ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment #1

Leyenda blanca vs. leyenda negra
Go to the following sites:
1. http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/SEEJ/looking.html
2. http://depts.washington.edu/chid/chid110/lectures99/week7/one

3. http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/Americas/DelasCasas.html
4. http://ishi.lib.berkeley.edu/history5/spring97/lecture4.html

1. Write a 250 word summary of the arguments used by Las Casas and Sepúlveda.

2. Define the following terms:
a) requerimiento

b)encomienda

c) leyenda blanca

d)leyenda negra

3. Choose one of the following role-playing activities:

a) You are a taino at the time of Columbus' arrival.
The conquistadors read the requerimiento to you.(Suspend your disbelief and imagine that the tainos understand Spanish). Refute their arguments.

b) Reenact the Sepúlveda/Las Casas debate. Which side relied on Aristotle's arguments?

Assignment #2: Writing Systems

    Of the three major aboriginal civilization in Latin America, only the Mayans had a true writing system composed of glyphs. Go to the following site to learn about Mayan glyphs:http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/sky/MayaCalender.html

   The Aztecs, however, had a pictographic system made up of drawings in bark-derived paper painted over. Twenty two of these document or codices have survived. Look at the following section from the Codex Nuttall:

    The Incas had a different communication system which did not include either glyphs or codices. Go to the following link and read about quipus.

http://www.spanish.sbc.edu/MMLatAm/Quipus.html

    Write a 250 word essay comparing the three systems of writing described above.

Assignment #3: The Origins of santería

Aside from their languages, foods, music and dances, African slaves from Nigeria, Benin and the two Congos brought their religious beliefs to Latin America. Since colonists were more concerned with the production of sugar than with the salvation of souls, they allowed slaves to worship in their own manner. This ensured the survival and subsequent mingling of African rites with Christian liturgy. In this assignment you will explore the origins and development of santería.

Go to the following sites:

1. http://www.religioustolerance.org/santeri.htm

2. http://archive.nandotimes.com/prof/caribe/caribbean.religions.html

3. http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/santeria.html

a) Identify the major rites that gave rise to santería and their countries of origin.

b) Describe the cosmogonies of the abakuá, the lukumí the palero and the vodoun rites in 150 words each.

c) Compare and contrast the major features of Christianity that coincided with the African rites identified above, thus permitting the development of the syncretic beliefs of santería.

d) Explain how santería spread in New York in the late 20th century.