Chapter 12, Section 3 European Conquest

August 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain searching for a direct water route to Asia to the west. NIÑA, PINTA, SANTA MARIA

Portugal ad Spain were both searching for new trade routes to Asia for goods such as spices and silks. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer sponsored by Spain who landed in the West Indies in 1492. He believed that the world was round but he thought that the distance around was shorter than it was. 10 weeks after setting sail he spotted land that he thought was the East Indies in Asia. He was actually in the Bahamas The people he met were the Taino people, but He called them Indians. Christopher Columbus

Columbian Exchange: The movement of people, plants, animals, and germs across the Atlantic Ocean The new foods of the Americas that were brought back to Europe after the voyages of Columbus helped to improve the diets of people in Europe, Asia, and Africa due to the trade routes that had been in place Columbian Exchange

In 1494, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas In 1494, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. This treaty set an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole at about 50°W longitude, called the Line of Demarcation. West of the line is where Spain could trade and settle East of the line is where Portugal could trade and settle Treaty of Tordesillas

Conquistadors are conquerors who claimed and ruled land in the Americas for the Spanish government in the 1500s. The Spanish gave them the right to hunt for treasure and settle in the Americas in exchange for one fifth of any treasures they found. conquistadors

Moctezuma II was the ruler of the Aztec empire at the time the Spanish arrived in 1519. He received news that something strange had appeared offshore so he sent spies to find out about it. The spies reported back to Moctezuma saying that there were white-skinned men with shiny round hats and colorful clothes. These men were the Spanish military that had sailed to the coast of Mexico in search of treasure. They would bring great changes to the Aztec land. Moctezuma II

Hernán Cortés Conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519. He found many groups will to help him against the Aztecs because of the tributes they made them pay. Cortés headed to Tenochtitlan with 500 soldiers and 16 horses. Moctezuma’s spies described the Spanish as “supernatural creatures riding on hornless deer, armed in iron, fearless as gods.” This made Moctezuma believe that Cortés might be the god Quetzalcoatl. Hernán Cortés

Quetzalcoatl (ket sahl koh AHT el) Quetzalcoatl was a God that had promised to return and rule the Aztecs. Moctezuma welcomed Cortés and his soldiers. Cortés tried to convince Moctezuma to surrender to Spain and then seized him as a hostage. Quetzalcoatl (ket sahl koh AHT el)

Cortés defeated the Aztecs in 1521. 24,000 Aztecs were killed 30,000 of Cortés's allies were killed Tenochtitlan and the Aztec empire lay in ruins, but the region had been claimed for Spain.

Advantages of the Conquistadors Native Americans had never seen some of the weapons the Spanish used: guns cannons horses helmets shields The Europeans also carried diseases that Native Americans had never been exposed to: smallpox measles chicken pox Local rivalries also made some Native Americans eager to help the Spanish conquistadors. Advantages of the Conquistadors

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incas. Pizarro heard about the rich Incan empire and in 1531 set sail to the Pacific coast of South America. 180 soldiers fought to capture and kill the Incan emperor and many other leaders. By 1535, Pizarro had conquered most of the empire, including the capital, Cuzco. Francisco Pizarro

European settlers began to arrive in what came to be called Latin America. Spain controlled the largest portion of the Americas. The king of Spain maintained strict control over the land by dividing it up into provinces. Viceroys, or representatives of the king ruled the provinces Spain’s Empire

Two largest and most important provinces in the Spanish Empire of the Americas: New Spain Capital city: Mexico City Peru Capital city: Lima A council in Spain supervised the colonial officials, or viceroys, to make sure they did not become too powerful New Spain and Peru

Mestizos Spanish social classes determined where people lived. The most powerful lived in the middle of the city (they either came from Spain or had Spanish parents) Mestizos, people of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry, lived on the outskirts of Lima. Native Americans were the least powerful and lived in the countryside. Mestizos

A hacienda was a plantation owned by Spaniards or the Catholic Church. The Spanish forced Native Americans to work on haciendas. hacienda

Spain gave its settlers encomiendas, which were rights to demand taxes or labor from Native Americans living on the lands given to them by the Spanish government. The Native Americans were forced to work on haciendas, but also in mines when gold and silver were discovered Many Native Americans died from overwork, malnutrition, and European disease. Within 50 years of the Spanish conquest, Native American population declined from around 25 million to less than 3 million. Spanish needed more workers, so they imported slaves from Africa encomiendas