First do them without the book so that you know what material you are fuzzy on. Remember to cover chapter one, and the Renaissance and the European history contained therein. Remember to get the dates and names straight on who conquered whom and when. Presente y Pasado as well as class discussions. Make sure that you are goal oriented and not task oriented in your studying.
Task oriented studying is usually vague and without purpose.
Goal oriented studying means that you give yourself the goal of learning the material. First do them without the book so that you know what material you are fuzzy on. Remember to cover how European history impacted Spanish American independence. Remember to get a firm grip on the suject of criollo identity and race identification. Rememer to get dates and places straight on the subject of slavery.