Lesson 2: Lands and Peoples; Indian and Hispanic Origins (Continued) (Printer Friendly Format)

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Overview:

The focus for this unit is the background to the conquest itself.

The concept of the "discovery" is in itself a controversial and contentious one, particularly for those who view the situation from the perspective of the indigenous peoples living in the New World at the time. How can a people be "discovered"? However, history is written and discussed from the perspective of those who write it, and from the European perspective, the New World was "discovered," not "encountered."

Another controversial term is "Indian" when used to describe individuals who were living in what is now the Americas. Odd as it may seem from a modern perspective, Columbus thought he had reached the Indies, hence the inhabitants, he believed, were Indians. Many contemporary commentators use the term indigenous peoples, natives, or other words that are less controversial than Indian. Others retain the term "Indian" because it has been so widely used for so many centuries.

Immediately after the discovery, the Spanish began the long and bloody process of conquering the new lands.

Explore the images on the following pages that show you more of Ibero-America’s history and culture. Also, visit the suggested Web sites found on your resources page (and follow their links to others!). You may also want to review the list of videos provided on the resources page to see if you are familiar with any of them, or perhaps view one now! [an error occurred while processing this directive]

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Lesson 2 Activities

Check out your activity chart below to see what you need to do.

Number	Activities  (check out the timelines under the Calendar tab)
	LESSON 2
1	Complete the readings for Lesson 2 listed in the Course Schedule. Important Note:  There are READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS in the Self tests and Graded Quizzes folder under the Lessons tab. It is recommended that you print these out and have them handy as you read the chapters.
2	Watch the videos on YOUTUBE on the Maya, Aztec, and Incas. They are in the video clips folder.
3	Recommended: Self-Test 1 on Lessons 1-2. Note: This is an ungraded activity. You can access the self-test by clicking on the Lessons tab and choosing the Self-Tests folder in Self Tests and Graded Quizzes.

If you have any questions, please e-mail your instructor via the course e-mail system.

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Teotihuacan, Mexico	Carved stone head, Colombia	Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, Mexico
Mayan building, Mexico	Mural depicting Aztec life	Mayan doorway, Uxmal, Mexico
Pyramids in Palenque, Mexico	Aztec architecture, Mexico	Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, Mexico
Mexican temple	Pyramids, Teotihuacan, Mexico	Panoramic view of Teotihuacan, Mexico
Stone head, Cholula, Mexico	Machu Picchu, Peru Image source: Promperu

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Spanish Fortresses

This image gallery provides you with a few pictures of beautiful Spanish Fortresses. These images come from the areas of Mexico, Panama, and Colombia.

If you would like to view a larger image of a particular picture in the gallery, just click on it. It will open to an image slide show. To return to this page, select home from any page in the slide show. Enjoy!

Note: All images belong to IMS Communications, Ltd. (www.picture-gallery.com) unless otherwise noted.

Moat surrounding fort, San Fernando, Colombia	Fortress in Portobello, Panama	Bastion in Muralles, Colombia
Round bastion, San Fernando, Colombia	Colonial fort, Campeche, Mexico	Fortress in San Fernando, Colombia

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Lesson 2 Supplemental Materials

If you want to indulge yourself with optional materials, I recommend the following:

Videos:

Hispanics of Achievement Video Collection

This video gives you the opportunity to meet some of the famous Hispanics from all over Hispanic America, including the United States. This is a set of biographies from a variety of important historical figures from Central and South America who greatly contributed to their individual countries and cultures. The biographies include César Chávez, Ferdinand and Isabella, George Santayana, Hernán Cortés, Joan Baez, Juan and Evita Perón, Pablo Neruda, Pancho Villa, Roberto Clemente, and Simón BolÌvar.

Mexican Youth Today

The concerns and attitudes of young Mexicans towards the fate of their country, the ecology, their futures, goals and ambitions are presented in this film. It includes student interviews, commentary from teachers, and images of the school.

Festivals and Holidays in Latin America

This cultural documentary takes a look at the religious and secular celebrations of the many different cultures of Latin America.

The following four are video visits to different areas of Ibero-America:

Video Visits: Argentina, Land of Natural Wonder

This film will allow the viewer to explore Patagonia, Glacier National Park, the Perito Moreno Glacier, the resort towns of San MartÌn and Bariloche, the Arrayanes Forest and the jungles and rainforests of the Misiones Province. The legacy of the gaucho is presented on this video trip to Argentina.

Video Visits: Costa Rica, The Land of Pure Life

ZÛcalo- The Heart of Mexico

(see 24 hours in the heart of Mexico City)

Brazil: Heart of South America

This video provides a good look at Ibero-America's largest country, and the only one where Portuguese is the primary language. This video tour includes sites such as Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon, the Iguazu Falls, and S?o Paulo.

Note: Some videos may be available as local video rentals and/or some may be obtained from local educational institutions. If you wish to buy one, try http://www.amazon.com and http://www.reel.com. All of the videos I included are for rent or purchase from http://www.facets.org.

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