Internationalizing Curriculum.WebQuests

Following the path of Cortés
A WebQuest for Teachers
Internationalizing the Curriculum

Introduction
In 1519 Hernán Cortés traveled from Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula and on to Tenochtitlán in search of gold and eventually to conquer the Aztec people. Since his adventure Mexico has changed in many ways.

Task
Your task is to plan a virtual adventure where your students will follow the path that Cortés took in 1519 and compare it to present day Mexico. Throughout the voyage the students will discuss what Cortés and the conquistadores would have encountered and compare it to what they find today.

Process
Begin by having your students track Cortés’ route in 1519. You can find a map of his route at
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

and compare it to a map of present day Mexico available at http://www.virtualmex.com/map.htm

Map of Mexico

For more detailed maps that include the names of present day cities and towns you should visit http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/veracruz-state-mexico/veracruz-state-mexico-map-main.shtml. You need to decide which towns and cities you want your students to visit. In each of the towns they need to find a hotel, a restaurant and a historic site and try to imagine what was there when Cortés went through. You probably want to develop a chart or Venn diagram for them to gather their information (see sample). A list of website for possible places to visit is found under resources.

Resources

This website by PBS has a wealth of information about Cortés and other explorers. http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/cortes/cortes_flat.html

Six interdisciplinary lesson plans dealing with Cortes and the conquistadores are available at http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/teachers/pdf/unit1.pdf

These sites describes present day Mexico along Cortés’ route
http://www.adventureguide.com/articles/veracruz.html
http://www.bobbrooke.com/routeofcortes.htm

These websites have information about towns and cities along the route.
Veracruz
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/veracruz/veracruzindex.html

The Yucatan Peninsula
http://www.yucatantoday.com/
http://mayaruins.com/yucmap.html

Tenochtitlán
http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/anc_city.html
http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/common/pages/history_notes/tenochtitlan.htm
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/meso_america/tenochtitlan.html

Conclusion:
How was their trip? Were they able to make some comparisons between Mexico of today and the land that Cortés encountered almost 500 years ago?

Evaluation

	Good	Better	Best
Personal growth and knowledge of topic	You learned one or two new things about Cortés and Mexico today.	You learned three to five interesting new things about Cortés and Mexico today.	You learned more than five new interesting things about Cortés and Mexico today and want to know more.
Appropriateness of finished product	Your students were not able to complete their journey or ran into obstacles (broken links, etc.) they could not overcome.	Your students had some success but were unable to complete the entire journey or had difficulty with comparisons	Your students enjoyed their trip and successfully compared Mexico of today to that of Cortés.
Overall presentation	Directions for students where somewhat confusing and needed clarification. You have some ideas for improving it next time.	Directions for students were clearly presented but you have some ideas for improving the project.	The students were able follow your directions without difficulty. They accurately compared and contrasted a trip in Mexico today with the trip Cortés took.