Activity Overview
Activity Title: Maps Over Time
Grade Band: High School
Students will explore maps of New Mexico from different time periods to analyze how geography reflects culture, identity, and historical perspective.
By studying Indigenous, colonial, territorial, and modern maps, students uncover how place names, boundaries, and features express changes in society.
They will select one focus topic — such as Comancheria, Taos Fair and Trade Routes, or Geology and Land Use — and produce a comparative analysis of maps over time, culminating in a 5–10 page paper.
Time Required
5–7 class sessions (plus time for independent research)
Materials Needed
- Historical and modern maps of New Mexico (print or digital)
- Access to online archives or libraries
- Research journals or digital notebooks
- Computers for drafting and formatting reports
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Interpret maps as cultural and political documents.
- Analyze changes in geography as evidence of social and environmental change.
- Compare representations of New Mexico across different historical eras.
- Develop research, writing, and visual analysis skills.
Essential Questions
- How do maps reflect who has power and what is valued?
- What can we learn about identity and history through geography?
- How does the way we draw maps shape how we see the world?
- What is the relationship between land, memory, and meaning?
Inspired Conversation Topics
- How might an Indigenous map of New Mexico differ from a modern one?
- What stories or perspectives might be missing from official maps?
- How do natural resources, trade, and migration affect geography?
- How could modern mapping technology influence future history?
Educator Resources & Links
Book List
Optional Family Extension Activity
Encourage students to share their map project or essay topic with family members and collect oral histories about how their families’ relationship to land or community has changed over time.
Teacher Note
Guide students to consider multiple perspectives when interpreting maps, including Indigenous and community-based knowledge systems.
Technical Tip
When using digital maps or GIS tools, ensure students cite data layers and note the year, creator, and projection type of each source.