During today's class, we completed the lecture on Chapter 1 and Jaynd worked on solving some questions where she had to use the periodic table to identify elements based on the symbols. She also completed several questions where she applied the definitions of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.

Absent.

Today we reviewed the present tense verbs in Spanish. She was able to identify the (Yo) form for different verbs by completing an activity from the workbook.

History doesn't really name a winner in the race for exploration. However, within a short time, Spain controlled most of the wealth from the colonial gold and silver mines as well as a vast amount of land. As profits from the colonies flooded into the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal, this new wealth spread across borders into Northern European trade and the banking systems of Germany and Italy. This motivated other Europeans to quickly join Spain and Portugal in the race for these new lands. As European colonies sprang up in the New World of the Americas, the wealth of Old World Europe grew. With each new discovery of gold, and new natural resource uncovered, the race for exploration intensified, forever changing the face of the globe.

Spanish explorers came to the new world looking for wealth, but were also on missions of exploration and conquest. The land which was conquered by New Spain was divided up into land grants call haciendas. These haciendas were large landholdings held by Spanish conquistadors. Each hacienda was granted an encomienda or grant of labor. The encomienda was made up of indigenous people as well as Spanish colonists and free Mullatos. Mullatos were not always free people however they were seen as having a higher social standing than indigenous Natives because they had at least some Spanish blood. We discused explorers such as Hernan Cortez, Francisco Pizzaro and Hernando de Soto and Amerigo Vespucci. The Spanish land holdings in the New World (North and South America) became known as New Spain. New Spain encompassed a great deal of land. The section of the Spanish colonies includes Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and much of the Southwestern US. New Spain was a term used to describe the area of the Spanish-ruled colonies of the Western Hemisphere known at the time to Europeans as the New World.

She was absent today.

During our second period today we looked at the Pre-Columbian era. Native American cultures thrived all over North America. We divided them using geographical area: the Northwestern Coastal, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, and the Great Plains. The Northwestern Coastal Native Americans were skilled fisherman and artists, creating many beautiful totem poles that still exist today. They were among the first natives to create permanent civilizations. The Southwest Native Americans were a nomadic people who created intricate irrigation systems in order to farm. They are famed for their sandstone architecture which is often carved into the side of canyons. The Northeastern Tribes were mainly agrarian as well and migrated with the change in seasons. They also often hunted. The Southeastern Tribes were the most interested in participating in European economy and culture. They were famed for their beadwork and basket-weaving as well as their pottery and beautiful arrowheads. The Great Plains Natives were a nomadic group, following herds of buffalo for food and supplies. They were also skilled horseback-riders. Unfortunately, this period of growth and cultivation came to an end with the entrance of European colonizers in the 16th century. Europeans brought germs and diseases which Native Americans did not have the immunity to fight and by 1600, it is estimated that 90% of the Native population had died. However, there are still many thriving tribes that still exist in North America today.

ABSENT

Absent.

The Inca civilization started as a small kingdom in modern-day Peru. However, in 1438 King Pachacutec invited conquered peoples to incorporate into the Empire and reorganized the government into larger territory. This region had a long history of advanced civilizations. One of the most notable examples of this was the Nazca civilization who made the Nazca lines which can still be seen today. Pachecutec wanted the Inca Empire to grow much larger than ever had been seen in the region. It was made possible through a unique record-keeping system and the construction of over 25,000 miles of roads to connect the newly conquered regions. After less than 100 hundred years, Atualpah became the last king of the Inca Empire. In 1531, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro & his forces arrived to conquer the Incas. Within just a year, Pizarro had killed Atualpah, and, despite Inca resistance, the Spanish were able to take control of the entire Empire.