Developed By: Adrian Solis, Gladys Labas, Agnes Quinones, Vanessa Sosa, and Nitza Diaz 

This unit dives deeply into the ancient civilizations of Latinos, which extend back thousands of years prior to the Columbian exploration. After reviewing the achievements and accomplishments of the Native Americans found in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean in the previous unit, this unit begins with the first European encounter with the Indigenous people and Columbus in 1492. It explores the mistreatment of the Indigenous by Europeans, and then the second part of the unit focuses on the treatment of Latinos throughout American History. In this unit, students will:

● Explore different perspectives on how the Natives were treated by the Europeans and the voices like Bartolomeo de las Casas, who left a single perspective of this historical encounter behind.

● Explore various forms of anti-Latino treatment such as scientific experiments in Puerto Rico and Guatemala, and language suppression.

● Become more aware of the contributions of Latino people to American history in spite of oppression.

Compelling Question: How has the persisting narrative of the voyages of Columbus held long and short-term consequences for the formation and evolution of the identity of Puerto Ricans and Latinos?