The Huexotzinco Codex - Overview

Lesson Plan
The Huexotzinco Codex

Overview

Students will analyze a set of pictograph documents created by native peoples of Puebla, Mexico in 1531. Students will take on the role of historians, study the documents, and create a scenario to explain what these documents were for, who created them, and why. The codex was an accounting of excess taxation and students will decode the images and tabulate the quantities of goods paid to the local government.

Objectives

After completing this unit students will be able to:

Analyze primary sources.
Practice the process of historical inquiry.
Apply math skills to calculate pictographs.

Time Required

Three class periods

Recommended Grade Level

Grades 6-8

Topic

Early America

Era

Three Worlds Meet, Beginnings to 1620

Standards

McREL 4th Edition Standards & Benchmarks

Math

Uses a variety of strategies in the problem solving process

Thinking and Reasoning

Effectively uses mental process that are based on identifying similarities and differences
Understands and applies basic principles of hypothesis testing and scientific inquiry

Viewing

Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media

Historical Understanding

Understands the historical perspective