Contextualization

The Spanish colonization in the Americas, which began in the late 15th century, is characterized as one of the most important events for understanding the complex socio-cultural and political relationships existing in the American continent. This phase of European expansion deeply marked the history and the formation of the identity of many countries in the region, bringing along a series of changes and transformations.

During this period, the Spaniards established a series of colonies throughout the American continent, resulting in significant consequences such as the establishment of new political structures, economic exploitation, and the imposition of European religious traditions and beliefs. Alongside this, the Spanish colonization was also a moment of intense violence and exploitation of the native populations, who were subjugated and forced to conform to a new reality.

This project aims to understand the dynamics of this process, including the colonizing practices, indigenous resistances, and the cultural, economic, political, and social legacies of the period. Through this study, it will be possible to broaden our knowledge about the complexity of this historical period and its implications on shaping the Latin American countries as we know them today.

For your research, you can use the following Portuguese materials as references:

1. Books:
   • "História da América Latina" by Leslie Bethell
   • "O Espelho do Mundo" by Juan Arnau
2. Websites:
   • History Portal
   • Encyclopedia Britannica in Portuguese
3. Documentary:
   • "The Spanish Conquest of America"

These sources will provide ample material for an in-depth understanding of the Spanish colonization in the Americas, giving an overview of the various perspectives and discussions on the subject.

Practical Activity: "Time Travel: Spanish Colonization in the Americas"

Activity Objective

The objective of this activity is for students, working in groups of 3 to 5 participants, to explore, study, and represent different aspects of the Spanish colonization in America. They should focus on both the perspectives of the colonizers and the indigenous peoples. The activity is a comprehensive research project that incorporates various skills such as historical research, critical analysis, collaboration, oral and written presentation.

Detailed Project Description

The groups will create a multimedia historical narrative, a kind of "documentary" that illustrates and explains the Spanish colonization in the Americas. The documentary should include interviews, images of artifacts and historical places, as well as dramatizations of key events.

Each group will choose a specific aspect of the Spanish colonization for their project, which can range from daily life in the colonies, the economic aspects of colonization, indigenous resistance, diseases brought by the colonizers, to the cultural legacy left by the Spaniards.

Required Materials

• Computer with internet access for research, editing, and presentation.
• Books, articles, documentaries, and other reference materials.
• Camera or smartphone for video recording (optional).
• Video editing resources (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Filmora, or similar).

Detailed Step-by-Step

1. Group Formation and Topic Selection: Students should organize into groups and choose a specific topic related to the Spanish colonization in the Americas.

2. Initial Research and Project Planning: Each group should conduct extensive research on the chosen topic, aiming to gain a deep understanding of the subject. They should plan how to structure the documentary narrative, what types of information to include, and how the information will be presented.

3. Task Division and In-Depth Research: The group should divide tasks among its members, including roles such as director, researcher, scriptwriter, actor, editor, etc. Each group member should be responsible for a part of the in-depth research.

4. Documentary Creation: Based on their research, the group will create the documentary, which may include voice recordings, dramatizations, images, graphics, and anything else that helps tell the story.

5. Review and Finalization of the Documentary: The group should review the documentary together, make necessary corrections, and finalize the product for presentation.

6. Presentation of the Production: Each group will present their documentary to the class. They should be prepared to answer questions and discuss the topic in more detail.

Report Writing

After completing the documentary, each group should write a detailed report about their project. The report should include:

• Introduction: In this part, the group should contextualize the chosen theme, its relevance and real-world application, as well as the project's objective.

• Development: Here, they should detail the sources consulted, the research methodology used, the challenges encountered and how they were overcome, and the results obtained, including the lessons learned throughout the project.

• Conclusions: In this section, students should conclude the work, recap their main points, explain the learnings obtained, and draw conclusions about the project.

• Bibliography: Indicate all sources consulted for the project. This includes books, articles, websites, videos, etc.

The report should be aligned with what was presented in the documentary and should detail the choices made for presenting the contents.