Ch 3, Sec 3: Spain in America

Conquistadors• Spanish soldiers• Heard stories of gold, power, and new land• Inspired by the 3 G’s: Gold, God, and Glory• Explored the New World after Columbus

How did Conquistadors get land?

• Got grants from the Spain’s rulers to explore and create new settlements

• Promised to give the crown 1/5th of all wealth discovered

• Good deal for both sides:– Conquistador got to explore– Spain did not have to fund the expedition

Hernan Cortez• Landed in Mexico in 1519 (home of the

Aztecs)• Had 500 soldiers, horses, and cannon• Went to Tenochtitlan for gold• Formed alliances with Aztec enemies

Aztecs

• Hated by most groups in Mexico• Forced others to pay tribute to them– Hand over gold, clothes, food, slaves

• Aztec behavior led to the other groups to help Cortes defeat the Aztecs

Cortes goes to Tenochtitlan

• Welcomed by the king of the Aztecs-Montezuma

• Given a place to stay and anything that he wanted

• Took Montezuma prisoner

Aztecs rebel

• Aztecs lost faith in Montezuma• Rebelled against Cortes-forced from Tenochtitlan• Montezuma tried to quiet the crowd and was

killed by thrown stones– Nobody knows who killed Montezuma

• Aztecs had freedom for a year until Cortes attacked/took over the group for good in 1521

Francisco Pizarro

• Sailed down the Pacific Coast of South America

• Had 180 soldiers• Wanted to find/attack the Incan empire of

Peru

Pizarro in Peru

• Attacked the Incas during their civil war in 1532

• Disease/war weakened the Incas• Pizarro was able to capture Atahualpa, Incan

king, easily• Killed Atahualpa after a year– Led to the downfall of the Incas

Question

• How were the stories of Cortes and Pizarro similar to each other?

• How were they different?

Why did Spain Succeed?• Weapons-guns, cannon, and armor• Horses and dogs• Alliances with tribes to fight the Aztecs• Disease-3.5 million Aztecs died from Small Pox

alone

Juan Ponce de Leon

• First to explore North America (Florida 1513)• Wanted to find the Fountain of Youth• Founded St. Augustine, Florida as a fort

Cabeza deVaca

• Led an expedition to Florida in 1528• Moved his expedition towards Mexico

(through modern day AL, MS, LA, and TX)• Storm sunk 3 of 5 boats and was forced to

land• Walked through Southwest U.S. for 5 years

and finally made it back to Mexico– Spread stories of 7 Cities of Cibola

Effects of the stories of the 7 Cities of Cibola

• Inspired more explorers to go to North America

• Caused Southeastern coast to be explored• Increased new settlements• Hernando de Soto-explored the SE to the

Mississippi River• Francisco Coronado-explored the SW to

Kansas

Settlements in the Americas

• Pueblos-towns• Missions-religious centers with a town, farm

land, and church• Presidio-fort

Social Classes

• 1. Peninsulares-people born in Spain• 2. Creoles-people born in the New World

from two Spanish parents• 3. Mestizos-children of Spanish and Native

parents• 4. Native Americans• 5. Enslaved Africans

Encomienda

• Given to conquistadors from the king/queen• The right to demand taxes/labor from Native

Americans on their land• Turned natives into slaves

Bartolome de Las Casas• Spanish priest in the New World• Hated the abuse of natives• Spoke up for the natives• Got the New Laws passed-made slavery illegal

for natives

Farmers create a Plantation System

• Sent tobacco/sugar back to Spain– Labor intensive

• Needed to create plantations for their crops– Used natives for labor first– Las Casas suggested using Africans instead

• Start of the African slave trade to the Americas