The Spanish and the Native AmericansUS History

Spanish and the Native Americans• Main Idea:• Spanish rule in the Americas had terrible consequences for Native

Americans.

• Why It Matters Now:• The destruction of Native American cultures created social problems

that continue today.

Key Terms and Names

• Viceroyalty• Encomienda• Hacienda• mission

• Popé• Plantation• Bartolomé de Las Casas• Columbian Exchange

Spanish Colonies in the AmericasBy 1700, Spain controlled much of the Americas.

Two major steps to Govern the colonies:

1. Divided into two provinces:• New Spain• Peru

2. Built new roads to transport goods and people• Moved soldiers quickly• Improved the economy, materials could be moved to

the coast and sent more efficiently to Spain.

Each province was called a viceroyalty, the top official was called the viceroy

Life in Spanish America

Spanish

Creoles

Mestizos

Native Americans &

Enslaved Africans

Natives and Enslaved Africans were at the bottom of the social class system .

The Role of the Church

Missions- settlements that included a church, a town, and farmlands.

• The goal: to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

The presence of the missions also increased Spanish control over the land.

Sugar Plantations Develop

Plantations- Large farms that produced cash crops.

Sugar cane- Brought to the Caribbean from Europe.

The Spanish forced the Natives to work on plantations.

CoffeeTobacco

The Abuse of Native Americans

Bartolomé de Las Casas-

“[The Spanish] do nothing but command. They are drones who suck the honey which is made by the poor bees, the Indians.”

-Fray Toribio de Benavente, Catholic missionary

Many Spanish treated the Native Americans as nothing more than beasts of burden.

Received an encomienda, but faced a dilemma: How could a person serve God and Enslaved Natives at the same time?

Gave up his encomienda, fought against the abuse of Native Americans, and earned the title “protector of the Indians”

The Columbian ExchangeThe Columbian Exchange- The movement of plants, animals, and diseases between eastern and western hemispheres.

Diseases:• Smallpox• Measles• Influenza• Malaria

Estimates that 20 million Natives were killed by European disease in the first century after contact.

• European livestock was brought to the Americas, and thrived:Cattle, pigs, horses

• Crops from the Americas were brought to Europe:Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, peanuts, tobacco

Positive Benefits:

The Columbian Exchange