FiND OUT
¯ How did Spain conquer Native
American empires?
~ How did Spain rule its empire in
the Americas?
Why did the Spa:nisb bring Africans
as slaves to the Americas?
How did Spanish and Indian ways
help shape the culture of New
Spain?
ggWhat a troublesome thing it is to
discover new lands. The risks we ~ook, it is
1-fardiy possible to exaggerate." So spoke
Bernal D~az del Castillo, one of the Spanish
conquistadors (kalxn ICe,s ~uh dorz), or conquerors, who marched into the Americas.
When asked why conquistadors traveled to
the Americas, Diaz responded, ’~We came
here to serve God and the king and also to
get rich."
In their search for gloW and gold, the
c6nquistadors made Spain one of the ,{chest
nations in Europe. Before long, Spanish
colonists had created a vast new empire in
the 2Mnericas. But the arrival of Europeans
meant suffering and even death for Aztecs,
Incas, and other Native Americans.
After Columbus reached the West Indies,
the Spanish explored and settled other is~nds in the Caribbean sea. By 1511, they
had conquered Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and important, their voyage around the world
cuba. They also explored the eastern coast made Europeans aware of the true size of
of North America and South America. They the Earth.
were still seeking a western route to Asia,
but these lands blocked their way.
Conquest of the Aztecs and Incas
Then in 1513, an adventurer named Vasco NO~ez de Balboa (hal BOll uh) plunged
into the jungles of the Isthmus of Panama. Meanwhile, Spanish dolonists in the
Native Americans had told him that a large Caribbean began to hear rumors of gold
body of water lay to the west. With a party and other riches in nearby Mexico. At the
of Spanish and Indians, Balboa reached the same time, the Aztecs there were hearing
Pacific Ocean after about 25 days. In full ar- about the Spanish.
In 1518, messengers brought strange.
mor, he stood in the crashing surf and
news to the Aztec emperor, Montezuma
claimed the sea for Spain.
The Spanish had,no idea how wide the (mal-m mh zgoo muh). They had seen a
pacific was until a sea captain named Ferdi- large house floating on the GuK of Mexico.
nand Magellan (muh jeI~ uhn) sailed across It was filled with white men with long, thick
it. The expedition set out from Spain in beards and c!othing of many colors. The
1519. After much hardship, it.rounded the next year, Aztecs spotted even more beardstormy southern tip of South America and ed white men.
Were these strangers gods or men? Aztec
entered the Pacific Ocean. Crossing the vast
Pacific, the sailors were forced to eat rats sacred writings predicted that one day a
and sawdust when they tin out of food. powerful whffe-skinned god would return
MagdIan himsel£ was killed in a battle with from the east to mle the Aztecs. These white
~e local people of the Philippine Islands off strangers came from ghe east. And tl~ey
were certainly power~l. They wore metal
the coast of Asia.
Of five ships and about 250 crew mem- armor and had weapons that breathed fire
bers, only 6ne ship and 18 sailors returned and shattered trees into splinters. Could
to Spain in 1522, three years after they set they be messengers of the Aztec god? Unout. These sm-civors had found Spain’s all- sure, Montezuma invited them to enter the
water route to Asia by sailing west. More capital .of his empire, Tenschritl~n.
On November 8, 1519, Cortes marched
into TenochtiLlin. For six months, heheld
Montezuma prisoner in his own city. Finally, the Aztecs attacked, driving out the Spanish. But Cortes soon returned. With the help
of neighboring peoples the Aztecs had conquered, the Spanish captured and destroyed
most of Tenochtitlin. The mighty Aztec empire had fallen.
A few years later, a conquistador named
Francisco Piza~’rO (pee ~ oh) matched
Col~s’s conquest. Sailing along the Pacific
coast of present-day Chile, Pizarro invaded
the Incan empire. In a surprise attack; he
captured and later killed the kncan mleL
Atahua!pa (at ah wA~I~ patT). By 1535, Piano
controlled much of the Incan empire.
l~easons fo~" the Spal~.ish conquest,
How did the conquistadors, with only a
handful of soldiers, manage to conquer
these two great empires? First, the Spanish
fought with ffon swords, guns, ~nd c~nons.
The Naflve Amgric~ns fought with less
erfu! bows, an-ows, and spears. Second, the
Aztecs and Incas had never seen horses.
They" were frightened by the mounted Spanish knights.
Finally, the Indians had no resistance tc
European diseases. Large numbers of Indians died from chicken pox~ measles, and influeDza. Some historians believe that diseas~
alone would have ensured Spanish victor}
over the Indians.
Aztec knd Incan treasures made the con.
quistadors rich. Spain grew rich, too, espe.
ci~dly after the discovery of gold and silv~
in Mexico and Peru. Spanish treasure ship:
laden with thousands of tons of gold an(
silver sailed regularly across the A.tla~tic.
