“The Spanish Encounter” - PowerPoint Presentation

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“The Spanish Encounter” A profound ‘event’

“The biggest population shift of modern times has been the colonization of the New World by the Europeans, and the resulting conquest, numerical reduction, or complete disappearance of most of Native Americans…”

-

Jared Diamond,

Guns, Germs, and Steel

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Peoples of the Americas ~1492 C.E.

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1491: Europeans v. AmericansEurope: about

60 million people

(80 million before the Black Plague)

Americas

: population estimates range from 10 million to over 100 million. Many scholars take a mid-point of about

50-60 million people

Aztec Empire 6-10 million

Inca Empire: 10 million

Caribbean 225,000-6 million (probably on the higher end)

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REASONS FOR COLONIZATION AND EXPLORING THE NEW WORLD

Europeans are searching for a trade route to Asia for spices and silk

Christopher Columbus reaches the West Indies, a chain of islands near the Americas on October 12, 1492

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Voyages of Columbus

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THE SPANISH:GOD

Spanish fought for hundreds of years against the Moors, Islamic rulers of Spain since 711 AD

For the Spanish it is a “Holy War” against non-Christians

The Spanish believe that it is their duty to spread Christianity to the world

When the Spanish conquer Native Americans they must be converted

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THE SPANISH: GOLD

Both the Incas and Aztecs have gold

The Spanish want gold in a big way to enrich themselves and pay for expansion of their empire

Spain is competing with other European countries

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THE SPANISH:GLORY

The Spanish come from a warlike tradition (hundreds of years of warfare against the Moors)

Spain is not a wealthy country and Spanish conquistadors are willing to take great risks to make a name and fortune for themselves in the New World

Many conquistadors are lower level nobles without an inheritance

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The Fall of Aztec & Inca Empires

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Spanish advantages

Superior

and

intimidating

weapons

horses, guns, ships, steel

Divide and conquer; conflict

in both Aztec and Inca empiresSubjects who were taxed heavily, treated badlyFought to kill vs. to capture

(particularly Aztecs)

Germs

--Incas

already reduced by

smallpox and

civil

war, Aztec resistance is undermined by smallpox and other diseases.

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HERNANDO CORTES

In 1519, Hernando Cortes lands at Vera Cruz, Mexico with 600 soldiers

Cortes destroys the Aztec empire in 1521

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The Incan EmpireWhat do we know?

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Peoples of the Americas ~1492 C.E.

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The Incan Empire

Theocratic Empire:

The ruler could only come from a family believed to be descended from the sun god.

Ruled over the largest empire in the Americas: 16 million people.

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The Incan EmpireMaster builders and engineers.

Didn’t use the wheel

Llamas don’t pull plows.

Built by hand.

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Incan Labor system

The

Mita

System:

All able bodied people had to work for the state

for a certain number of days every year.

In exchange, the

state supported old and sick people. The state would send potatoes to areas that had poor harvests.

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Incan road system14,000 miles of roads.

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Atahualpa v. Francisco Pizzaro

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Spanish defeat the IncasIn 1532

Francisco Pizarro

at the head of fewer than 200 Spaniards entered the Inca Empire, ambushes the Incas at

Carjamarca

and kidnapped the

Inca emperor Atahualpa

.

Atahualpa offered to fill a room once with gold and twice with silver in exchange for his release. After the Spaniards received the ransom, they strangled Atahualpa. The Spanish then took control of the Inca capital, Cuzco, and ultimately the defeated the Incas in a series of battles

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Atahualpa captured

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Indians were not conquered immediately

Resistance to Spanish continued for 40 years, until 1572. Incas defeated Spanish several times in battle.

Incas adapted tactics to counter Spanish military advantages

Some Indians (Argentina and Chile) were not defeated until the late 1800s

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After the death of the Inca, several of Atahualpa's generals took matters into their own hands. Quizquiz was especially notable for resisting the Spaniards at 

Cuzco

, and

Ruminahui

burned Quito rather than let it fall into enemy hands. Nevertheless, the Spaniards were irrepressible, and within two years were seemingly in firm control. However, one of the "puppet" Incas that the Spaniards had enthroned was plotting against them. In 1536

Manco

Inca

Yupanqui, one of the many brothers of Atahualpa and Huascar, led over 100,000 Incan warriors in a revolt against the Spanish overlords. He besieged the city of Cuzco for over six months and killed one of the Pizarro brothers before being driven away by Spanish reinforcements.

Manco

Inca escaped and formed a rebel colony deep in the mountains which was not conquered by the Spanish for almost forty years.

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The Great Dying By 1650, only 5-8 million indigenous people remained

A 90-95% reduction in population of the Americas in 150 years

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Population of Mexico

after Spanish Encounter

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TreasureSpain soon became the richest, most powerful nation in the world due to the American colonies.

2 main areas of silver production-Mexico (Zacatecas) and Potosi (Peru)

In the 1500s, Spain extracted the equivalent of about $1.5 trillion (in 1990s $) in gold and silver from the Americas.

This

new found wealth helped usher in the ‘Golden Age’ of

Spain

and made Spain the wealthiest nation in Europe

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Silver: The first truly global commodity

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Potosi-Cerro Rico “Rich Hill” 8 million dead

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Mercantilism

Economic nationalism to build a wealthy and powerful state, especially in Europe 1600-1800.

Maintain strict government control of trade

Get as much gold, silver and other resources as you can

Establish a

favorable balance of trade

at the expense of other nations

Get colonies and exploit them.

Build a big navy

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The Columbian Exchange

In your opinion, what are the

two most important organisms

that were involved in the Columbian Exchange?

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Birth of Spanish AmericaSpanish POV

Spanish forced Indians to become Christians

Indians also forced to work the fields, clear forests, and work in the gold and silver mines

If the Indians did not submit they were punished and killed

Some Spaniards took Indian women as wives, their children known as mestizos (“mixed”)

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Birth of Spanish America Indios POV

Indigenous people who survived adapted to Spanish rule:

Spanish language

Adopted Christianity (but with local influences)

Women intermarried with Spanish (

mestizos

)

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EncomiendaLabor system—Indians “awarded “ to Spanish landowners

indigenous labor for construction, servants, agricultural work, mining

Harsh working conditions, contributed to decline in Indian populations.

System fostered concentrated ownership of land. Cortes awarded 7,700 square miles of land in Mexico = almost 5 million acres.

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Opposition to Spanish ruleSpanish priests accompanied Spanish conquistadors and worked to spread Christianity in the Americas.

Many of they also pushed for a better treatment of Native Americans, speaking out against the cruelty towards the natives.

They criticized the

encomienda

system.

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Bartolome de las Casas

“There is nothing more detestable or cruel than the tyranny which the Spaniards use toward the Indians for getting of riches.”

Las

Casas

suggested the use of African labor.

“

The labor of one is more valuable than that of four Indians.” The Spaniards soon began to import Africa slaves to meet their growing labor needs.

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De las Casas

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The Colonial Class System

Peninsulares

Creoles

Mestizos

Mulattos

Native Indians

Black Slaves

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Coiote

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Casta system

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Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade