Spain and the Americas

J.A.SACCO

Causes of Colonization

Religious freedom Find gold/silver Establish empires for the mother nation Government persecution Expand a nations economy abroad

Second chance in life

Spain vs. Portugal

Early Exploration/Colonization led by two nations- Spain and Portugal

Conflict prevented by Pope Alexander VI in the Treaty of Tordesillas (1493)

Spain Portugal*given claims to New World *given claims to Brazil

and trade routes east

Treaty of Tordesillas

The “Conquistadores”

Who were the “conquistadores”?

Hernando De Soto (1539-1541)

Mississippi River In search of riches

Hernan Cortes (1521)

Destruction of the Aztec empire

Seeking slave labor for Cuba/riches of the region

Built capital of New Spain over the ruins of Tenochtitlan

“We Spaniards know a sickness of the heart that only gold can cure.”

Francisco Pizarro (1533)

Overthrew the Incas in Peru Seeking riches in region Took King Atahualpa hostage-

later executed

Francisco Coronado (1540-1542)

SW of what was to become the United States-Grand Canyon

New Spain

Effects of Spanish Colonization

Columbian Exchange

Effect of Spanish Colonization

Disease

Large supply of silver Built “presidios”- forts for protection/also served

as trade posts

Effect of Spanish Colonization

Missions to spread Roman Catholicism/Eur. Culture Led by Franciscan priest Junipero Serra Built missions in San Diego/San Francisco Teach the Pueblo people Catholicism and European culture Often used violence to those who resisted those teachings

The Encomienda System

New social system established by the Spainish based on the feudal system of the Middle Ages

What is the feudal system?

The Encomienda System

Title of “encomendero” given as a reward to control Native American villages.

Encomendero Native AmericansEncomendero protect Native Americans/convertto Christianity

Pay to encomendero part of what is produced

The Encomienda System and Social Status

Social Order

Peninsulares

Sp. Born-high gov’t and church positions

Criollos

Born in colonies of Sp. Parents.Wealthy but not become Peninsulares.

Mestizos

Mixed Sp.andNat. Amer.Merchants, artisans,Shopkeepers.Mostly poor.

Labor

Nat.Amer. andAfrican ancestry. Provide labor.

Government in Spanish America

Council of the Indies Advisory board of King Special court- audencia were administrators

and lawmakers Organized around viceroyalties- each

governed by a viceroy

Economy of Spanish America

Not based on gold but silver Climate very dry- not grow crops but could

raise large herds of cattle and sheep Huge ranches called haciendas/ led by a

vaqueros (cowboy)

The “encomienda” process illustrated in the map abovea. triggered extensive demographic and social change.b. ended American Indian resistance.c. changed American Indian beliefs on the environment.d. led to the development of a hunter–gatherer economy.

The most devastating impact of the Spanish conquest and exploration wasa. American Indian resistance and conflict.b. the subjugation of American Indians.c. the forced conversion of natives to Christianity.d. the spread of deadly epidemics.

Which of the following Spanish imperial goals were least advanced by the conquest and exploration illustrated above?a. Enlarging the Spanish empireb. Gaining new sources of wealthc. Shifting from feudalism to capitalismd. Converting natives to Christianity