Ms. Kirst
Honors World History
Chapter 4
KEY: Section 1: Spain Builds an American Empire
1492
Christopher Columbus
sails westward from
Spain, hoping to reach
Asia.
1. Where did Columbus land? Who did he encounter?
Bahamas (named island San Salvador) & Hispaniola—
became known as the West Indies; natives “los
indios”—they were really the Taino people.
2. What was the significance of Columbus’ voyages?
Dispute w/Portugal (Line of Demarcation/Treaty of
Tordesillas—from Ch. 3); began process of European
colonization of Americas; claimed lands for Spain;
initiated what became known as the Columbian
Exchange.
1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral
reached the shores of
modern-day Brazil.
3. What was important about Cabral’s expedition?
Claimed land on the east coast of South America for
Portugal.
1501
Amerigo Vespucci
traveled along the east
coast of South America.
4. What was the impact of Vespucci’s voyages?
First to write about the area as being a “new world”—
German mapmaker names the continents after him.
1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
explored the area of
modern-day Panama and
Juan Ponce de Leon
landed on the coast of
modern-day Florida
5. What was the impact of Balboa’s and Ponce de Leon’s
voyages?
Balboa: First European to cross peninsula from
Atlantic to Pacific.
Leon: claimed Florida for Spain—St. Augustine.
1519
Ferdinand Magellan sets
sail on a voyage that
rounds the southern tip
of South America.
6. Magellan himself died in the Philippines. What was
the importance of the voyage of his crew completed?
First to circumnavigate the world (returned in 1522)
1521
Hernando Cortes
conquers the Aztec
7. Why did the conquistadors travel to the Americas?
Land & bullion (gold/silver)
8. Why might Montezuma have thought Cortes was a
god?
Cortez was tall, pale skinned, had horses, guns, armor
and ships—Aztecs had never seen before.
9. What factors helped the Spanish defeat the Aztec?
Disease (measles, mumps, smallpox, typhus), guns, and
enemies of the Aztec (not troop numbers—Cortes
only had 500 men. Aztec revolted against
Montezuma when Cortez took him prisoner.
1533
Francisco Pizarro
conquers the Inca
Empire
10. How did Pizarro conquer the Inca?
Used their roads to march in troops; ambushed
unarmed Incan forces & kidnapped emperor
(Atahualpa); held emperor for ransom—killed him
when they got their ransom; Incans retreated and
Spanish took the capital.
12. How did the Spanish treat the peoples they
conquered?
Forced labor under the encomienda system.
13. What changes did Spanish colonization bring for the
native population?
Cultural: Imposition of Spanish language &
Catholicism.
Peninsulares (Spanish settlers) married native women:
created a Mestizo (mixed) population.
1530s
Colonists began settling
Brazil’s coastal region
14. What impact did colonization have on Brazil?
Destruction of forests to grow sugar cane; forced labor
system—death of natives led to importation of
African slaves (changed demographics of
population).
1540
Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado explores the
Southwest
AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS
15. What was unique about the Spanish colonization of
the lands of New Mexico?
Found little gold: led to the Spanish monarchy
assigning mostly priests to explore & colonize the
region.
1542
Spain abolishes the
encomienda system
16. Why did Spain abolish this system?
Death & resistance of natives; priests protest the system
(ex. Fr. Bartolomeu de las Casas)
17. What was the long-term consequence of this action?
Importation of slaves from Africa.
1609-10
Pedro de Peralta (gov. of 18. What was the impact of Peralta’s expedition?
New Mexico—Spain’s
Built capital city: Santa Fe (“Holy Faith”); over next
northern holdings) led
two decades missionaries moved in among the
settlers to a tributary on
Pueblo.
the upper Rio Grande.
1680
Pope led a wellorganized rebellion
against the Spanish.
19. Why did the Pueblos rebel? What was the outcome of
the rebellion?
Resistance to Spanish imposition of culture & labor; for
12 years the natives successfully drove the Spanish
out; in 1692 Spanish regained control of the area.