Name:

Exploring European Colonial Heritage Sites in North America

Directions: The early European explorers and settlers brought their home culture and heritage to
their new land. We can see this in the sites they left behind. Find two historical sites built by each of the
colonial powers—Spain, France, and England (so 6 sites total). Write a brief description (one to two
paragraphs) of each location. You will fill in the table below with the information as you find it.
Use the internet and any text resources available to you to complete this activity.
As you write your descriptions, include the following information:
• the name of the heritage site
• the location
• a physical description of the site (what it looks like)
• special features
• the time period in which it was built
• who built it
• the reason it was built
• its relevance to the heritage of the colonists (how it exemplifies their heritage)
Use the details you find to fill the table. An example has already been filled in for you.

No. Colonizin Locatio Site Description

g Country n Name
Example Spain San San The San Antonio Missions are a group of mission
Antonio, Antonio complexes located near the San Antonio River basin in
TX Missions southern Texas. There are five such complexes spread
along the basin. They date back to the early eighteenth
century. The colonizing Spaniards built many such
religious complexes to support their efforts to convert
American Indians and make them citizens of Spain. The
complexes also served as defense structures. The missions
served the local Catholic Spanish settlers.
1. Spain
2. Spain
3. England
4. England
5. France
6. France