Resources for Teachers
This annotated teacher's reading list contains primary and secondary material about the Spanish invasion and Columbian Exchange. In addition texts for reading strategies cited in the unit are included. Internet resources and film sources are also cited.
The Broken Spears The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico Miguel Leon-Portilla Beacon Press Boston 1990.
This is a collection of Native American accounts about the Spanish invasion of Mexico. It includes accounts of omens foretelling the arrival of the Spanish, the first reports of the Spaniard's arrival, Montezuma's reaction, the Spaniard's march to Tenochtitlan and subsequent arrival, the massacre at the main temple, the night of sorrows, the siege and surrender of Tenochtitlan. There is also a story of the conquest told by anonymous authors of Tlatelolco. A number of black and white illustrations accompany the text.
The Columbian Exchange Chapter 3 Alfred Crosby
Included as seminar reading, Crosby's work gives detailed information on the adaptation of plants and animals in the New World.
Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico. Hugh Thomas Simon and Schuster New York 1995
Thomas' secondary account of the encounter between Montezuma and Cortés seems to be portrayed as more of a classic battle of two great empires rather than a mismatch of a select superior group over a static and backward civilization. From my preliminary skimming, the Aztecs, or Mexica as he refers to the Aztec, are described as being as driven to dominate surrounding peoples as the Spanish are conventionally described.
The Conquest of America The Question of the Other Tzevetan Todorov Translated from the French by Richard Howard. University of Oklahoma Press HarperCollins Publishers New York 1999
Todorov's work is a record of the encounters between Spaniards and native —Americans. While the information in Chapter 1: Discovery explores the relationship of Columbus with the Native Americans and Spanish, the material in Chapter 2: Conquest and Chapter 4 Knowledge appears to offer the most applicable material to my study. Reasons for Spanish victory over the Aztecs are reviewed in Chapter 2: Montezuma's passive behavior, Cortés' exploitation of internal tensions among various peoples in the area which is now Mexico, Spanish superiority of weaponry (p.61), and Aztec loss of communication. It is to this last reason which he devotes the body of his work. To Todorov, the Aztec's reliance on signs associated with the physical earth broke down in the face of the more adaptable system of language and communication inherent to the Spanish. The Spanish, able to understand the fundamental nature of the Aztec system were able to exploit the Aztec for their benefit. Without equal understanding of the Spanish outlook, and in the face of the previous mentioned reasons, the Aztec society fell. The foreword, written by Anthony Pagden describes Todorov's background, his work as a literary theorist, and the uniqueness of this account as more of a "moral treatise" than a "conventional historical account". The section, Sahagún and His Work in Chapter 4 offers in depth background material on Sahagún, the author of the Florentine Codex.
The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521. Bernal Díaz Del Castillo, Conquistador. Translated by A.P. Maudslay, Introduction by Hugh Thomas
Da Capo Press 2003 Introduction copyright 1996. Illustration copyright 1956.
This promises to be an excellent primary source account of events regarding encounters between the Spanish and Aztecs between 1517 and 1521. Díaz describes the encounters as discovery and conquest. Specific events described include the expedition under Cortés, the March inland, the war in Tlaxcala, the March to Mexico, the stay in Mexico, the expedition under Narvarez, the Flight from Mexico, the Halt at Tepeca, The return to the Valley, preliminary expeditions against Mexico and the Siege and Fall of Mexico.
The Florentine Codex Father Bernardino Sahagún
Written in Nahuatl and Spanish, Sahagún's account offers a rare parallel account of historical events in ancient Mexico between the arrival of Cortés and his men in 1519 and 1527. The portion reviewed in seminar from Lockhart's We People Here translates both Nahuatl and Spanish into English. Differing perspectives on the same events such as the March to Mexico, the Flight from Mexico, and the Siege and Fall of Mexico are revealed through the translations. As Todorov points out in his book The Conquest of America, Sahagún's work is unique because it is a rare example of a victor adopting and reporting in the language of the conquered. This work will provide the primary material by which students can directly interpret two sides to a historical account.
Mirrors of a Disaster. The Spanish Military Conquest of America. Gérard Chaliand. Transaction Publishers. New Brunswick, New Jersey. 2005
Chaliand tackles the Conquest of Mexico, Guatemala, Yucatan, and Peru. Part I. The Conquest of Mexico will be the focus of my inquiry. Upon first review, the work appears to be a concise and factually oriented secondary account of the Spanish military campaign in Mexico. The work has plain and informative maps of Spanish conquests (1520-1540) and the Aztec empire in 1500.
Victors and Vanquished Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico
Stuart Schwartz (editor) Bedford/St Martin's New York 2000 This is the best resource for showing the Spanish side and the Native American side of the Spanish invasion of Mexico. Schwartz organizes primary source documents primarily from Díaz and Sahagún with additional material from Cortés and Diego Durán into eight thematic chapters: Forebodings and Omens, Preparations, Encounters, the March Inland: Tlaxcala and Cholula, Tenochtitlan, Things Fall Apart: Toxcatl and the Noche Triste, the Siege and Fall of Tenochtitlan, and Aftermath: Tradition and Transformation.
