Dominican Republic has survived a troubled history of dictators and intervention from the north. Now it is a hotbed of baseball, a hotspot for viewing humpbacked whales, and home to one of the liveliest carnivals anywhere, the best place to view diablos cojuelos- limping devils – on parade: the Carnival of La Vega.

Learning Objective

Students will learn about the Dominican Republic’s love for baseball, its hotspot for viewing whales and the Carnival of La Vega.

Social Studies Standards

Global Connections: A, B

Discussion Prompts

• Hispaniola was the first island the Spaniards conquered along the Caribbean Sea. Talk about how the conquering might have changed the lives of those who were already living in the island.
• The baseball game appeared to have more scouts looking for untapped baseball players than local baseball fans. Debate if the Dominicans really love the sport or the business surrounding baseball. Justify your response.
• Another big business in the Dominican Republican is the viewing of the humpback whales. Discuss how boats, viewing, and people might impact the whales’ migration.
• The Diablo Cojuelo (Limping Devil) reflects the religious roots of the carnival in La Vega. Does the costume and its presence reflect the symbolism of the devil in the religious sense?

Lesson Activities

• Create a map of the five biggest islands in the Caribbean Sea. Name the islands, capital, and the language spoken in the different islands.
• Imagine you are Christopher Columbus, and you have to write a letter to the king of Spain explaining how you ended up in Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, not in India, Arabian Sea.
• Imagine that the position is reversed, and the whales are now the ones viewing people. Create an illustration depicting this scene and create a funny catchy heading.
• The Limping Devil limps because he hurt his leg falling to earth after being banished from heaven because of his mischief. Write a true or fictional story about a mischief that banned somebody from somewhere. Create a mask, a character of your choice, that will represent the mischief to .

Vocabulary

• ancient god
• diabolical
• discourage
• hotbed
• intervention
• investment
• mischief
• pagan ritual
• ridicule
• scouts

Download

In the Americas Season 6 Lesson Episode 7