The Spanish and French Build an Empire (pg 18)

Conquest of Mexico Spain conquered Cuba, but disease killed most of the Native American’s there. Hernan Cortes was sent to explore Mexico to find: new peoples who could be forced to work for the Spanish Investigate reports of a wealthy civilization

Cortes defeats the Aztecs Cortes gained allies among the native peoples easily. The Tlaxacala were astonished by horses, sparks from guns and cannon power. The Aztec leader was Montezuma. Montezuma believed in the prophecy of Quetzalcoatl: a fair-skinned, bearded deity would someday come from the east to conquer the Aztecs.

Cortes defeats the Aztecs Cortes, his Spanish troops and the Tlaxcala took Montezuma hostage. The battle lasted for several days. 400 Spanish and over 4,000 Aztecs were killed. Cortes was overrun by the sheer number of Aztecs and was forced to leave the city. Cortes finally defeated the Aztecs because of a smallpox outbreak.

A stone carving at Teotihuacán represents the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl, a major deity among the ancient Indians of Mexico. The Codex Telleriano-Remensis, produced in sixteenth century Mexico and printed on European paper, is one of the finest surviving examples of Aztec manuscript painting.

Image of a Mesoamerican infected with smallpox; illustrated panel from the Florentine Codex, a compendium of information on Aztec people and history by Bernardino de Sahagún, a 16th-century Spanish Franciscan missionar

New Spain A city built on Aztec ruins was called Mexico and became the capital of the Spanish colony New Spain. Cortes sent men called Conquistadors or “conquerors” around the region to explore.

Conquistadors Pizarro explored South America’s west coast and conquered the Inca. Coronado explored North America’s southwest and Desoto explored the southeast.

Missionaries Eventually the Catholic Church became the primary force for colonizing the Southwest.

Encomienda System Encomienda System was a class based society in New Spain and other colonies. Pininsulars: Spanish born and held high government positions Mestizos: mixed Spanish and Native Amrican race Lowest level consisted of Native Americans, African’s and a mix of the two.

Mining and Ranching Many towns were set up for mining silver and gold. These towns were in areas that could not grow crops. Large ranches called haciendas were created and the men who herded the cattle were called vaqueros.

French Colonization of America based on the Fur Trade New France French Colonization of America based on the Fur Trade

Hunters? Why do people hunt animals? What types of animals do people hunt? What types of people are hunters?

The Beginning of the Fur Trade The fur trade has been around for as long as people have been wearing clothes. Animals were hunted for food, and their pelts worn for protection. The use of the hair from animal pelts to make felt was probably started by nomadic peoples in Central Asia. They used the hair of goats, sheep, camels and other animals to make their tents. They found that felt lasted a long time and was easily made. One of the best furs for making felt was beaver. It became very valuable.

Felt? Felt is a cloth made by pressing, heating or treating animal hair with chemicals. It is valuable because its waterproof, moldable, and doesn't wear out easily. The best kinds, like beaver, are very soft and smooth.

Later, many peoples such as the Chinese, the Greeks and the Romans used it as padding under heavy armor, or to stop arrows. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the art of making felt was lost in Western Europe. It did not come back until two things happened: First, crusaders visiting Constantinople saw the fine hats and other clothes worn by people there and learned how they were made. Second, a great invasion into Russia forced many felt makers west into Europe. By the year 1600, the need for more beaver fur exploded. European beavers were dying out because of over-hunting, and new fashions, like hats, used lots of beaver felt. Which was why the discovery of the North American beaver was like a miracle to hat-makers

Northwest Passage France sent Verrazano and later Jacques Cartier, explorers, to look for the Northwest Passage. Northwest Passage: northern route through North America to the Pacific Ocean. The Northwest Passage does not exist, instead the explorers successfully mapped the North American coastline claimed the land around the St. Lawrence River for France.

New France The fur trade began between Native Americans and French fishermen. Traded furs for tools such as knives or iron pots. Hats made of beaver pelt became very popular in Europe. American beavers and their fur were a hot commodity. To expand the lucrative fur trade the French King established the colony of New France. Samuel de Champlain helped colonize New France.

Settlement The settlement of New France was slow. The first settlers were courers d bois: “runners of the woods” or the French fur traders who lived with the Native Americans.

Settlement Settlement of the French colony began to grow with Jesuit missionaries: Catholics intending to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Louisiana La Salle became the first explorer to successfully navigate the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. La Salle claimed the region for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV.

Competition French colonies around the Mississippi River: Biloxi New Orleans Mobile Spanish colonies: St. Augustine in Florida. It became the first permanent European settlement in North America. American Southwest English colonies along the Atlantic Coastline are competition for both France and Spain.