A stolen ruby. A continent in revolt. CSI Latin American Revolutions: The Heart of Montoya turns students into historical investigators racing to solve a centuries-old mystery. Using authentic-style letters, diaries, and reports, students trace the missing “Heart of Montoya” through Mexico and South America’s wars for independence—crossing paths with Hidalgo, Morelos, San Martín, and Bolívar along the way. As they piece together evidence, they’ll uncover how rebellion, ambition, and chaos reshaped a continent.

Note: This activity is not just another "answer the questions disguised as a CSI". Students will be challenged to think like a detective and engage real historical thinking skills.

Choose your level of difficulty, easy or hard mode. Dates are provided in easy mode to make it easier to sequence without fully requiring students to reference multiple sources of information to discover the dates.
 
CSI Latin American Revolutions: The Heart of Montoya
Grade Level: 8–12
Duration: 2–3 class days
Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels: Investigate Analyzing, Evaluating
DOK 3

What’s Included:
History Cat articles: “Mexico’s War for Independence” and “Simón Bolívar and the Fight to Free South America.”
CSI Mission Packet: Engaging backstory, objectives, and setup for The Heart of Montoya case.
12 historical evidence cards: Mix of primary-style documents for students to sort chronologically.
Map investigation: Track the pendant’s movement across Latin America’s revolutionary hotspots.
Student chart: Organize clues by date, location, and key figures.
Teacher guide and answer key: Timeline key, discussion wrap-up, and mystery solution.

Skills Developed:
Sequencing and historical reasoning
Analyzing and interpreting historical evidence
Understanding cause and effect in revolutions
Evaluating multiple perspectives and motivations
DBQs, Building arguments from evidence
 
Perfect For:
Teachers seeking an interactive, story-based lesson that makes revolutions feel like a mystery to solve. Perfect for units on Latin American independence, inquiry-based learning, or collaborative classroom investigations.