Which factors (religion, culture, political context, pandemics, etc) most significantly account for the confusion and violence of the colonial encounters? Remember that you there are multiple groups of actors here. Its not just "Spanish vs Indians." Spanish conquistadors fought legal battles against Spanish bureaucrats and Franciscan Missionaries (they even stabbed and poisoned each other!). Likewise we saw battles between the Mexica and the Maya, civil war between Atahualpa and Huascar’s armies, and all sorts of independent actors ranging from the Chichimeca to the Wolof. There was confusion and violence in and among each group; superior essays should wrestle with some of that complexity. Essays should be 4-5 pages, 12pt TimesNewRoman, Double-spaced. They ought include an intro (providing context and addressing the prompt) and body paragraphs that further your argument by referencing class readings and primary sources. Finally, students must use Chicago-style citations (footnotes) to give credit to the textbook and any primary sources that are reference or quoted. This is easy. On Microsoft Word, just click Insert -> Footnote, and then click okay. At the bottom of the screen type: Author, Title (Year): pg number. Example: Mark Burkholder, Castas (1994): 203.Show more
