A New Worldview Emerges

Plundered Gold If you were promised payment for services, and did not receive it, what would you do? Cortes had promised his men that he would make them rich – that is why they followed him After the fall of Tenochtitlan, his men threatened to rebel Most of the treasures they had seen had been sent back to Spain The Conquistadors had been fighting for years and had not been paid Cortes wrote to Spain to ask for their payment Cortes needed these men to remain loyal, as he wanted to start a colony in Mexico What could he give them to keep their loyalty?

Cortes' Solution Cortes had two policies to solve this problem One was the encomienda system One was a “marriage law” Every Spaniard in New Spain had to either marry an indigenous woman, or bring their wife from Spain If they did not have a wife within 6 months, they would lose their land This made them start thinking about long-term goals and would tie them to the colony How would this change the worldview of those in Mexico?

Different Views King Carlos I of Spain wanted to ban the Encomienda system Harmed indigenous people Indigenous people resented the Spanish and would not convert Church leaders believed they should not be forced be slaves Cortes refused to enforce the ban of the system Spanish needed a way to support themselves  The colony would suffer The indigenous were more free now  No sacrifice He promised to fix the bad treatment of the slaves As long as these encomiendas last, I ask that God be a witness and judge of what I say: the power of the monarchs, even were they on the scene, will not suffice to keep all the Indians from perishing, dying off, and being consumed; and in this way a thousand worlds might end, without any remedy. - Las Casas' General History of the Indies

The Mestizo The “marriage laws” that Cortes passed had a very huge impact on New Spain society A whole new race of people – the mestizo – were created Today they form the largest part of Mexico's population What kind of worldview do you think these people would have?

Bye-Bye Cortes While Cortes was in the midst of turning his soldiers into settlers, King Carlos took away his job He appointed Don Antonio de Mendoza as the first viceroy of New Spain This was the “royal representative” Many people think that Cortes was removed from power because he was too good at what he did He may have declared himself king of the colony He only looked at his own interests, not that of the king

Discontent in New Spain The appointment of a viceroy made it clear that Spain was in control of the colony The colony kept a steady flow of resources to Spain Gold, silver and farm products Were used to fight wars in Europe The people of New Spain could see that although this was good for Spain, it was not good for the colony Spain was incredibly wealthy due to the colony The colony had a shortage of roads, schools and housing

Independence Three distinct groups of people emerged in Mexico over the years The indigenous people They were treated poorly and wanted independence The Mestizos Many grew up in poverty and were resentful of the Spanish exploitation They united with indigenous people to fight for independence from Spain The Creoles They are the descendants of Spanish settlers They made up the wealthy class They eventually supported the independence movement due to high taxes In 1821, Mexico became independent from Spain

Mexican Culture Today Mexico's culture today is a combination of Indigenous, Mestizo and Spanish traditions The Roman Catholic Church is a place where you can see this fusion of culture It includes festivals that were once Aztec traditions This can also be observed in artists and writers Frida Kahlo – painter, teacher, influenced by Aztecs Octavio Paz – writer, indigenous history important to present, inspired by Aztecs -> Sun- Stone