From Carthage to cabeza de gato: Afro-Iberian Civilization from Antiquity to Present in the Spanish Classroom

Matt Kelly, Spanish, Independence High

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

Synopsis

Students of Spanish will learn about aspects of Afro-Iberian history, culture, religion, music and food through encapsulated lessons integrated into the Spanish III curriculum. Short, easy-to-integrate lessons readily scalable to lower or higher levels of Spanish will cover such topics as African conquest and colonization in Spain in classical antiquity, African influence on Hispanic religious life and public celebrations, African influence in modern art and the true meaning of “modernism,” and the issue of racial and social erasure of less-represented groups in Latin America through mestizaje. This unit should help teachers of Spanish restore balance and accuracy to Spanish curricula that emphasize the contributions of peninsular and indigenous Hispanics while underrepresenting the Afro-Hispanic presence and enduring cultural legacy.