Colonization and Conquest

A comprehensive 8th-grade history sequence examining the contact between European explorers and Indigenous civilizations. Students analyze primary sources, case studies of the Aztec and Inca falls, the Encomienda system, and the moral debates surrounding colonization to understand how perspective shapes historical narratives.

First Encounters Comparison

Students compare journal entries from European explorers with Indigenous oral histories and reactions to understand how perspective influences historical records of initial contact.

Fall of Tenochtitlan

A deep dive into the fall of the Aztec capital, analyzing the roles of disease, technology, and internal indigenous alliances in the Spanish conquest.

Pizarro and the Inca

Students examine the conquest of the Inca Empire, focusing on the capture of Atahualpa and comparing Pizarro's strategies with those of Cortés.

The Encomienda System

An analysis of the socio-economic Encomienda system and the rigid racial and social hierarchy established in the Spanish colonies.

The Valladolid Debate

Students simulate the 1550 debate between Bartolomé de las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda regarding the rights and treatment of Indigenous peoples.