Chapter 16.2 - Spanish and Portuguese Colonies in the Americas

Setting the Scene: Spain was immensely proud of its rich silver mines in the Potosi region of Peru. Native Americans were forced to extract rich silver ore from dangerous shafts deep inside the Andes Mountains. Many Indians died in the terrible conditions, only to be replaced by thousands more. Scenes such as this were repeated in Mexico, the Caribbean, and other parts of Spain's empire

By the 1540s, tons of silver filled Spanish ships and Spain’s empire stretched from California to South America

Settlers and missionaries claimed the land and the people for their king and their Church

Spain divided their lands into five provinces - the most important being New Spain and Peru

The king set up the Council of the Indies to pass laws for the colonies

The king appointed viceroys in each province - officials and audiencias helped rule

The Catholic Church worked with the government to convert the Natives

Missionaries built mission churches and baptized thousands of Native Americans

Spain closely controlled economic activities, especially trade

Colonists could export raw materials only to Spain and could buy only Spanish made goods

The most valuable resources were silver and gold

Sugar cane was introduced into the West Indies and became a profitable resource

Sugar cane was grown on plantations and required large numbers of workers

Spain granted the conquistadors encomiendas - the right to demand labor from Native Americans

Natives worked under brutal conditions - those who resisted were hunted down and killed

Disease, starvation, and cruel treatment caused catastrophic declines in the Native population “The Spanish treated the Indians with such rigor and inhumanity that they seemed the very ministers of Hell, driving them day and night with beatings, kicks, lashes and blows, and calling them no sweeter names than dogs… . Women who had just given birth were forced to carry burdens for the Christians and thus could not carry their infants because of the hard work and weakness of hunger. Infinite numbers of these were cast aside on the road and thus perished.” Bartolomé De Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies

Priests like Bartolome de las Casas condemned the encomienda system

Spain passed the New Laws of the Indies in 1542, forbidding enslavement of Native Americans

To fill the labor shortage, Las Casas urged colonists to import workers from Africa The title of this engraving by Theodor de Bry reads: "The veins of gold ore having been exhausted, the Blacks had to work in sugar."

The demand for sugar grew and the settlers imported millions of Africans as slaves

A. Social Structure At the top of society were the peninsulares followed by the Creoles

Mestizos - people of Native and European descent, and Mulattoes - people of African and European descent, came next Mestizo Mulattoe

Slaves Harvesting Sugarcane Native Americans and people of African descent formed the lowest social class Slaves Harvesting Sugarcane In the West Indies

Colonial cities were centers of government, commerce, and European culture La Plaza Mayor, Mexico City

Universities were built to educate young men; women were educated in convents Convent de San Francisco TECALI,  Puebla  State  Shield of the University of Mexico est. 1551

By the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, Portugal claimed Brazil and sent settlers to build towns, plantations, and churches

Brazil offered no instant wealth so the Portuguese turned to plantation agriculture and cattle raising

To get around Spain's strict control over trade, smugglers traded illegally

Pirates preyed on Spanish ships and privateers operated with the approval of European governments