SUBJECT: American History (The Early Years)
Weekly Subject: Indigenous American Empires and the Spanish Conquest
GRADE: High School
DATE: (Insert)
When the Spanish arrived in the Americas they had no clear understanding of the size and breadth of the new lands they’d reached. Equally so was their ignorance of the great and diverse nations to be encountered along the way; some in the very prime of their power; others long since reaching their epoch. Usually, the Empires of the Inca and Aztec are mentioned in tandem with their fall to the Spaniards, but what of their rise to power in the preceding centuries? Indeed, just who were they; how did they administer vast empires, and why did these crumble so quickly?
Moreover, what of those indigenous groups who actively fought alongside the Spanish as allies against their longtime rivals? That the Tlascalans of Mexico steadfastly fought alongside Cortes’s Conquistadors throughout the conquest of the Aztec is mentioned haphazardly but sheds considerably light on the diverse response of indigenous people to the coming of the Spanish. Not all fought against them; indeed, many profited by their coming.
- By unit’s end, students will understand that indigenous people had great agency during the Spanish Conquest; choosing to fight against, or besides the invaders depending upon their own interests. There was no universal response as the peoples of Mesoamerica where as politically diverse as Europe or Asia.
- Students will know to contextualize the actions of all participants firmly within the sixteenth century time period in which they lived, as well as understand the cultural and strategic picture driving the actions of key participants.
- Conquest affected the culture of many groups who were exposed to it, forcing them to adapt or die. Students should pay close attention to the means by which certain groups survived the arrival of Spain. The Tlascalans fought beside them and prospered; the Mapuche of Chile, however, overhauled their entire society and forced the Spanish to seek peace after one hundred years of war.
- Finally, the agency of the Indigenous nations is too often ignored. Great empires like the Inca and Aztec were not sitting idle while the Spanish waltzed in. Students should be able to contextualize indigenous responses to invasion. How did they react and why? What were their handicaps and what were their advantages? They were actors in this great unfolding drama, not mere props.
- Monday: Overview of Mesoamerica/Maya – It’s people, history, geography, and cultures. How did Mesoamerican states make war; the rise and fall of the Maya – their culture; setting the stage for the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century.
- Tuesday: The Aztec/Tenochtitlan/ Montezuma the Younger– The origins of the Mexica (Aztec), their rise to power in the valley of Mexico. Their capital and empire; how did it work, what were their achievements?
- Wednesday: Montezuma/Tlaxcala– The Emperor of Tenochtitlan was a complex and capable man. Understand his reign to contextualize the empire’s position on the eve of Cortes’s arrival. Reforms and military expansion; his wars against the Tlascalans. His actions upon meeting the Spaniards. Why did he fail Who were the Tlascalans; their government? Why did they throw in their lot with Cortes?
- Thursday: The Inca – The powerhouse of South America. Who were they, how did they come to power? Describe their government, significant cultural aspects, and the achievement of their builders. What events led to their weakening just as the Spanish showed up?
- Friday: The Mapuche – Natives of Chile, the Mapuche were never united, but with the arrival of the Spanish they formed a Confederation to oppose them. In the next century the Mapuche fought the Spanish and their allies to a standstill, forcing the Spaniards to recognize their independence. Look to their culture, geography, and the overextended nature of the Spanish. How and why did the Mapuche succeed where so many others didn’t?
- Unit summaries on www.huntthepast.com. These units to be utilized at teacher’s discretion:
- Books, particularly primary sources, such as histories, particularly Polybius.
- Videos, books, images, activities, and maps provided by www.huntthepast.com, as well as any the instructor may deem appropriate are to be utilized as teaching aids
- Students will gain an appreciation for certain Indigenous American cultures and their responses to the arrival of the Spanish.
- Students will be able to contextualize key events and people within their proper historical and geographic settings, and come to understand the physical limitations geography, communications, distance, and time placed upon different groups.
- Students will realize that the Indigenous nations were different, politically, culturally, while similar in other respects they often fought one another. Hence their responses to conquest differed, but they did respond. They had agency in the events of their day.
- Students will utilize the voices of participants to gain insight into conditions on the ground through the use of primary source materials littered throughout the units. These are not the last say on the matter, rather they’re a gateway for independent student research.