spain in america 2.3. the conquest of mexico conquistadors gold & silver 1519 cortes arrives...
TRANSCRIPT
Spain in America
2.3
The Conquest of Mexico
• Conquistadors
• Gold & silver
• 1519 Cortes arrives
• 1521 Aztecs conquered
• Cortes & Spain gold
Conquest of Peru
• 1533 Pizarro
• Silver for Pizarro & Spain
Why Spain Won
• Superior weapons & animals
• Aztec neighbors helped
• Small pox
Justification for Conquest
• Cultural superiority
• History of crusades
• Papal order dividing the New World
• Mission to spread Catholicism– Heathenism– Protestantism 1517
Exploration of NA
• 1513 Ponce de Leon– Florida– gold & The Fountain of Youth– 1565 St. Augustine
The Seven Cities of Gold
• “Cibola”
• 1528-1536 De Vaco & Estevanico
• DeSoto 3yrs– Florida & SE– Violent– Buried in MS River
• Coronado– N. Mexico, AZ, NM– 1540 Zuni– No gold– CO River to KS– Buffalo
Devastation of Indian Communities
• Mobile communities 100’s of people
• Spread disease
• Later colonizers will find native settlements gone
Conquistador Rule
• Demand tax & labor
• Natives worked to death in the mines
• Cruel
Indian Labor
• Gold & sliver mines
• Haciendas
Spain & Indians
• 2 agendas– Saving souls– Exploit labor
• Restraints on abuse– Pope ban on Indian
enslavement 1537– Las Casas’s
Destruction of the Indies
Colonial Govt
• Curb conquistador aggression
• Est. top-down royal govt
• Social composition– Young men, laborers, craftsmen, soldiers– Govt officials, priests, professionals, minor
aristocrats
• The New Laws 1542– banning native slavery– encomienda system – free forced labor
• Continued abuse– repartimiento system – involuntary paid labor– African slaves
Plantation System
• Large farms in NA
• Tobacco & sugar in West Indies
• Native labor then 1500’s African slaves
Spanish Settlement
• Pueblos
• Missions
• Prisidio
• 1598 New Mexico founded– Cattle & horses– 1607 Santa Fe capitol of Providence
Spanish Settlements
Spanish Society
• 4 Classes– Peninsulares– Creoles– Mestizos– Native American & African Slaves
Southwest
• NM, TX, CA
• 1542 Spain claims CA
• 1769 missions CA– Natives farm & maintain mission
• Changes to native life– Traditions bad– Christian farmers now
Impact of Native Societies on Empire
• Mestizos
• Hybrid culture– 1531 Virgin of Guadalupe
Black Legend
• Spain’s image as uniquely brutal & exploitive– Based on conquistadors & Las Casas writings
• Justify other European powers to challenge Spain for New World control