Resources to Teach about Puebla, México as part of a Theme on Cinco de Mayo

CINCO DE MAYO has become a tricky celebration to teach for Spanish Teachers, especially given it's wide celebration OUTSIDE of México. My approach has been to stick to the historical facts of the holiday, which has been successful for my classes and grade levels. However, this is also a great opportunity to teach about PUEBLA, MÉXICO, where the battle which forms the basis of Cinco de Mayo took place. Transport your students to this lovely city rich with tradition and history!

*INFOGRAPHIC ABOUT PUEBLA: Here is a useful infographic that can be used as an authentic resource- kids can pick out details based on the photos and/or the text depending on their level. The link is here. (BTW: this is one of a series of infographics, one for each state in México. Scroll below the pin to see the rest)

*THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR: This tells the legend of the two volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl in a picture book format. You can find it here on Amazon.

and here is a short video of the legend, great for heritage speakers!

And if you are on Twitter, follow https://twitter.com/Popocatepetl_MX, el Popo's twitter account! Features a live webcam of the volcano, plus lots of great #authres about continual explosions and activities from the crater.

*PUEBLA VIDEO: Here's a great video of the city which is a good way to introduce the city! You can choose to mute the narration.

I am also a big fan of virtual walking tours-they are a great street-view of various places! Here is one and another. You can stop the video at various points to ask simple questions related to what is being seen or just watch for fun. (Please be sure to preview all videos before showing to students.)

*LA CHINA POBLANA: The traditional dress associated with Puebla, the china poblana has a VERY interesting history! For classroom purposes, especially elementary, an easy activity is to ask what colors the dress is, what is on it, etc. You can use stills of the video below for this purpose. And for older students, here is the link to a pin about la china poblana.

For your own information, here is a short video on the history-I learned several things I hadn't known before! I think it's important to pay close attention to the fact that Mirrah (or Catarina de San Juan, her baptized name) arrived to México from India as a slave. Her story cannot be told without this part of México's past. 

and this video is really well done to illustrate her history.

*CINCO DE MAYO printable.... and for those of you who definitely want to introduce historical facts in the target language, here is our mini book & theme pack! 

Have fun and let me know what other activities you'll be doing!