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I feel silly to make the first reply about fiction, but there is a BBC series from the 80s called "the jewel in the crown," based on some long novels called the Raj Quartet. It ends with partition and starts a decade or so before. I should warn that the story starts with a rape, and might be disturbing in other places but I remember finding it moving.

About Spain and Mexico, do you know this 16th century memoir by a conquistador?

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32474/32474-8.txt

It's easier to read than Shakespeare and also more violent.

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50 minutes ago, UHP said:

I feel silly to make the first reply about fiction, but there is a BBC series from the 80s called "the jewel in the crown," based on some long novels called the Raj Quartet. It ends with partition and starts a decade or so before. I should warn that the story starts with a rape, and might be disturbing in other places but I remember finding it moving.

About Spain and Mexico, do you know this 16th century memoir by a conquistador?

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32474/32474-8.txt

It's easier to read than Shakespeare and also more violent.

Thanks, UHP! The Jewel in the Crown sounds interesting, but it will probably be too intense for DD.

I had not heard about Bernal Diaz del Castillo's memoir. It looks very interesting,  probably more than what DD was looking for right now, but something I'll bookmark for later. For now, she's more interested in a factual overview. I had suggested to her that she should perhaps pick one Latin American country to focus on, as getting a overview of "spanish colonialism" in all of Latin America will probably be a tall order to work through, given the other topics she wants to study this coming year.

Last year, we read "Sugar Changed the World" It was an excellent look at the impact of colonial economic interests in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America. I think she'd enjoy similar resources. But, I love hearing about all these diverse resources, as they could be really interesting down the line!

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So, guess what I've been gradually digging into for the past several years? Early Spanish exploration and colonization of the New World (mostly from original sources)!    I put together some suggestions for someone else recently too, and kept notes (since I don't know the age of your child I will try to add age ranges)



COLUMBUS
(Elementary/Middle School) This is the only really good short video I've found on Columbus that is both appropriate for children but doesn't totally gloss over some of the impacts on native Americans he encountered. https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/famoushistoricalfigures/christophercolumbus/?fbclid=IwAR3_rV5KCx9uI2mSTLfUOYDbn27XQgbAhP899jvLyAjlMBGZPOz4ltOQ_8I

(Side note:  Sadly the videos on Columbus by TedEd, which I usually like, and Adam Ruins everything, have some errors, so avoid those). 

Columbus' Logs/Journals of his First Journey  (All Ages)
This is a really easy read. You can find these free online or in nearly any library. The whole thing is not that long, but if you just wanted a sampling, I would especially read the journal entries for October 11-13, which tells of the first landing in the New World and encounters with the indigenous people.   You can point out things like how they took people to learn Spanish and translate (Hmm...do you think they wanted to go?   Even if they did go willingly, since they didn't know each other's language do you think those people understood what was happening when they got on the ship?   Questions like that help kids look at both sides)

CRASH COURSE
The Crash Course videos below I think are more fun for older kids, as an alternative to the video above,  but sort of fast paced for younger kids, with some content issues too.  My kids really started to like these around age 12.

15th Century Mariners:Columbus, de Gama, and Zheng He  (Late Elementary - High School)
This one deals most directly with Columbus...along with two other sailors from this time. It's pretty ok for mid-elementary up except for one small section that deals with one Chinese explorer being a Eunich (minute 1:40-2:05, easy to skip if this is for a younger kid). You could also just watch the part about Columbus (6:30-9:27), though I really think the it's worth adding the part about the Portuguese explorer De Gama, which really sets up why the Spanish were looking for a passage to Asia and would fund Columbus' journeys. (That starts at minute 4:24).

The Colombian Exchange (Late Elementary - High School)
This doesn't talk much about Columbus but shows the impact his discovery had, so its a really important follow up. He says OMG (spelled out) once (you can skip that and a problematic "people are animals" segment by skipping minute 1:22-1:33). Smaller children might be scared by depictions of war and people dying of smallpox. But overall a good overview of how this changed the world and affected the people in America.


