1. NORSEMEN DISCOVER NEW WORLD?
Norsemen from Denmark discover Greenland around 1000 AD and establish colony there
Leif Ericson, son of ruler of Greenland, lands at Newfoundland in 1001
Spends winter there and then returns to Greenland

2. NORSEMEN TRY AGAIN
Around , another group of Norsemen from Iceland returned to Newfoundland
Named in Vinland
Tried to establish permanent colony there
Lasted two years
Forced to leave because of Indian raids

3. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451
Began career as sailor at age of 20
Moved to Portugal at age 27
One of the most progressive kingdoms in Europe at the time

4. INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Europe was undergoing a cultural and commercial revival, mainly based on expansion of international trade with Middle and Far East
Trade was monopolized by Arab middlemen
Send caravans to India and China to obtain spices, drugs, and jewels
Then sold then at tremendously marked up prices to European merchants
European merchants still made big profits but realized that they could make far more if they could deal with sources of supply directly

5. PORTUGAL TAKES THE LEAD I
Financed and supported by men such as Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese explorers began to look for an all sea route to the “Indies”
And thereby bypass Arab merchants who monopolized land routes to Asia

6. PORTUGAL TAKES THE LEAD II
By the time Columbus moved to Portugal, Portuguese explorers had traveled far along the coast of Africa
Established trading posts along the way
But had not yet made it to India

7. A DIFFERENT PLAN Columbus came up with his own plan to reach Asia
Instead of sailing around Africa
Sail directly west, around the world, until he hit China
Logical plan but based on faulty mathematical calculations
Figured distance would be only 2000 miles
Did not figure on Western Hemisphere being in the way

8. QUEEN ISABELLA GAMBLES
Had trouble getting financing
Not because people thought world was flat
But because of his bad math
Searched for money for 8 years
Queen Isabella of Spain finally took a chance on him
Figured he wasn’t asking for much money, so if he failed it would be no great loss
But if he succeeded, Spain would have an exclusive route to the Indies

9. COLUMBUS SETS OFF
Columbus left Spain on August 3, 1492 with three ships manned by 90 Spanish sailors
Plan was to sail to the Canary Islands, rest up a little, and then sail west to Asia
And hit either Japan or China

10. COLUMBUS HITS LAND Hit land on October 12, 1492
Island of San Salvador in Bahama Island chain
Would make later trips and discover islands of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Cuba, and others
Never realized to his dying day (1506) that he had discovered an entirely new land
Thought he had reached Asia

11. RICHES OF THE NEW WORLD
Although Columbus did not realize what he had discovered, Spanish explorers who followed him quickly figured out that this was a brand new continent
At first they tried to find a way through or around it to Asia
But they soon realized that this “New World” offered riches of its own as well as native people who could be forced to extract these resources

12. COLUBUS AND THE ARAWAKS
Columbus had originally been greeted warmly by native people of San Salvador
Called them “Indians”
Arawak tribe
Exchanged presents with them but had no intention of trading with them on a peaceful and fair basis
Was there to conquer and rule over them
Expected Indians to work for him in exchange for receiving the blessings of Christianity
To be accomplished by violence, if need be

13. DISEASE
Spanish put Arawaks to work as slaves on sugar and tobacco plantations
But Indians proved highly vulnerable to new European diseases
90% of Arawak population died within 75 years of Columbus’ first landing
Within 20 more years, the Arawak people were extinct

14. INDIAN EMPIRES
Spanish would encounter Indians elsewhere who were not as defenseless as the Arawaks
Aztecs in Mexico
Incas in Peru
both ruled large empires and had powerful armies
But they also possessed an abundance of gold and silver

15. CONQUISTADORS Hernando Cortez
Conquered Aztec Empire in 1519 with army of 600 men
Francisco Pizarro
Conquered Inca Empire in 1629 with army smaller than the one Cortez had
Both men were from humble origins but had risen high in military due to their ruthlessness and bravery
Also ambitious, greedy, and religious fanatics
Cortez
Pizarro

16. WHY SO EASY? Had superior military technology
But not all that superior
Real decisive factor was biological
Arrival of conquistadors triggered epidemics of European diseases among Indians
Depleted their fighting strength
Demoralized the Indians
Felt betrayed by their gods and even believed the Spanish were gods themselves

17. EMPIRE
Disease reduced entire Indian population of Mexico and Peru by at least 33%
By the time remaining Indians had built up immunity, the Spanish had organized its New World territory into administrative units
Vice-royalties of New Spain, New Granada, New Castille, and La Plata

18. MISSIONS
Outside of vice-royalties, population was too small and economic development too low to make official colonial administration worthwhile
Spanish Catholic Church did build missions throughout this undeveloped region, thereby spreading Spanish influence into Florida, Texas, and California

19. CENTRALIZED ADMINISTRATION
Spanish king created “Council of the Indies” in 1524 and gain it total control of colonial policy
Appointed governors, supervised their activities, licensed merchants, taxed imports and exports, took 20% of all gold and silver mined in New World, and developed elaborate bureaucracy to administer the empire
In short, all important decisions regarding Spanish colonies were made in Spain
Colonists had no assemblies to defend their interests

20. HACIENDA SYSTEM
Hacienda was a land grant from the Spanish government to a colonist
Originally made to conquistadors
Later to other wealthy or favored individuals
Known as patróns

21. CORTEZ’S HACIENDA
Hernando Cortez, for example, was given a hacienda that encompassed the modern Mexican state of Morelos

22. ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM Encomienda system provided labor to work haciendas
They were grants of control over people who lived within a hacienda
Gave individual literal power of life and death over people on hacienda
Could make them work at whatever he felt like making them to

23. NEW WORLD GOLD AND SILVER
Gold and silver from New World made Spain the richest country in the world
Pushed Spain to forefront of international scene
In the end, however, the flood of precious metals caused problems for Spain
Provoked inflation
Caused decline of domestic industries
Encouraged fantastic ambition of Spanish kings to conquer northern Europe

24. CONCLUSION
The tremendous wealth of the Spanish New World colonies attracted the attention of France, England, and the Netherlands
Wanted to set up colonies of their own
But as long as Spain was strong, they were blocked from this goal
But once Spain began to decline, it no longer had the power to keep other European powers out of the New World
By the end of the 1500s, the way was open for the establishments of English settlements in the Western Hemisphere