New Spain: life in a colonial society

Vorlesen

From 1535 a Spanish viceroy ruled from Mexico City, built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan. Students explore a society of Indigenous towns, Spaniards, Africans and people of mixed ancestry, with its silver mines and printing presses, and a nun who fought for the right to learn.

Am Ende der Stunde können die Schüler

• Describe the extent of New Spain and locate Mexico City, Zacatecas and Acapulco.
• Explain how Indigenous towns, Spaniards and people of African and mixed ancestry fitted into colonial society.
• Give examples of how Indigenous people used Spanish law and writing to defend themselves.

Karte projizieren oder die Schüler am eigenen Gerät folgen lassen. Jeder Schritt öffnet die Karte im passenden Jahr und Ort.

a

1650 n. Chr.

A huge viceroyalty

Open the map in 1650 and zoom out over Mexico and Central America. Find the Vice-Royalty of New Spain. From Mexico City, how far do its borders reach to the north and to the south?

Diese Ansicht auf der Karte öffnen

b

1650 n. Chr.

Silver in the north

Zoom in on Zacatecas, north of Mexico City, where rich silver mines opened in 1546. Who lived in these dry lands before the Spaniards came, and why might they resist?

Diese Ansicht auf der Karte öffnen

c

1650 n. Chr.

Linked to Asia

Turn on Trade Routes and follow the Manila Galleon from Acapulco across the Pacific. Asian silk, porcelain and spices reached Mexico City this way. What does this tell you about New Spain's place in the world?

Diese Ansicht auf der Karte öffnen

Wählen Sie zwei oder drei. Sie reichen von Was geschah bis Warum war es wichtig.

Play one round of Rule History as Tokugawa Ieyasu, who sought trade with New Spain across the Pacific in the early 1600s. Afterwards, discuss: why did rulers on both sides of the Pacific want this trade, and what did ordinary people in New Spain gain or lose from it?