Curriculum Resources
« Go Back
Cabeza de Vaca Discussion Guide
A series of high school lesson plans for the film Cabeza de Vaca. The packet also includes discussion questions and a resource section.
The Encounter: Exploration, Evangelization and Ethnohistory
Lesson 1 Objectives: Students will begin to think about linguistic and cultural isolation; students will be introduced to the historical context of early Sanish exploration and native socieites in the Gulf Coast Region
Lesson 2 Objectives: Students will explore the themes of evangeliazationa and religious syncretism; To promote critical thinking skills; to compare and contrast the Cabeza de Vaca's written account with the cinematic depiction.
Lesson 3 Objectives: Students will discuss films andt he written word as a method of storytelling. Students will explore the issue of religious syncretism.
Lesson 4 Objective: Students will examine how the Cabeza de Vaca expedition fits in the larger narrative of Spanish exploration.
Lesson 5 Objective: Students will present their individual or group projects to the class for debate and discussion.