COURSE TITLE: LATIN AMERICA: FROM AZTEC TO SPANISH DOMINATION
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 398; CATH 398
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: 03 [MWF 12:00-12:50]
INSTRUCTOR: Margarita R. Ochoa, Ph.D.
CORE AREA: None
Flagged:
None
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and… discovered or destroyed, conquered or civilized the
Americas. Sixty years later, in 1552, López de Gómara, the private secretary of Hernán Cortes, the
conqueror of México-Tenochtitlan, wrote: “The greatest event since the creation of the world … is the
discovery of the [Americas].” The history of North America from Aztec to Spanish Domination witnessed
the painful transformation from sophisticated native civilizations to a complex multi-racial society. This
evolution will be examined using historical literature and primary accounts produced by Mexican men
and women during the colonial period. The course provides an introduction to the ancient, indigenous
cultures of Mesoamerica and examines Mexico’s political, economic, and social development under
Spanish rule. Special attention will be given to the social and cultural interaction between colonial
Mexico’s indigenous, European, and African populations.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students taking this class will be given the tools and opportunity to approach answers to some of early
Latin America’s significant historical issues through observation of the following three course objectives:
 To introduce students to the forces, events, and conflicts that defined the processes of conquest and
colonization of Mexico, including the perspectives of Iberian, African, and indigenous populations;
 To understand and engage with a variety of sources (translated into English from their original
Spanish, Nahuatl, Maya, Mixteco, and Zapoteco) that provide the core of historical inquiry; and
 To be able to identify, understand, and critique historical argument.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: None.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Restall, Matthew, Lisa Sousa, Kevin Terraciano. Eds. Mesoamerican Voices: Native Language Writings
from Colonial Mexico, Oaxaca, Yucatan, and Guatemala. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2005.
Xicoténcatl: An Anonymous Historical Novel About the Events Leading Up to the Conquest of the Aztec
Empire. Translated by Guillermo I. Castillo-Feliú. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999.
Additional primary and secondary source readings available on MyLMU Connect.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Participation (Discussion, Quizzes, Attendance):
Written Assignments (20% each):
Midterm:
Final:
15%
40%
20%
25%