LA LEYENDA DE CANTUÑA

Written by Verónica Moscoso
Genre Historical Fiction, Legend 
Spanish Easy Reader LEVEL ONE +
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RESOURCES are available for this tittle.

It is a historical fiction novella that takes place in the 16th century during the Spanish conquest, when the Inca civilization came to an end, and the countries that we now know as Latin America became Spanish colonies.

SUMMARY: Cantunña, the main character, is a child of Inca descent who survives the Spanish conquest by luck. He has to adapt to a new reality in which living like a Spaniard is the safest bet for him. He dresses, talks, and lives like a Spaniard, but he looks indigenous. He’s seen as an underdog by many, but his spirit of survival and his wits keep him alive.

This novella is written in the present tense and serves as an easy reader for mid-beginner and high-beginner students. While it is accessible for level one, it can also be effectively utilized at more advanced levels, including AP courses. The topics covered, such as Latin American history, colonialism, racism, diversity, Indigenous rights, and religion, encourage rich conversations.

Every chapter has a full glossary and an illustration. At the end of every chapter there is also a list of historical facts, for the reader to learn what parts of the story actually happened in reality.

Depicting the historical events and accompanying the facts section there are drawings by Felipe Guamaán Poma de Ayala, an indigenous chronicler who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries.

With about 170 unique words, 25 cognates, and plenty of repetition, the novella tells a 2,680-word story.

For resources to accompany this book, go to veromundo.store/leyenda/ to get a list of short videos, available online, that will help you enrich each chapter of the story with historical facts. The videos include an animated version of the legend. The list has a description of each video. There’s at least one for each chapter, plus suggestions and cultural information. The videos will help the readers learn about the Inca civilization, the Spanish conquest, and life during colonial times. At the same time, they’ll improve their Spanish by reading LA LEYENDA DE CANTUÑA.