We People Here Nahuatl Accounts of the Conquest of Mexico James Lockhart. Wipf and Stock. Eugene, Oregon 1993
This work contains the English translation of Sahagún's Book Twelve of the Florentine Codex and extracts from the Annals of Tlatelolco, the Codex Aubin, Annals Quauhtitlan, Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca, and the Letter from Huejotzingo (1560). The work includes separate translations of the Nahua account into English and the Spanish translation of Nahua into English.
High School Text Resources
The Americans. Gerald A. Danzer, J.Jorge Klor de Alva, Larry Krieger, Louis Wilson, Nancy Woloch. McDougal Littell. Boston, Massachusetts 1998
American History textbook gives a brief and general overview of the Spanish colonial effort in the Americas
World History. Patterns of Interaction. Roger B. Beck, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Dahia Ibo Shabaka. McDougal Littell. Boston, Massachusetts 1998.
World History text gives a brief and general overview of the Spanish colonial effort in the Americas.
Online resources
The Fall of the Aztecs
http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/cortes/cortes_flat.html
PBS Website has interactive links titled: The Aztec Empire, Cortés' Expedition, Montezuma's Messengers, From Explorer to Conqueror, Spaniards in Tenochtitlan, Cortés Seizes Power, War Breaks Out, Siege of Technochtitlan, and The Fall of the Aztecs
Preliminary review of this source shows it should be a reliable online source for students and teachers to reference. Further investigation will be conducted to see if there is an accompanying audio visual resource.
Reading list for students
The Broken Spears The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico Miguel Leon-Portilla Beacon Press Boston 1990.
While a primary source document, it is very simply translated and therefore easily read by basic to advanced high school students. One dimensional illustrations depict graphic events such as the Massacre in the Main Temple (p. 75). These illustrations communicate an unpleasant reality of the Spanish invasion but therefore can be used as anticipatory guides to the text or as guides to discussion.
The Columbian Exchange Chapter 3 Alfred Crosby
Included as seminar reading, Crosby's work gives detailed information on the adaptation of plants and animals in the New World.
Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico. Hugh Thomas
Simon and Schuster New York 1995
Selections from this scholarly secondary work can be used to model an author's interpretation of an historical event. The interpretation of the Spanish Aztec encounter is framed as a battle of empires.
The Conquest of America The Question of the Other Tzeutan Todorov
Translated from the French by Richard Howard. University of Oklahoma Press HarperCollins Publishers New York 1999
Todorov offers a sophisticated interpretation of the Spanish invasion which elaborates on and measures itself against the conventional historical interpretations. Chapter 2: Conquest will provide students with the reasons for Spanish victory. Chapter 4 Knowledge will give students the necessary background on Sahagun, the Spanish priest who is responsible for compiling the Florentine Codex.
The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521. Bernal Díaz Del Castillo, Conquistador. Translated by A.P. Maudslay, Introduction by Hugh Thomas
Da Capo Press 2003 Introduction copyright 1996. Illustration copyright 1956.
Students can discover the perspective of the Spaniard Bernal Díaz in regard to a number of significant events of the Spanish invasion. It is a primary source account of events between 1517 and 1521. Specific events described include the expedition under Cortés, the March inland, the war in Tlaxcala, the March to Mexico, the stay in Mexico, the expedition under Narvarez, the Flight from Mexico, the Halt at Tepeca, The return to the Valley, preliminary expeditions against Mexico and the Siege and Fall of Mexico.
Mirrors of a Disaster. The Spanish Military Conquest of America. Gérard Chaliand. Transaction Publishers. New Brunswick, New Jersey. 2005
Chaliand tackles the Conquest of Mexico,. Students will selections of Part I. The Conquest of Mexico from this secondary source. However, the remaining portions of the text would be useful for exploring the Spanish invasions of Guatemala, Yucatan, and Peru. The work has plain and informative maps of Spanish conquests (1520-1540) and the Aztec empire in 1500.
Victors and Vanquished Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico
Stuart Schwartz (editor) Bedford/St Martin's New York 2000 This is the best resource for showing the Spanish side and the Native American side of the Spanish invasion of Mexico. Schwartz organizes primary source documents primarily from Díaz and Sahagún with additional material from Cortés and Diego Durán into eight thematic chapters: Forebodings and Omens, Preparations, Encounters, The March Inland: Tlaxcala and Cholula, Tenochtitlan, Things Fall Apart: Toxcatl and the Noche Triste, The Siege and Fall of Tenochtitlan, and Aftermath: Tradition and Transformation.
We People Here Nahuatl Accounts of the Conquest of Mexico James Lockhart. Wipf and Stock. Eugene, Oregon 1993
This work contains the English translation of Sahagún's Book Twelve of the Florentine Codex and extracts from the Annals of Tlatelolco, the Codex Aubin, Annals Quauhtitlan, Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca, and the Letter from Huejotzingo (1560). The work includes separate translations of the Nahua account into English and the Spanish translation of Nahua into English.
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