The Columbian Exchange: A Trading Simulation
Topic Overview
Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro: the fall of the Aztec and Inca empires.
Key Questions
- ?How were small groups of Spaniards able to conquer massive empires?
- ?What was the impact of European diseases on indigenous populations?
- ?How should we evaluate the legacy of Christopher Columbus today?
About the Methodology
Students participate in a structured simulation of a historical event or process. Each student or group has a role with specific goals, resources, and constraints. Decisions have consequences that unfold over rounds. Develops strategic thinking, empathy, and understanding of complex systems.
Fun Factor
Peak Energy Moment
Round 1 consequences reveal — the moment when American groups learn that trading with Europeans gave them smallpox and their population drops 40%. The gasps, protests, and cries of 'That's not fair!' are visceral and historically authentic.
The Surprise
The hidden vulnerability cards. Groups don't know what's coming until consequences are revealed. European groups feel powerful, then guilty. American groups feel betrayed. The African group faces an impossible moral choice about the enslaved people tokens.
What to Expect
After Round 1 consequences, the room erupts. American groups demand renegotiation. European groups look uncomfortable. By Round 3, the power imbalance is so stark that students are emotionally invested in the injustice. The debrief question 'How did it FEEL?' produces the most honest discussion of the year.
Mission Timeline
Academic Standards
Spark
3 min • Scenario
Read Aloud
Project this: "It's 1493. Columbus has just returned to Spain with news of a 'New World.' Two continents that have been separated for 12,000 years are about to collide. Plants, animals, diseases, ideas, and people will cross the Atlantic in both directions. Some of you will prosper. Some of you will be devastated. None of you will remain unchanged." "Welcome to the Columbian Exchange."
Teacher Notes
Read this dramatically. The simulation works best when students feel the weight of what's about to happen. This is not just a trading game — it's a simulation of one of the most consequential events in human history.
Briefing
4 min
You're going to be divided into 5 groups. Each group represents a civilization. You'll each start with resources unique to your continent — crops, animals, technology, and (hidden from you) diseases. Over 3 rounds of trading, you'll exchange resources with other groups. Your goal is to improve your civilization's score. But here's the catch: some "trades" will come with consequences you don't expect. After each round, I'll reveal what happened as a result of your trades.
Group Formation
Divide into 5 groups of ~6 students:
- •Group 1: Spain
- •Group 2: England
- •Group 3: Aztec Empire
- •Group 4: Inca Empire
- •Group 5: West African Kingdom
Give each group their starting resource envelope.
Materials Needed
- •5 resource envelopes (pre-made, see printable materials below)
- •Trading log sheet (one per group)
- •Consequence cards (teacher holds these — revealed after each round)
- •Civilization score tracker on board
Action
30 min • 100% Physical
Setup (3 min): Each group opens their resource envelope and reads their civilization card. They have: resource tokens (crops, animals, minerals, technology), a population counter, and a hidden "vulnerability" card they don't show other groups.
ROUND 1 — First Contact (7 min): Groups may send 1-2 "emissaries" to other groups to propose trades. Each group can make up to 3 trades this round. Record all trades on the trading log. European groups have an advantage: they can also "demand" trades (simulating power imbalance).
Let unequal dynamics play out naturally. If an American group protests unfair trades, that IS the point. Note their reactions for the debrief.
ROUND 1 CONSEQUENCES (3 min): Reveal consequence cards. European groups that traded with American groups: "You received tomatoes, potatoes, and corn — your population grows +20%." American groups that traded with Europeans: "You received horses and steel — but also smallpox. Your population drops by 40%." Read the historical context.
This is the emotional turning point. Give students a moment to process. The American groups will be upset — that reaction is authentic and historically meaningful.
ROUND 2 — Intensifying Exchange (7 min): New round of trading. European groups are now stronger. American groups must decide: resist trade (and miss out on horses/tools) or continue trading (and risk more consequences). African group begins trading enslaved people tokens if approached by Europeans — they can refuse, but Europeans offer powerful incentives.
ROUND 2 CONSEQUENCES (3 min): Reveal new consequences. European groups gain sugar and tobacco — economy booms. American groups face forced labor and cultural disruption. African group loses population but gains firearms — which creates internal conflicts.
ROUND 3 — The New World Order (5 min): Final round. By now, the power imbalance is stark. European groups can dictate terms. What do the other groups do? This round is more about decisions than trading.
Final Consequences & Score Reveal (2 min): Show final civilization scores. European civilizations have dramatically increased their wealth and population. American civilizations have been devastated. African civilizations are mixed — some gains, major losses. Show the real historical population data.
If things go sideways
- ▸If European groups feel guilty about "unfair" trades: "That discomfort is important. Europeans in 1500 didn't have the concept of equal trade with non-Christian peoples. Stay in the simulation."
- ▸If American groups refuse to trade at all: "That's a valid historical choice — some indigenous groups did resist. But isolation had costs too. What are they?"
- ▸If the African group is uncomfortable with the slavery element: "This is difficult — and it should be. We're simulating something horrific that really happened. Focus on WHY it happened and what pressures each group faced."
- ▸If any group is disengaged: Give them a "crisis card" — an event that forces a decision (drought, internal rebellion, disease outbreak).
Differentiation Tips
- ▸For advanced students: Assign them leadership roles within groups — they must make the trade decisions.
- ▸For struggling students: Give them the "recorder" role — tracking trades on the log sheet keeps them engaged without pressure to negotiate.
- ▸For sensitive students: Brief them beforehand about the slavery element. Offer an alternative role (observer/journalist who documents what happens) if needed.
Debrief
8 min
Discussion Questions
- 1
How did it FEEL when the consequences were revealed? European groups — did you feel uncomfortable with your advantages? American groups — did the simulation feel unfair? It was. That's the point.
- 2
At what point in the simulation did you realize the exchange was not equal? What does this tell us about the real Columbian Exchange?
- 3
The Columbian Exchange brought potatoes to Europe (ending famines) and horses to the Americas (transforming indigenous life). Were there genuine benefits alongside the devastation? How do we hold both truths?
Exit Ticket
In one sentence: Who "won" the Columbian Exchange — and what did they win it at the cost of?
Connection to Next Lesson
Next class, we'll look at the long-term consequences: how colonization created the modern world, and how its effects are still felt today.