Early Latin AmericaChapter 19

Disease Inferior Technology Civil unrest/disunity Superstition/belief in doomsday

Factors that contributed to the downfall of the Native Civilizations?

The Conquistadors

Hernan Cortés landed on the Mexican coast in 1519.

Cortés arranged alliances with discontented peoples who hated their Aztec overlords.

The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma, thought Cortés might be a god. He offered tribute to Cortés and welcomed him to Tenochtitlán.

When relations grew strained, the Aztecs drove the Spanish out of Tenochtitlán.

In 1521, Cortés returned and captured and demolished Tenochtitlán.

Francisco Pizarro arrived in Peru in 1532, just after the conclusion of a bloody civil war.

Helped by Indian allies, Pizarro captured the new king, Atahualpa, and killed thousands of his followers.

The Spanish then overran the Incan heartland.

CORTÉS IN MEXICO PIZARRO IN PERU

1

Which of the following countries did not have land claims in North America in 1675?

a) Spainb) Englandc) Franced) Portugal

Why did Moctezuma offer tribute to Cortés? a) Moctezuma hoped to open trading relations with the

Spanish.b) Moctezuma thought that Cortés might be a god. c) Moctezuma wanted to show his respect for Spanish

culture.d) Moctezuma wanted to show the Spanish the wealth

of the Aztec empire.

1

Quick Checks

1

Which of the following countries did not have land claims in North America in 1675?

a) Spainb) Englandc) Franced) Portugal

Why did Moctezuma offer tribute to Cortés? a) Moctezuma hoped to open trading relations with the

Spanish.b) Moctezuma thought that Cortés might be a god. c) Moctezuma wanted to show his respect for Spanish

culture.d) Moctezuma wanted to show the Spanish the wealth

of the Aztec empire.

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Quick Checks

Fancy word for Spain and Portugal Describe Portugal and Spain’s culture and

how it shaped colonies in the Americas…◦ Develop encomiendas system◦ Iberians had traditionally owned slaves from the

trans-Saharan trade routes◦ In process of Reconquesting Iberia…so very pro-

Catholic

Iberian Tradition

1492-1570◦ age of conquest; administration and economy

established 1570-1700

◦ colonial institutions and societies take form 1700s

◦ reform and reorganization Plants seeds of dissatisfaction and revolt

Three Phases of Conquest

Thoughts from the resident specialists?◦ Encomiendas given to conquerors of the region

Could use the Indians as workers/servants or could tax them harshly Had actually owed Inca/Aztec tributes, but they were

reasonable Spanish demands harsh, arbitrary, excessive, and do not

come with reciprocal obligations

Coercive Labor Systems

What role does Bartolome de Las Casas play?◦ “A Short Account of the

Destruction of the Indies”

◦ http://www.lehigh.edu/~ejg1/doc/lascasas/casas.htm

◦ By 1540s, begin moving away from encomiendas

Coercive Labor Systems

Force labor for state projects◦ Church construction, road building, mining,

agriculture, etc The Mining Industry

◦ Mita – forced labor in Peru, used to work the mines

◦ Paid for the work, but mistreated, many move away to seek employment in the cities Creates a wage labor system

Further Exploitation

Compare and contrast slavery versus coercive labor systems.

Or Compare and contrast North American and

South American labor systems…

Compare and Contrast

Ruling the Spanish Empire

Spain closely controlled economic activity, especially trade.

The Spanish grew sugar cane, which was grown on plantations and required large numbers of workers.

At first, the Spanish forced the Native Americans to work under brutal conditions.

Later, the colonists began shipping slaves from Africa to do their work.

The Church worked with the government to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Church leaders often served as royal officials.

Spanish missionaries forcibly imposed European culture over Native American culture.

Spain was determined to maintain strict control over its empire.

The empire was divided into five provinces, each of which was ruled by a viceroy.

The Council of the Indies helped pass laws for the colonies.

THE ECONOMY

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

GOVERNMENT

In the 1500s, Spain claimed a vast empire stretching from California to South America.

2

Begins as a trade factory Shifts to plantation agriculture Becomes the first great plantation colony

◦ Will serve as a model for other European colonies in the Caribbean

Create a bureaucratic structure that integrated the colony within an imperial system

Jesuits play a contributing role; cattle ranches and sugar mills help support the construction of churches and schools and create a network of missions for Native Ams

Brazil

1695 – gold strikes occur in the interior mountains Gold Rush! Waves of 5000 people a year pour in from Portugal Towns develop 1735-1760 – height of production (3 tons a

year!...Brazil becomes the greatest source of gold in the Western world)

Diamonds also discovered Effects?

◦ Disastrous for the indigenous population◦ Catalyzes expansion of slavery◦ Rio de Janeiro – port closest to the mines; major growth

Golden Brazil

Colonial Society In Spanish America, the mix of diverse people gave rise to a new social structure.Supposedly two republics one of the “Spaniards” one of the “Indians”

◦Only Indians pay tributeMiscegenation and slavery will cause the development of multiple racesNot just racial distinctions in society; also ones based on wealth and occupation

Peninsulares, people born in Spain, were at the top of society.

Creoles, American-born descendents of Spanish settlers, were next.

Mestizos were people of Native American and European descent.

Mulattoes were people of African and European descent. Native Americans and people of African descent formed the lowest social classes.Slave owners often had female slaves as mistresses and freed their mulatto children

2

Colonial Culture

The blending of Native American, African, and European peoples and traditions resulted in a new American culture.

Colonial cities were centers of government, commerce, and European culture.

To meet the Church’s need for educated priests, the colonies built universities.

Although Spanish culture was dominant in the cities, the blending of diverse traditions changed people’s lives throughout the Americas.

2

Bourbon Reforms through “Englightened Despotism”◦ Sets up a French-based intendant system in the Indies

Improves tax collection, gov’t more effective◦ Many reforms linked directly to defense and military issues

Spain still in a power struggle with England and France◦ Active role in the economy

State monopolies of essentials – tobacco and gunpowder◦ Mining inspectors and experts are set to Peru and New

Spain to suggest reforms and introduce new techniques◦ Restructuring of gov’t and economy helps revive the

Spanish Empire

Reforms

Portuguese – Marquis of Pombal (PM and another “Enlightened Despot”)◦ Fiscal reforms to eliminate contraband, gold

smuggling and tax evasion◦ Monopoly companies to stimulate agriculture in

older plantation zones◦ Allow large importation numbers of slaves◦ New crops introduced◦ Rio de Janeiro becomes the capital◦ Main products? Cotton, wild caco, sugar, tobacco

and hides

Reforms

By mid-1700s the Span and Port colonies have major population growth and productive capacities◦ Declining mortality rates +◦ Increasing fertility levels +◦ Increasing immigration from Europe +◦ A thriving slave trade =◦ All equal reasons for population growth

Population Booms

Reformist policies, tighter tax collection and more activist gov’ts in Span Am and Brazil:◦ Disrupt old patterns of power and influence◦ Raise expectations◦ And provoke violent colonial reactions

Complaints focus on gov’t control of tobacco and liquor consumption, rising prices, new taxes, etc

Communero Revolt in New Granada 1781 Tupac Amaru – led a native uprising in Peru (he’s

executed, but it drags on for a few years) Brazil – a group plotting an uprising is caught and

punished before it even occurs

Sparks

Land Claims in the Americas About 1750

3

SPIRITE for early Latin America◦ May need to differentiate from Spanish and

Portuguese at times Compare and Contrast North and South

American Colonies

Your two tasks…