Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will engage with the little known history of Black and African-American migration and settlement in New Mexico. Students will trace stories from the first know Black conquistador, “Esteban The Moor” who met his untimely end in what was the Zuni Pueblo, to Isabelle de Olvera, one of the first Black settlers to colonize Ogha Po'oge, Later known as Santa Fe. We will read about the Western Migration to New Mexico and the establishment of freedom towns for Black families fleeing persecution in the south. The lesson will culminate in the creation of a timeline and illustrated map of significant African American history in New Mexico.