Spain in America 2.3. The Conquest of Mexico Conquistadors Gold & silver 1519 Cortes arrives...

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