Myths about Columbus (High School)
This is my article...part of why I did all this digging, on some of the common myths about Columbus out there.   You could actually have a high schooler read the main article that I fact checked (see first large quote) and before reading mine, see if they can spot the errors (then check mine to see what they might have missed, or hey...what they caught that I missed!)


COLONIZATION AFTER COLUMBUS


Crash Course:  The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards:  ( Middle School - High School)
This covers more what happened to the native peoples during colonization (both Spanish and English...it summarizes from the beginning to modern day). It has pictures/depictions of massacres and torture which are not suitable for younger kids, and you might even want to preview for junior highers.

The Requerimiento  (Middle School?/High School)
Written sometime around 1510-1513, this document was meant to be read to "Indian" tribes as a precursor for conquest (and was often read without any attempt to translate it).  It is a good example about how the Spanish crown often gave lip service to the concerns some in the church had about the treatment and conversion of the native peoples, without actually addressing them.   It would be fine to have a middle schooler read but it's a bit long...so I might highlight some sections if doing it with a middle schooler. 


Bartolome de las Casas
I definitely suggest learning about Bartolome de las Casas. He was a Spanish priest who came to the New World very early on (in 1502, soon after the period where Columbus governed the colonies there). He became a priest, and afterwards became convicted that the Spanish enslavement of the native peoples was wrong, and spent the rest of his life trying to end their oppression.   He also wrote one of the earliest histories of Spanish colonization, some from his own experience, other parts from research/letters/first hand accounts from people he knew.   I have been TRYING to read through that 3 volume history...TRYING because as far as I can tell it has not been completely translated into English, and most of the partial translations are out of print (I've bought 3 out of print books containing portions of this, and so far I think maybe I've been able to read a third of it). 

Bartolome De Las Casas - Changing Your Mind (All Ages)
This video by Extra Credits is excellent, accurate, and amazingly kid friendly (though teens would enjoy this too...mine did).

Any biography of Bartolome de las Casas (High Schooler) - Possible Spine
If you have a high schooler doing this, I recommend reading a biography of this man, not only because he had a fascinating life, but because this history of Spanish colonization really comes through any longer biography you will read about him, and most libraries will have one.   My favorite biography of him is actually in the intro to another piece of his writing: "Bartolome de las Casas: The Only Way" (intro by Helen Rand Parish). Her intro is short (about 55 pages), and most of it reads like a story, not like the introduction to a book.   But it's out of print, so, you might not be able to find it.  While shorter and not as engaging, this is my favorite online Biography of las Casas... https://www.thoughtco.com/bartolome-de-las-casas-2136332

De las Casas vs. Sepulveda Assignment
This worksheet has a passage by Sepulveda on the "Indians" being "natural slaves" and La Casas' rebuttal to this, followed by some really good discussion questions.   It really frames well the two sides of the debate going on in Spain about the nature of the "Indians" and how they should be treated.

Suggested Writings by Bartolome de Las Casas (High School)
This may be a lot on top of the rest, and are mostly hard to find, but here are my top suggested writings by las Casas.

If you can find it, History of the Indies, by Bartolome de Las Casas, translated by Andree M. Collard, is an abridged translation of History of the Indies which takes this massive trillogy and whittles it down to a readable size.   Below that, I have top suggestions for selected chapters, if you just want to have your daugter read a little

In case you do find it, here's a breakdown of how it's organized, which might help you plan lessons around it.

