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The Historic New Orleans Collection

Spanish New Orleans and the Caribbean / La Nueva Orleans y el Caribe espanoles

Grades 3–8 Grados 3–8

A colorful coat of arms features a shield with various symbols like animals, a tree, and a ship. Surrounding the shield are ornate elements like blue and red drapery, a crown, cannons, and musical instruments. A decorative badge hangs below.

Most people think of New Orleans as a French city, but that is not quite right. The New Historic New Orleans Collection’s exhibit Spanish New Orleans and the Caribbeanexplores how four decades of Spanish rule (1762–1803) helped shape the city. During the Spanish period, the city experienced natural disaster, political tensions, and population changes. Still, under Spain, New Orleans changed from a small, poorly managed town into a highly developed capital city that was both racially and culturally diverse.

This lesson plan brings Spanish New Orleans into the classroom, featuring a timeline, glossary, descriptions of key historical figures, and an engaging overview of Spanish colonial history in Louisiana.

Nueva Orleans se encuentra en el territorio neutral, zona comercial o zona de tierras cambiantes que se denominaba Bulbancha y que en Choctaw significa «lugar de otras lenguas». Bulbancha fue una importante zona comercial entre tres importantes vías fluviales: Bayou St. John, el lago Pontchartrain y el río Misisipi. Esta zona se ha caracterizado históricamente por las interacciones culturales entre personas de distintas comunidades lingüísticas, entre las que se encuentran las siguientes tribus: Houma, Choctaw, Chitimacha y Biloxi. Los africanos, los nativos americanos y todas las combinaciones de estos dos grupos sufrieron una esclavitud injusta durante siglos en estas tierras.

Este plan de lección lleva el español de Nueva Orleans al aula, presentando una línea de tiempo, un glosario, descripciones de figuras históricas clave y una interesante descripción general de la historia colonial española en Luisiana.

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