European Colonization of South America

Mr. HardyRMS IB Middle School

2013-2014

• La Isabella, first Spanish Colony established by Columbus in 1493.

• Located in present day Dominican Republic

• Colony of Santo Domingo founded in 1496.

• By 1508, 10,000 Spaniards were living there.

Spanish Colonies

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

• 1510 founded first European settlement on the mainland of the Americas in present day Panama.

• The colony, called Santa María la Antigua del Darién, lasted only until 1524 when it was burned by Indians.

• 1511, Spanish establish a colony on the island of Cuba.

• The Spanish massacre thousands of local people while conquering the island.

Spanish Colonies

In 1493, the Pope issued orders for the Spanish to convert all the pagans of theNew World to Catholicism. To convert them, many were burned alive. This was the start of the very cruel treatment of the Native Americans by the Spanish.

The Spanish Arrive in Mexico

• April 21, 1519, 11 Spanish ships arrive off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, having set sail from the Spanish colony in Cuba

• The force of 550 soldiers and 16 horses, (the first ever

in North America) is under the command of Hernan Cortes.

Hernan CortesConquistador

• Born in 1485 in Spain, Cortes was a university law student, when he dropped out in 1504 and moved to Santo Domingo to seek his fortune in the new world as a conquistador.

• Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers and explorers who came to the new world to seek glory and wealth.

• 1511 – Participated in the Spanish conquest of Cuba, where he became known for his bravery and daring.

The Campaign Against the Aztec• The lavish gifts of the Aztec king,

Montezuma, and his warnings to Cortes to stay away, only fueled the Spanish desire to conquer the city.

• Upon arrival in the city, the Spanish were impressed with the grandeur and riches of the Aztec capital, but horrified by the barbarism and cruelty of the Aztecs.

• Cortes immediately decided to put a stop to the cannibalism and human sacrifice and end the reign of a tyrant.

• During 1520 and 1521 Cortes and his army fought against the Aztec, totally defeating them.

Why did the Spanish Win?• The Spanish had a much smaller

force, so why did they win?• Superior technology, steel

weapons, guns, artillery, horses, steel armor.

• Indian allies – The Aztecs were so hated, it was easy for the Spanish to recruit the help of other Indians.

• Disease – European diseases, particularly small pox, devastated the Aztec population

• Following the example of Cortes, Spanish conquistador Fernando Pizarro led an expedition to conquer the powerful Inca Empire in South America.

• 1530-1532 Pizarro’s expedition fought along the frontier of the Incan Empire.

• 1532- Pizarro and a force of about 180 men captured the Inca Emperor, Atahualpa

Conquest of the Inca

Hoping the Spanish will go away, Atahualpa offers Pizarro a room full of gold, if they will leave. Pizarro agreed, but instead had Atahualpa executed.

By 1541, the Spanish have a vast empire stretching from present day California and Florida, to Chile.

Life in the Spanish Colonies

• Spanish Class System• Peninsulare – Born in Spain. Held High Positions• Criollos – Spaniards born in the colonies. Often

wealthy, they could not hold government offices.• Mestizos – People of Spanish and Indian heritage.

They were poor and without power. • Africans and Indians – these people were at the

bottom and held no power. They were usually slaves.

Life in the Spanish Colonies

• The Encomienda SystemThe Encomienda System was an economic system set up by the

Spanish to make Spain wealthy off its colonies. Under this system, Indians did all the work, like mining, farming, and ranching for Spanish landlords. The Indians were poor, starving, and essentially slaves. The Spanish however grew extremely rich of the gold, silver, coffee, sugar cane, and other crops the Indians grew for them.

As thousands of Indians died from starvation, murder, and disease, the Spanish began to import Africans as slaves to do much of the work for them.

Pedro Alvares CabralIn 1500, Portuguese Sea Captain, Pedro Alvares Cabral is leading a 13 ship fleet to India from Portugal, when he goes off course, and discovers Brazil.

Cabral

BRAZILBrazil would become the largest and most important colony in South America

• The first permanent settlement was set up by the Portuguese in 1532.

• The city of Sao Salvador was established in 1549.

• The sugar cane industry soon became increasing important, which led to the importation of millions of slaves from Africa.

Sugar Cane farms in Brazil made the Portuguese rich.

Africans Shape Brazilian Culture Slavery In Brazil• More slaves were sent to Brazil than to any

other colony in South or North America. • In Brazil, slave had many more rights than in

North America. • Slaves could marry.• Slaves had to be baptized.• Slave families could not be broken up for sale.• Slaves had many days on which they could

either rest or earn money to buy their freedom.

• The Government encouraged the granting of freedom of slaves.

• The Portuguese accepted the African slaves as humans, not as chattel, or property.

• “ In short: the Brazilian slave knew he was a man, and that he differed in degree, not in kind, from his master”

BRAZIL

The European Colonies in The New World

REVOLUTIONS and INDEPENDENCEInspired by the success of the American and French Revolutions of the late 18th century, between 1810 and 1826 almost all the Spanish colonies in South America revolted against Spanish rule and became independent. Simon Bolivar a Venezuelan General and Jose de San Martin, an Argentine general led the independence revolutions to free the South American colonies from Spain.Brazilians declared independence from Portugal in 1822, and Dom Pedro I, the son of the Portuguese king was declared emperor.