Two great empires fall. The Spanish
leader, Hemando Cort~fi (for ~-~z), accepted Montezuma’s invitation. Like other conquistadors, Cortes wan~d power and riches. An Indian woman the Spanish called
The Spanish search for tre~s~Fe extend
Dof~z Marina had told Cortes about Aztec ed beyond Mexico and Peru. Moving nortl;
goI~t. With only about 600 soldiers and 16 conquistadors explored the a~ea Imown ~
horses~ Cortes set out to defeat the Aztecs. the Sp~a~ ~a~r~8ao The borderland
72 o Chapter
spa~ned the present-dzy United States from
Florida to California.
To the east, Juan P, once de Le6n (p~
sub d~y lay ,~wN) traveled ~ough pa~s of
Florida in 1513, looking for a Poun~ of
Youth. Indians clawed that anyone who
bathed ~ this ma~cal fountain would
ma~ young forever. But POnce de Le6n
found no founta~.
In 1539, Hemando De Soto ~ived
FloNda ~ search of gold and ~easure. For
the ne~ few years, he explored the borde>
lands. In 1541, he reached the ~aters of ~e
broad Mississippi ~ver. De 8oto died along
~e ~verb~s, however, wi~out f~g ~e
riches he sought.
In ~e meant~e, a conquistador n~ed
Dancisco Coronado ~oh roh-N~ doh)
heard stories of seven cities of gold. Coronado led an ~peditinn ~to ~e southwest~
em bo~deri~ds ~ 1540. Some of ~s paW
went as far as the G~and Canyo=. 8~iI1, ~e
Zu~i vHIages he visited had no gold~
streem,
fierce Indian }esistance in Nogh America,
Spain focused instead on bringing order to
its empire to the south.
At first, Spain let the conquistadors govern its lands in the Americas. But the conqnistadors proved to be poor rulers. When
gold and silver began to flow into 8pain
from the Americas, the Spardsh king decid-.
ed to set up stronger, more stable governments there.
In i535, the king divided his lands into
New Spain and Peru, (See the map on page
72.) He put a viceroy in charge of each region to mle in his name.
Three kinds of settlements. The viceroy
and other royal officials enforced a code oI
laws called the Laws of the Indies. Th~se
laws stated in detail how the colonie,~
should be organized and ruled.
The Laws of the Indies provided fo~
three kinds of settlements in New Spain
They were pueblos, presidios (prih sm-o e~
ohz), and missions.
I~eblos were towns that were center.
of farming and trade. In the middle of th~
town was a plaza, or public square. Here
townspeople and farmers gathered on
portant occasions. Thdy also came to wor
ship at the church. Shops and homes line,
both sides of the plaza.
Presidios were forts with high adob
. derlar~ds met with little success. Faced with yrails, where soldiers lived. Inside wet
shops, stables for horses, and storehouses borderlands. The only exception was at
Augustine, Florida, where a presidio was
[or food. Most soldiers lived in large
racks. The farmers who settled around pre- erected in 1565.
In tLme, however, Spanish interest in the
sidios felt safer knowing that military help
was close by.
borderlands grew,, As you have read, in
M~ssto~s were religious settlements run 1-598, Juan de Ornate founded the colony of
by Catholic priests and friars. Like other Eu- New Mexico. Later, Spanish missionaries
ropeans who settled in the Americas, the moved into other areas of the American
Spanish believed that they had a duty to Southwest. The first mission in Texas was
convert Indians to the Christian religion. The founded at E1 Paso in 1659..
Father Eusebio Francisco Kino (~ nob)
n-iissions throughout New Spain forced
dians, to live and work on them. By setting crossed into present-day Arizona in 1691.
up presidios and missions, the Laws of the During the next 20 years, he set up 24 misInd~es allbwed Spa,~.m to rule the conquered si6ns in the area. Missionaries also moved
Indians.
into California. By the late !700s, a string of
Missions in the borderla~lds. During ’ missions dotted the Calffomig coast from
their first hundred years in the Americas, present-day San Diego "to San Francisco.
the Spanish did not build settlements in the (See the map above.)
.-
Americas produced thousands of tons of silver. The mining center at Potosf, Peru, became larger than aw city in the Americas or
in Spain.
The Spanish forced Native American laborers to work in the mines. In flickering
darkness, Indian workers clLmbed down
rickety iadders to narrow mrmels where
they hacked %~ut;the rich ore. Many died
when tunnels caved in.
On the islands of the West Indies, the
Spanish imported thousands of Indians to
work on ip]lanmrions, or large estates
farmed by many workers. They grew sugar
cane and tobacco, which plantatinn owners
sold in Spain at a huge profit.
Las Casas seeks reform. Thousands of
Native Americans died from overwork on
plantations and in minesl As yon hard read,
European diseases killed millions .more.
These harsh conditions led one priest, Bartoiome de Las Casas (day labs ~Sm sahs), to
plead for reform.
Traveling through New Spain, Las Casas
saw Indians dying of huriger, disease, and
mistreatment. In his own words:
The Laws of the Indies divided the people in ’Spanish colonies into four social
classes: peninsulares (puh rfuhn sub
rayz), creoles (ic~]~ ohJz), mestizos (mehs
~E zohz), and Indians.