Book I
Chap 1-30 - Columbus' struggle to fund his journeys to find a passage to India.
Chap 76-181 - Columbus' 2nd and 3rd Journeys (and establishing colonies/period as governor)

Book II
Chap 1 - Bobadilla's Governorship of Hispaniola (Colonies Columbus established)
Chap 3-27 - Ovando's Governorship Hispaniola (Part 1)
Chap 30 - Columbus 4th Journey and Shipwreck in Jamaica
Chap 36 - Columbus rescued from Jamaica
Chap 37-38 - Columbus Death/Will
Chap 39-46 - Ovando's Governorship of Hispaniola (Part II)
Chap 57-63 - The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa

Book III
This book chronicles what happened in Cuba and on the continent (I'm still reading this part)



Las Casas' "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" isn't the writing of his I'd suggest MOST, but it is easiest to find online. It's a horrific account of the various atrocities committed against the native peoples from early on to 1542, when it was written. The down side is it's very hard to read, not only because of the litany of violent depressing content, but because the atrocities are compiled almost list-like, without much of the story or context surrounding them, and also not always in chronological order, and without naming many of the names of who did these things, making it a little confusing.

But I think reading a little bit of it is important (though not as necessary if read some of the other books and accounts below, which contains much of the same history, just with more details and context)

http://www.columbia.edu/.../files/presentations/casshort/





"History of the Indies" by Bartolome de Las Casas, translated by Andree M. Collard (Possible Spine)
If you can find it, I highly suggest las Casas' "History of the Indies." (Sadly, the only English translation is out of print, but some libraries have it, and I was able to find an old copy online). It's a good read but it's a long book, even though the translation is only partial, and missing many chapters.   I have suggestions for chapters below

Witness: Writings of Bartolome de Las Casas (edited by George Sanderlin) - (Possible Spine)
This has a lot of las Casas Writings, including some chapters of History of the Indies (so it is an alternative if you can't find "History of the Indies"...it has some chapters missing from Collard's translation ). Its a good read as is and could also work as a spine.

In case you just want to have your son read some of it, here's a breakdown of how it's organized.

Book I
Chap 1-30 - Columbus' struggle to fund his journeys to find a passage to India.
Chap 76-181 - Columbus' 2nd and 3rd Journeys (and establishing colonies/period as governor)

Book II
Chap 1 - Bobadilla's Governorship of Hispaniola (Colonies Columbus established)
Chap 3-27 - Ovando's Governorship Hispaniola (Part 1)
Chap 30 - Columbus 4th Journey and Shipwreck in Jamaica
Chap 36 - Columbus rescued from Jamaica
Chap 37-38 - Columbus Death/Will
Chap 39-46 - Ovando's Governorship of Hispaniola (Part II)
Chap 57-63 - The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa

Book III
This book chronicles what happened in Cuba and on the continent (I'm still reading this part)


---


Suggested Passages from Above Books (History of the Indies/Witness) for covering different purposes:

For Covering Atrocities against Native People:
1. History of the Indies - Book II, Chap 9 (The Jaragua Massacre)
- Recounts the Spanish massacre of chief Anacoana and her people.
2. Witness (Chap 6, The Conquest of Cuba)
- This was one of the events las Casas was an eye-witness too, directly. He recounts the first "somewhat" peaceful interactions with the natives, and then a massacre that broke out in one of the villages that he witnessed.  (Also found here). 
3. History of the Indies - Book III, Chap 57-63 (The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa)
-These chapters give a sense for the "independent" slave raiding going on--it involves a group of slavers getting trounced by a native tribe they were trying to enslave, then escaping and getting lost in unexplored territory, and being saved by another tribe (who obviously didn't know what they tried to do to the first tribe).
5. Any section of Las Casas' "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies."   It isn't the writing of his I'd suggest MOST, because it's basically a laundry list of atrocities without any context and can be brutal and tedious to read,  but it is free online.

For Learning About the Culture of Indigenous People
Witness by George Sanderline, section from Anthorpologist History




OK, I'm going to break this into multiple posts before I lose any of this. 

Edited by goldenecho
typo
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OK, second part....

SPANISH COLONIAL TOWN ACTIVITY
Marion Bradley American History: Chapter 1
This free US History curriculum has a really fun activity in it's first chapter related to Spanish colonization (mapping a Spanish colonial town according to King Phillip II's ordinance in 1573).  It's meant for the classroom but could be adjusted easily for homeschool.  And it's a nice lighter activity after the heaviness of the above.  



