The work with the history of colonial America in the classroom imposes the necessity to expand the possibilities of studies and supports for the achievement of the teaching-learning process. The spaces offered in current contexts for exploring different perspectives on the formative processes of Ibero-American societies during the colonial period have been progressively constrained. Whether due to biases in teaching materials or due to the curricular insufficiency itself, the panorama of school studies of these sections in Brazil has not been the most favorable. In this sense, this dissertation explores potentials for didactic mobilization of specific image documentation for the teaching of American history. Based on the reflection on teaching practice in history, we seek to discuss possibilities for working with casta paintings (or mestizaje paintings) and their development through didactic approaches for conceptual performance in teaching colonial American history with 7th grade classes of the first segment of elementary school.