Studying at York
From Conquest to Colony: Spanish America c.1400-1750 - HIS00138I
- Department: History
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
In 1519, a small band of Spanish soldiers led by Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico. Within two years, they had conquered the warlike and powerful Aztec Empire, decimating the native population and giving the Spanish King Charles V his first territory on the American mainland. Colonisation, evangelisation and plunder followed, as the Spaniards consolidated their power in the New World. Plants, animals and germs crossed the Atlantic for the first time, radically changing the lives of people in three continents.
The Spanish conquest of Mexico is often presented as one of the most dramatic feats in military history. How was it possible for an army of just 500 Spaniards to overthrow one of the largest and most sophisticated civilisations in the Americas? This module examines the causes and consequences of the conquests of both Mexico and Peru and studies the ways in which Iberian rule transformed indigenous societies in the New World. We begin by taking a look at the major Pre-Columbian civilisations, the Maya, the Aztecs and the Incas. We then study the conquests themselves and their repercussions for both Spaniards and Native Americans, examining the key characteristics of colonial society. Students will get the chance to explore the conquest through a range of primary sources, from the letters of Cortés to the pictorial chronicles of Felipe Guaman Poma.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To provide students with the opportunity to study particular historical topics in depth
- To develop students’ ability to examine a topic from a range of perspectives and to strengthen their ability to work critically and reflectively with secondary and primary material
Module learning outcomes
Students who complete this module successfully will:
- Have acquired a deep knowledge of the specific topic studied
- Have developed their ability to use and synthesise a range of primary and secondary sources
- Be able to evaluate the arguments that historians have made about the topic studied
- Have developed their ability to study independently through seminar-based teaching
Module content
Students will attend a 1-hour briefing in week 1. Students will then attend a 1-hour plenary/lecture and a 2-hour seminar in weeks 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11 of semester 1. Weeks 5 & 9 are Reading and Writing Weeks (RAW) during which there are no seminars. Students prepare for and participate in eight 1-hour plenaries/lectures and eight 2-hour seminars in all.
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:
- Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica: The Maya and the Aztecs
- Pre-Columbian South America: The Incas
- The New World and the Conquest of the Caribbean
- The Conquest of Mexico
- The Conquest of Peru
- In Search of El Dorado: Economy, Government and Society in Colonial Spanish America
- Spreading the Gospel: Evangelisation, Resistance, Syncretism
- The Columbian Exchange: Food, Animals, Disease
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
For formative assessment, students will complete a referenced 1200 to 1500-word essay relating to the themes and issues of the module. This will be submitted in either the Week 5 or Week 9 RAW week (on the day of the weekly seminar).
For summative assessment, students will complete an Assessed Essay (2000 words, footnoted). This will comprise 100% of the overall module mark.
Summative assessments will be due in the assessment period.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Following their formative assessment task, students will typically receive written feedback that will include comments and a mark within 10 working days of submission.
Work will be returned to students in their seminars and may be supplemented by the tutor giving some oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their formative work during their tutor’s student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.
For the summative assessment task, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.
Indicative reading
For term time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:
- Restall, Matthew. When Montezuma Met Cortes: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History. New York: Harper Collins, 2018.
- Brosseder, Claudia. The Power of Huacas: Change and Resistance in the Andean World of Colonial Peru. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.
- Crosby, Alfred. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1972.