Not all of the efforts of the Conquistadors were successful. In 1513 Ponce de Leon scoured Florida in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth, taking possession of the land for Spain. Many years later De Leon returned to plant a colony. This angered the natives who wounded him severely. Unfortunately, the Fountain was never found, and De Leon died of his injuries after much suffering.
Similar to the Fountain of Youth story, the El Dorado myth of a city of gold enticed European explorers including Sir Walter Raleigh, who had just failed to establish an English colony in Virginia. To gain a rich kingdom for his Queen, to extend her power and enrich her treasury was now his greatest object in life. He found amazing wonders, faced extreme challenges, and made a map of where he thought El Dorado was, but Raleigh brought back no gold. His schemes for a conquest of this land were received coldly by the Queen.
In class activities:
- Finished building our Aztec displays
- Learned about the failed efforts of the conquistadors t
- Searched for own El Dorado following false clues
- Added to our history notebooks
- Drew our ideas of what El Dorado would look like
Optional lesson extension activities
No assignment
