Writing Homework Help

1. The search for gold was one of the main driving factors for Spanish colonization in the Americas. Explain the fundamental differences between Spanish and indigenous attitudes towards gold. Why did the Spaniards melt all the treasures of the Aztecs and Incas? (Links to an external site.)
2. Explain how the pace, scale and extent of mining in Bolivia has affected indigenous communities. Watch the BBC documentary.
3. Explain some of the human (Links to an external site.) and environmental costs (Links to an external site.) of mining in Latin America.
4. Watch all 3 parts in this video series and summarize Spanish colonialism’s environmental legacy (part 1 (Links to an external site.); part 2 (Links to an external site.); and part 3 (Links to an external site.))

A brief History of Potosi and Cerro Rico (Links to an external site.)

Potosi (Links to an external site.)

Mines in Potosi (Links to an external site.)

Silver Mining and Deforestation in New Spain (Links to an external site.)

Colonial Spanish America (Links to an external site.)

History of Mining in Chile