Lesson 4: Counter Narratives to Spanish Heroism Written by Spaniards (las Casas)

This lesson plan has students consider counter narratives written by Spanish that challenge the description of conquistadors, such as Cortés, as heroes. Through these counter narratives students will gain new perspectives on the events during this time period. In addition, students will be able to conceptualize the context in which these narratives were written and used in Europe. Students will have the opportunity to explore parts of a counter narrative to Spanish heroism written by Bartolomé de las Casas as well as the illustrations that accompany many of the versions of his book and underscore the victimization of the Indigenous by Spaniards. This will lead into the next lesson about Indigenous authors telling the story of the conquest from their perspective, which is not included in history textbooks.