Spanish Colonization of the Americas Gold Glory God

Spanish Colonization of the Americas

Gold, Glory & God

Technology • Caravels • Lateen Sails • Astrolabe improvements • Compass

Portuguese • Colonize the east primarily • Also the Canaries and Madeiras – Sugarcane – plantation economy – African Slave Trade – Later taken over by the Spanish

Three Commonalities Between All Nations • • • Mercantilism (see map) – Intra-colonial trading system The Columbian Exchange – Disease killed 90% African Slave Trade (see map)

Christopher Columbus – (1492 – 1504) • Thought world was smaller than most believed – He was wrong • Queen Isabella supported him • Took four voyages • Reason to believe he knew he reached the new world

Treaty of Tordesillas - 1494

Hernan Cortes & Francisco Pizarro Conquers Aztecs – 1521 Conquers Incas - 1532 Established estates in New World Dies a wealthy man How was Cortes able to conquer so many with so few?

Economics of Spanish Colonies • • • Established plantations on W. Indian islands Silver & gold mines of Central and South America Both required manual labor

Pirates • • • Spanish transported lots of wealth Opened the door to privateers and eventually pirates Channel between Florida and the Bahamas was the best place to go after Spanish merchant ships – Spanish founded St. Augustine – 1565 – Oldest city in US

Labor System - Encomienda • Encomienda - The expedition commander would give trusteeship over parcels of land that land’s inhabitants to his conquistadores. – – – Encomiendero collected taxes from natives and force them to work Encomiendero would provide protection and Catholicism to the natives. Used on mainland

African Slavery • Used primarily on the islands of the Caribbean – Sugar, coffee, tobacco plantations – Native had died from disease

Colonial Government under Crown Control • Conquistador autonomy concerned the Spanish crown – Created two provinces: • • – • In Mexico - New Spain, In Peru - New Castile Each governed by a viceroy. Voice of the king All important decisions on colonial management came from Spain.

Caste System • • Peninsulars Creoles Mestizo Mulattoes

Bartolome de las Casas • Catholic Priest • Came to the Americas shortly after Columbus • Critic of the American conquest & encomienda system • Fought to preserve rights of Native Americans

De. Soto & Coronado • De Soto – unleashed violence through SE and Florida • Coronado – Unleashed violence through the Great Plains • The City of Cibola

Spanish in North America • Why did they not conquer periphery Indians (North America)?

New Mexico Colony • Santa Fe (1608) was founded as a religious colony – In the sticks – Little respect for Natives • Pueblo Indians were willing to add Christian beliefs

Pope’s Rebellion - 1680 • Pueblo Indians resent the Spanish – infringing on Pueblo culture – Disrespectful – Making natives second class citizens • Pueblos attack New Mexico settlements – Kill priests & settlers – Burned settlements • Set Spanish back in that area

Fall of the Spanish colonial Empire • • • Defeat of the Armada 1588 Centralized Control Increase in wealth caused inflation Exploitation colony Conversion efforts drew focus away from economic gains.