My research question I want to dive deeper into revolves around the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. Military history has always been the sub-section of history I’ve been most fascinated with. So my potential question is how could a far smaller Spanish army overthrow the most powerful empire in Mesoamerica? I could throw in something along the lines like could the Spanish have defeated the Aztecs without the aid of other native tribes that were rivals with the Aztecs?

I have been thinking of researching the topic of mapmaking, specifically how it started, and its uses in the colonization of the New World, as cartography has always been something I’m interested in.

One idea for a research question that I have is “How did French and Spanish colonizers in Colonial Hispaniola create differing conceptions of race?” I believe that this question is important to understanding Colonial Latin America because it allows for comparison between racial hierarchical systems which develop and remain relevant today. Furthermore, it allows for comparison between how two different colonizing groups viewed mixed-race children. Mixed-race children were prevalent throughout the colonies, and you can tell a lot about the colonizers, and about modern day society in those areas based on how mixed-race children were seen during the colonial era.

A topic that I am interested in is the Mapuche in modern day Chile.  I am curious about the conflict between the Mapuche and the Spanish settlers turned Chileans.  One possible research question could be, what impact did the conflict with the Spanish have on the Mapuche.  Clearly there is an answer but I would like to further explore the lasting impact of the conflict

A potential research question : How did music shape the development of culture in Latin America?

I have always wondered about the impact music has had on history in different parts of the world. I enjoy music and play music a lot and that is why I find the topic so interesting. I would be interested to see if there was a development of music styles special to the area much like the United States with Jazz for example. I also do wonder though if there is enough information that can be found to create solid research.

While reading through the recent sources that have been shared, I have learned so much more about the smaller tribes in the Latin America area. One topic that really catches my eye was the way the Incas and Aztec societies grew to such an extent. How there didn’t have a set a government in place to grow into some of the largest civilizations in Latin America. Id also likes to look deeper in their religious elements in the societies and how the ways they started following certain gods such as the sun gods and many more.

I think an interesting research topic for me would be what were the thoughts of Native Americans with the arrival of the Europeans? We often hear the explorer’s viewpoint but not the Native Americans’. I would want to know what they thought of the Europeans and what their initial reactions were. What immediate impact did the Europeans have on their societies at the time of arrival?

I think that one research topic that would be really interesting to study would be about Christopher Columbus as a person, his effects on Latin America, and how he is portrayed today. I think that it would be especially interesting to compare how he is celebrated in America versus what his actions were and how he affected these civilizations. Christopher Columbus’s importance is well known, as he opened up the New World to Europe, and researching him as a person would bring a greater understanding to both sides of the world at this time period.

One area of research I am interested in is how colonization impacted gender roles in Latin America, specifically in the Andes. In our book we read that before colonization women and men in the Andes had separate roles but that both were valued as equally important unlike the European gender roles at the time. I am curious about how women’s lives changed after the colonizers took over and how they effected the gender dynamic within the native tribes. I think it would be interesting to see if they embraced the European ideals of separate spheres or if they continued to value both genders and the ways they contributed to society as equally important. I would also like to further explore gender roles in modern day Latin America to see the evolution and the impacts that the Europeans had or did not have on this issue.

I am also interested in Catholicism in Latin America and looking deeper into the work of missionaries after the initial colonization. I do not have anything specific that I am interested in but I have read about missionaries in other parts of the world but I do not know much about the missionaries in Latin America. I would like to learn more about the tactics that were used by missionaries and how they may have compared to missionaries that went to other places in the world.

What influence has the colonial era of Argentina had on modern day Argentinian society (culture, politics, language, values)?

I think this question in important to our understanding of colonial latin america, as through the answering of this question one could understand the roots that colonialism planted in the “new world” societies and how they’ve continued to have an effect to this day. I really enjoy this topic because it delves into the history of modern day Argentina, all the way back to colonial times. But, I also understand that it might not be what you’re looking for.

If that is not what youre looking for, an alternative question is:

What impact did the arguments of Las Casas have on the conquestidors and their future in Latin America?

I think that this question would be very interesting for our understanding of colonial latin america becuase Las Casas was one of the first docummented and powerful/respected man to stand up against the pratices of the conquestidors, as he recoginized the injustice beign done. Although he was not considered to have won the debate, it would be interesting to research his impact.