Collaborative and creative team building accompanies students in Year 8 who are studying the history of the Aztec empire and the Spanish invasion as part of a wider understanding of colonisation and the role it has played in shaping history.

Rudolf Steiner suggested that the study of history was a way of experiencing great developments in consciousness and that, in our current era, issues such as imperialism and colonisation are symptoms of a modern consciousness that we are now beginning to understand in a deeper way, and apply to our own context.

To understand the Spanish invasion of the Americas, it is important to experience the civilisations that existed prior to this event. The rich cultural practices of the Mexica and Aztecs can be felt through their artistry and great feats of engineering. Our students worked in groups during this unit to research and then apply this knowledge to the reconstruction of their own Aztec cities.

Delaney Crawley
HSIE KLA Coordinator