Latin American independence · 1810-1822

San Martín crosses the Andes

In 1817 José de San Martín leads an army over the high passes of the Andes to free Chile, then sails north to Lima. Students follow one of the boldest marches in history and meet a general who walked away from power.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1815 to AD 1820
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

In 1817 José de San Martín leads an army over the high passes of the Andes to free Chile, then sails north to Lima. Students follow one of the boldest marches in history and meet a general who walked away from power.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why San Martín chose to free Chile first and attack Peru by sea.
  • Trace the route from Mendoza across the Andes to Santiago and on to Lima.
  • Compare San Martín's choices with those of Simón Bolívar.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1815

The United Provinces

Open the map in 1815 and zoom in on southern South America. Find the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires and the Andes. Where is Mendoza?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1817

The crossing

Zoom in on the Andes between Mendoza and Santiago. Aconcagua, the highest mountain of the Americas, stands near the route. What would soldiers, horses and mules need to survive up there?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1820

By sea to Lima

Zoom out and follow the Pacific coast from Valparaíso north to Lima. Why was it faster to move an army by sea than over land here?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. San Martín had served in the Spanish army against Napoleon. How might that experience help him in South America?
  2. Why did San Martín spend more than two years preparing in Mendoza before crossing the Andes?
  3. Many soldiers in the Army of the Andes were formerly enslaved men promised their freedom. What does that tell us about the war?
  4. Why might Chileans see Bernardo O'Higgins, not San Martín, as the hero of their independence?
  5. San Martín left South America after meeting Bolívar in 1822. Why might a winning general walk away?
4

Game round

9 min

No Rule History ruler fought in South America. Play Napoleon Bonaparte: San Martín fought for Spain against Napoleon's armies at Bailén in 1808 before he returned to America. Discuss: how did the war in Spain shape the wars of independence?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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