INCA, AZTEC and MAYA
I don't have as much on the Inca, Aztec, and Maya, but I do have some good videos on these.
 
Aztec, Inca and Maya by Overly Sarcastic Productions (Middle School?/High School)
This is a good summary.  May include a swear word, I can't remember. 

Extra Credits Inca Empire Video Series (All Ages)
Tells about Inca civilization and covers conquest.

TedEd Aztec Midwife (All Ages)
Just a day in the life of a Aztec Midwife...nothing specific to colonization but interesting.

The History of Chocolate (All Ages)
Deals with Mayans and colonization


 

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More translated Primary Source writings, free online.
I have not yet read most of these, so I can't comment on which would be worth adding to your study or not, but thought I'd share them.


The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci and other Documents Illustrative of his Career
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36924/36924-h/36924-h.htm


Letter of Pêro Vaz de Caminha 
 - A portion of it is translated on the Wikipedia Page.   Contains what is considered by many to be one of the most accurate accounts of what Brazil used to look like in 1500.  

Letter of Michele de Cuneo (warning, contains depictions of rape)
- This was, I think, on Columbus' 2nd journey
https://issuu.com/boricuababe723/docs/michele_de_cuneo_s_letter_on_the_se

https://pages.vassar.edu/oviedo/gonzalo-fernandez-de-oviedo/
This site has the complete work in Spanish, has some of it translated to English, and is working on translating more.  My understanding is he had a view closer to Sepulveda on the Indians.   Las Casas had some very harsh words for him.
Edited by goldenecho
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Perhaps not quite what your looking for, but an idea and resources that worked for us:

My kids are involved in scouting (Canada).  We studied world and Canadian scouting history, which is really tightly linked with British colonialism in India and Africa (and also the rest of the former British Empire, but especially India and Africa).  We read some of Baden Powell's writings, including the original Scouting for Boys (which has not aged well, it is appallingly racist and imperialist), and some of Kipling's works that are tied tightly to scouting, including The Jungle Books, Kim, the Just So Stories, and  his poems The White Man's Burden and If.  British colonialism and imperialism are inextricably woven throughout and became a main theme of our studies.  The kids came out with some really interesting insights.  (Including forming an opinion that basing the current cub program theme on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book is racist and contrary to the organization's current diversity and inclusion policy.... and writing Scouts Canada a letter to tell them so.)

Canadian history is also largely a British colonial story - my kids were already very familiar with this bit. 

Edited by wathe
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On 6/27/2021 at 7:05 PM, goldenecho said:

OK, second part....

SPANISH COLONIAL TOWN ACTIVITY
Marion Bradley American History: Chapter 1
This free US History curriculum has a really fun activity in it's first chapter related to Spanish colonization (mapping a Spanish colonial town according to King Phillip II's ordinance in 1573).  It's meant for the classroom but could be adjusted easily for homeschool.  And it's a nice lighter activity after the heaviness of the above.  



INCA, AZTEC and MAYA
I don't have as much on the Inca, Aztec, and Maya, but I do have some good videos on these.
 
Aztec, Inca and Maya by Overly Sarcastic Productions (Middle School?/High School)
This is a good summary.  May include a swear word, I can't remember. 

Extra Credits Inca Empire Video Series (All Ages)
Tells about Inca civilization and covers conquest.

TedEd Aztec Midwife (All Ages)
Just a day in the life of a Aztec Midwife...nothing specific to colonization but interesting.

The History of Chocolate (All Ages)
Deals with Mayans and colonization


 

This is incredible. Thank you.

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Spanish colonialism in Latin America

The book I found to be the biggest help in learning about Latin America colonialism was 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C Mann. This is a high school read. The book is not 100% straight forward but is great in sourcing where the information comes from, also is weak in having a thesis beyond giving you tons of facts about what happened where/when. The book also talks a lot about Africa and China events that caused mass immigration.

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