At the top of the socia! scale were the
peni~s~es. BorI? in Spain, the peninsulares were sent by the Spanish government
to rule the colonies. They held the highest
jobs in {he coloniai government and the
Catholic Church. They also owned large
tracts of land and rich gold and silver mines.
Next below the penirmulares were the
c*:eotes. Creoles were people born in the
Americas to Spanish parents. Many creoles
were wealthy and well educated. They
owned farms and ranches, taught at universities, and practiced law, However, they
could not hoId the same jobs as peninsulares. This policy made the creoles resent
the penins~ares.
Below the creoles were the
people of mixed Spanish and Indian background. Mestizos worked on farms and
ranches owned by creoles. In the cities, they
g~The Indians were totally deprived
worked as carpenters, shoemakers, tailors,
of
their freedom .... Even beasts enand bakers.
joy more freedom when they are
The lowest Mass in the colonies was the
lowed to graze in tile field.~
Indians. The Spanish treated them as a conquered people. Under New Spain’s s~ct ~oHorr’died, he journeyed to Spain and
cial system, Indians were kept in p6verty for asked the king to protect the Indians. In the
hundreds of years.
1540% the royal government did pass laws
stating that Native Americans could not be
Native American Atrican W rkers
enslaved. The laws also a!!owed Indians to
The colonists who came {o New Spain own cattle and grow crops. ~ew officials in
needed workers for their ranches and farms. New Spain enforced the new laws, however.
Slaves from Africa. As more and more
The Spanish government helped by giving
Native Americans died frdm disease and
settlers encomiendas (elm koh mee
dahz), or ttie right to demand labor or tax- mistreamaent, the Spanish looked for other
es from Native America~ Hying onthe iand. workers. Bartolom4 de Las Casas suggested
Indian Iab6r became even more important that Africans be brought as slaves to repiace
after the Spanish found Large veins of silver Indian laborers. Unlike Indians, Africans did
-and gold in Mexico and Peru.
not catch European diseases, he said. Bd;Indians in mines and on plantations. sides, they were used to doing hard farm
During the 1500s, Spanish mines in the work in their homelands.
Native Americans also influenced the
culture of New Spain. As you have read in
Chapter 2, colonists adopted maW items of
Indian clothing, such as the poncho, a coatlike blanket with a hole in the middle for
. the head. The Indians introduced Spanish
¢o!onists to new foods, including potatoes,
corn, tomatoes, and .chocolate. In lime, Native American foods spread to Europe, Asia,
and Africa, forever changing people’s diets
there.
~dia~ labor made it possible for Spa~sh
settlers to build maW free libraries, theaters,
and churches. The L,~dians worked with
terials they knew weI1, such as adobe bricks.
$ometinaes, Spanish priests atlowed Indian
artists to decorate the church wa!ls with
paintings of harvests and loca! traditions.
~IOGRAPHY Sot Juana Ju~,na in~s de la Cruz
was the most talented poet of New Spain. Refused
admission to the university in Mexico City because
she was a gki, she entered a convent at age 16,
There, she devoted herself to studying and to
writing poet~ She also wrote a spirited defense of
women’s right to education. Culture What
~YLocate: (a) PacAc ocean, 03) Florida,
obstacles did Sor Juana have to overcome?
~ V~c) New Spain, (d) Peru, (e) St. Augustine,
In 1517, colonists began importing
Africans to labor as slaves in the Americas.
By the time he died, Las Cases came to regre{ his suggestion. He saw that Africans
suffered as much as Indians. By then,
though, the plantation system had taken
hold. In the years.that followed, the .African
slave trade grew, not only In the Spanish
co!onies but elsewhere in the Americas.
By the mid-1500s, a new wa7 of life had
begun to take shapd in New Spain. It blended Spanish and Indian ways.
Spanish settlers brought their own customs and culture to the colonies. They introduced their language, laws, religion, and
learning. In 1539, a pffmter in Mexico City
produced the fJzst European book in the Americas. In I551, the Spanish founded the
University of Mexico.
2. Identify: @ Vasco NOSez de Balboa,
03) Ferdina#d Mage]lar~, (c) Montezuma,
.(d) ~emando Co~ds, (e) Francisco
£izan-o, (~) Spanish borderlands, (g) Laws
of the Indies.
3. Define; (a) conquistador, 03) pueblo,
(c) presidio, (d) mission, (e)pe~nsulare,
(f) crede, (g) mestizo, 0a) encomien&,
(i)plantatJ.on.
4. Why did Las Cases want colonists to bring
Africans to labor as slaves in New Spain?
5. (a) FLow did the Spanish contribute to the
culture of New Spain? (b) F~ow did Native
Americans contribute?
& CmT~C~LTH~FJ~G Synthedzing
Information ~ow did Cabeza de Vaca and
his three companions su.v~ve for eight
years in the Spanish b~rderlands<.
}meg}he that you are a messenger for Montezu~ -.
ma. Write a repor~ to the emperor describing the
arrival of Cort6s.
Chapter3 . 77