, divinity or superiority. The word Mexico,
however, was then rarely used, Tenochtitlan being the common term employed;
and this was retained by the Spaniards for some time after the conquest, even in
imperial decrees, and in the official records of the city, though in the corrupt forms
of Temixtitan, Tenustitan, etc. See Libro de Cabildo, 1524-9, MS. Torquemada, i.
293, states distinctly that even in his time the natives never employed any other
designation for the ancient city than Tenochtitlan, which was also the name of the
chief and fashionable ward. Solis, Conq. Mex., i. 390, is of opinion that Mexico
was the name of the ward, Tenochtitlan being applied to the whole city, in which
case Mexico Tenochtitlan would signify the ward Mexico of the city Tenochtitlan.
Gradually the Spanish records began to add Mexico to Tenochtitlan, and in those
of the first provincial council, held in 1555, we find written Tenuxtitlan Mexico.
Concilios Prov., i. and ii., MS. In the course of time the older and more intricate
name disappeared, though the city arms always retained the symbolic nopal and
stone. Clavigero, Storia Mess., i. 168; iv. 265-70; Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin, viii.
408-15; Veytia, Hist. Ant. Méj., ii. 157-9; Humboldt, Essai Pol., i. 146-7; Cavo, Tres
Siglos, i. 2; Carbajal Espinosa, Hist. Mex., i. 92-3. See also Molina, Vocabulario. A
number of derivations have been given to the word Mexico, as mexitli, navel of the
maguey; metl-ico, place amidst the maguey; meixco, on the maguey border;
mecitli, hare; metztli, moon; amexica, or mexica, you of the anointed ones. The
signification spring, or fountain, has also been applied. But most writers have
contented themselves by assuming it to be identical with the mexi, mexitl, or
mecitl, appellation of the war god, Huitzilopochtli, to which has been added the co,
an affix implying locality; hence Mexico would imply the place or settlement of
Mexica, or Mexicans. This war god, Huitzilopochtli, as is well known, was the
mythic leader and chief deity of the Aztecs, the dominant tribe of the Nahua
nation. It was by this august personage, who was also called Mexitl, that,
according to tradition, the name was given them in the twelfth century, and in
these words: ‘Inaxcan aocmoamotoca ynamaz te ca ye am mexica,’ Henceforth
bear ye not the name Azteca, but Mexica. With this command they received the
distinguishing mark of a patch of gum and feathers to wear upon their forehead
and ears. Bancroft’s Native Races, ii. 559; iii. 295-6; v. 324-5 et passim. I can offer
no stronger proof as to the way in which the name was regarded at the time of the
conquest, and afterwards, than by placing side by side the maps of the sixteenth
century and instituting a comparison. In Apiano, Cosmographica, 1575, is a map,
supposed to be a copy of one drawn by Apianus in 1520, on which Themisteton is
given apparently to a large lake in the middle of Mexico; Fernando Colon, in 1527,
and Diego de Ribero, 1529, both give the word Mexico in small letters, inland, as if
applied to a town, although no town is designated; Ptolemy, in Munster, 1530,
gives Temistitan; Munich Atlas, no. vi., supposed to have been drawn between
1532 and 1540, Timitistan vel Mesicho; Baptista Agnese, 1540-50, Timitistan vel
Mesico; Ramusio, 1565, Mexico; Mercator’s Atlas, 1569, Mexico, as a city, and
Tenuchitlan; Michael Lok, 1582, Mexico, in Hondius, about 1595, in Drake’s World
Encompassed, the city is Mexico, and the gulf Baia di Mexico; Hondius, in
Purchas, His Pilgrimes, Laet, Ogilby, Dampier, West-Indische Spieghel, Jacob
Colom, and other seventeenth-century authorities, give uniformly to the city, or to
the city and province, but not to the country at large, the name as at present
written.

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