Spain Builds and American Empire
Chapter 20
Section 1
Spain Builds and American Empire
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1492- seeking an alternate trade route to Asia, Christopher Columbus
“discovers” America and accidently brings together peoples of the
Americas, Europe and Africa
His main interest was the gold found there and upon returning to Spain
talked of the treasures he found and embarked on a second voyage
Spain’s rulers financed three more trips with more men and ships and
began to found colonies (lands controlled by another nation)
1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed modern day Brazil for Portugal
1501: Amerigo Vespucci discovers that the land is a “New World”, not
Asia.
1519 Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the southern end of South America
and across the Pacific (along the way claiming the Philippines for Spain)
In 1522 when they returned to Spain only 18 men and one ship were left,
first voyage to circumnavigate the globe
First Encounters
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Pedro Alvares Cabral- A Portuguese explorer who
claimed Brazil for Portugal
Ferdinand Magellan’s Mission
Circumnavigates the World 1519 - 1521
Spain Builds an American Empire
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Spanish were first European explorers
and settlers of the Americas
Made Spain a very wealthy country
and their culture influenced the cultures
of North and South America that exists
today
Spanish explorers known as
conquistadors came to the Americas to
follow rumors of gold and silver
They stayed and carved out colonies in
regions that would become Mexico,
South America and the United States
Spain Builds an American Empire
Spanish Conquests in Mexico
 1519 Hernando Cortes and 600 men landed in
Mexico
 They heard of wealthy Aztec empire and its capital
Tenochtitlan
 Cortes marched inland and was welcomed by the
Aztec emperor Montezuma, who thought the
Spaniards were gods
 Aztecs soon figured out the intentions of Cortes and
drove the Spaniards out of the capital
 1521 Cortes and the Spaniards defeated the Aztecs
even though they were greatly outnumbered
 Reasons for Spanish victory
a)
Made allies with groups that did not like Aztecs.
b)
Spanish had superior weapons and horses.
c)
Diseases like measles, smallpox, typhus; that the
Native Americans had no natural immunity.
Effects of Old World Disease
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Native Americans had no natural
resistance to diseases that were
common in Europe Asia and Africa
Killed up to 90% of Native
American population across North
and South America within the first
100 years of European contact
Made it easier for Europeans to
conquer the Americas because
Native American did not have the
numbers to resist
Caused fear and confusion among
native groups
When many European explorers
reached new areas they found
empty villages and towns
Spain Builds an American Empire
Spanish Conquest in Peru
 1532- Francisco Pizarro takes army
of 200 into the heart of the huge
Incan empire in South America
 They kidnap their ruler Atahualpa
and demand a ransom of gold
(even though the Inca had an army
of 30,000), after they received
their gold they strangled the Inca
king
 This demoralized the Inca people
and the Spaniards quickly seized
control of their empire
Machu Picchu: Lost City of the Incas
Spain Builds an American Empire
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By the middle of the 1500’s Spain had created a
huge American empire
Drew from techniques learned during the
reconquista (when the Spanish drove the Muslims
from Spain)
Spanish imposed their culture on the people they
conquered in the Americas
Most Spanish settlers were men so they had
relationships with native women
Result of relationships was the creation of a
mestizo (mixed Spanish and American)
population
Spanish also forced native population to work for
them
System called encomendia where the Indians
farmed, ranched and mined for their Spanish
landlords, often they were abused or mistreated
Social Pyramid in Spanish America
Portuguese Empire in America
One area that remained outside of European
influence was Brazil
 Region was given to Portugal because of
Treaty of Tordesillas and claimed by Brazil in
1500
 Colonists settled coastal areas and built huge
sugar plantations
 The demand for sugar was great in Europe
and made huge profits for Portugal
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Spain Builds an American Empire
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Spain’s American colonies made it the richest and
most powerful nation in the world during the 1500’s
Spain built a powerful navy and army to control and
protect their empire
By the end of the 1500’s Spain pushed into what is
now the US
1540-1541 Francisco Coronado explored the
Southwest in search of a city of gold, did not find
any
Catholic priests followed the conquistadors to
convert natives
Priests used to explore and colonize North America
Catholic priests set up missions across the Southwest
and California where towns grew up around them
(Santa Fe, San Diego, San Francisco)
Spain Builds an American Empire
Opposition to Spanish Rule
 Spanish priests pushed for better treatment of
Native Americans
 Criticized harsh treatment of native Americans under
the encomendia system
 1542 Spanish government ended encomendia
system and began to use African slaves for labor
 Native Americans began to resist Spanish colonizers
as well
 Spanish burned sacred Native American objects,
banned Indian religious practices and built Catholic
churches on top of Indian religious centers
 1680 Pope, a Native American ruler led a rebellion
against Spanish rule and pushed them back into
New Spain
 It took the Spanish 12 years to take the area back
How did success in exploration &
conquest affect Spain?
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Golden Age in arts &
culture
Great military power
in Europe and
Overseas