Early Latin America

BIG PICTURE “SNAPSHOT”

•Spanish and Spanish Reconquista- 1492- Led to conquering and conversion or expulsion of non-Catholics such as Jews or Muslims which led to political centralization and strong bureaucracies•With religious wars over Ferdinand and Isabella can now support Columbus’ project of expansion, legal ties between colonizers and crown ensue•Main method of conquest: Deception, violence, cruelty, destruction•Europe’s primary interest in the America’s: precious metals, although 80% production was agriculture; territorial expansion for political and economic power, imperialism•Social castes: Spanish/Portuguese, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Indians, Freed Blacks, Enslaved Blacks; but eventually castes become many because of miscegenation•Decline due to French, English, Dutch strengthening imperialistic power and declining infrastructure and foreign affairs in Spain and Portugal

Iberian Affairs Reconquest opens doors to unification of states

and political centralization Reconquest means that war for a Catholic Spain

and Portugal has ended so those expenses can be directed toward new goals, such as exploring the New World

Spain and Portugal heavily urban and bureaucratic, church hand in hand to state

Slaves in Iberian peninsula were held in contrast to most medieval Europe, extension of slavery to America built on this

Conquest 1492-1570: Conquest

Main lines of administration and economy set out

Diseases brought, new crops introduced, slaves 1570-1700: Consolidation and Maturity

Colonial institutions and societies took their definite form

18th Century: Reform and ReorganizationIntensified colonial relationships and planted

seeds of dissatisfaction and reform

Entre infinitas maldades que éste hizo e consintió hacer el tiempo que gobernó fué que, dándole un cacique o señor, de su voluntad o por miedo (como más es verdad), nueve mil castellanos, no contentos con esto prendieron al dicho señor e átanlo a un palo sentado en el suelo, y extendidos los pies pónenle fuego a ellos porque diese más oro, y él envió a su casa e trajeron otros tres mil castellanos; tórnanle a dar tormentos, y él, no dando más oro porque no lo tenía, o porque no lo quería dar, tuviéronle de aquella manera hasta que los tuétanos le saltaron por las plantas e así murió. Y destos fueron infinitas veces las que a señores mataron y atormentaron por sacarles oro.

Otra vez, yendo a saltear cierta capitanía de españoles, llegaron a un monte donde estaba recogida y escondida, por huir de tan pestilenciales e horribles obras de los cristianos, mucha gente, y dando de súbito sobre ella tomaron setenta o ochenta doncellas e mujeres, muertos muchos que pudieron matar. Otro día juntáronse muchos indios e iban tras los cristianos peleando por el ansia de sus mujeres e hijas; e viéndose los cristianos apretados, no quisieron soltar la cabalgada, sino meten las espadas por las barrigas de las muchachas e mujeres y no dejaron, de todas ochenta, una viva. Los indios, que se les rasgaban las entrañas del dolor, daban gritos y decían: "¡Oh, malos hombres, crueles cristianos!, ¿a las iras matáis?" Ira llaman en aquella tierra a las mujeres, cuasi diciendo: matar las mujeres señal es de abominables e crueles hombres bestiales.

Y cosa fué esta maravillosa, que iban los españoles a los pueblos donde hallaban las pobres gentes trabajando en sus oficios con sus mujeres y hijos seguros e allí los alanceaban e hacían pedazos. Y a pueblo muy grande e poderoso vinieron (que estaban descuidados más que otros e seguros con su inocencia) y entraron los españoles y en obra de dos horas casi lo asolaron, metiendo a espada los niños e mujeres e viejos con cuantos matar pudieron que huyendo no se escaparon.

Todos los demás mataban a lanzadas y a cuchilladas, echábanlos a perros bravos que los despedazaban e comían, e cuando algún señor topaban, por honra quemábanlo en vivas llamas.

A picture of Spanish Cruelty. Excerpts from Fray Bartholome de las Casas works. (To be explained in class)

The Caribbean Caribbean experience served Spain as a model for its actions elsewhere in

America. Hispaniola was established on Santo Domingo after Columbus’ landing in 1492. Puerto Rico 1508, Cuba 1511, and Panama 1513 followed. Encomienda begins- native Americans coercively work for Spanish and pay taxes in

order to receive instruction in Catholic faith and Spanish language Cities laid out on a grid with major church, town hall, governor’s palace in the central

plaza Administrative institutions such as governorship, treasury office, royal court of

appeals created Disease and conquest annihilate native peoples, depopulations of the laboring

population lead to room for more livestock and horses Friar Bartolome de las Casas wrote about the injustices of the Spanish men toward

the native Americans After dominion of world sugar markets, Paulistas, backwoodsmen found gold mines

in an interior regions called Minas Gerais (Genera mines), colony experiences boom Portugal had more control over its colonies than did Spain over their own

Spanish Latin America Requerimiento (Requirement)- justifies conquering

American Natives in order to convert them to Catholicism, claims sovereignty over Americas

Encomienda: treaty that enables holder to tax subject in exchange for a place to live

Taxes, taxes: paid to the Crown by everyone, paid to the Spanish officials in America by native Americans

Bureaucracy, titles could be bought and sold, only white men held titles

Caste system: Spaniards born in Spain, Creoles, Mestizos, American natives, blacks

Cities laid out on grid formats

American natives abused and exploited, coerced labor American native women sexually abused and exploited 1519- Hernan Cortes- Conquers Mexico, defeats Moctezuma II

and captures Aztec Tenochtitlan and establishes Mexico City 1532- Francisco Pizarro conquests the Inca empire, Cuzco capital

fell and Spanish built Lima. 1540- Francisco Vazquez de Coronado- conquests part of what is

now the U.S. All other Spanish conquest branches out from here Main exports: Precious metals, silver and gold, also maize, coffee,

tobacco, and later sugar cane Catholicism is official religion and it must be followed by law.

Heretics severe punishment, e.g. burn at stake, tied to a pillar naked, beaten , etc

Crown chooses officials at first but then colonies begin to become more independent although tied down by Spain’s strict trade regulations and taxes

Fleet system to transport riches to Spain, galleons

Portuguese Latin America Pedro Alvares Cabral- 1500: lands on Brazilian shore,

start colonization 30 years after Brazil is first great plantation colony of the Americas,

growing sugar with Native American and then African slaves

Pay taxes to Crown, bureaucracy, capitancies Cities laid out like a grid, Church, and government

institutions in the center plaza. Closer to plaza, more important, also in Spanish colonies

During most of the 1700’s Brazil held its position as the worlds leading sugar producer

Sugar production combines industry and agriculture and thus impulses the economy, calling for thousands of slaves and machinery

By the end of the 1700s 150,000 of Brazil’s 300,000 inhabitants were slaves

Brazil’s social hierarchy based on its plantation and slave origins: white planter families became aristocracy linked by political marriages to Portuguese officials. At the bottom, slaves, distinguished by their color and their status as property. However, growing middle class.

Like the Spanish encomiendas, the Portuguese mita mobilized thousands of native Americans to work in mines and on other projects

Portuguese Empire extended to Asia, Africa, and Brazil instead of being confined almost exclusively to the Americas like was Spain’s (exc. Philippines)

Unlike Spanish America, no printing presses or universities Discovery of gold leads to great gold rush. The decline in

agriculture because of this rush is checked by the government through slavery.

1763- Brazilian capital is moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro

Decline Increasing attacks on Iberian Empires by foreign rivals

Bourbon reforms in Spanish America○ Final Crisis: King Charles II of Spain dies and leaves no heir,

numerous claims by many people, Philip of Anjou, Bourbon, named successor, open door to France and England

○ Bourbons aimed to centralize and tighten government authority and control, unrest, allowed some monopolies, royal investigators, soon inflation and New World good undercut local goods, int’l trade decreased as diversity of economy decreased

Pombal reforms in Portuguese America○ Authoritarian prime minister, mercantilism, “enlightened

despotism” – tight control in order to “advance” the economy: state intervention in econ, suppression of groups and institutions that stand in the way of royal power (e.g. Jesuits), establishes monopolies, royal investigators, etc. Inflation

Spanish and Brazilian trade suffered because demand for its products on world market remained low and econ. Tied to their products sale on the European market and very controlled

Revolts

Tupac Amaru- Peru- revolts against the Spanish, rebellion against “bad government”

Comunero Revolt 1781 – revolt against taxes on tobacco and liquor consumption and new taxes, rebel army drives royal army out

Participants later brutally murdered by Spanish and Portuguese, mostly in public to discourage unrest.