1. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
A. Conquistadors Arrive in the Americas
1. The conquistadors made Spain one of the richest nations in Europe.
a) Spanish colonists followed the conquistadors and created a vast new empire in the Americas.
b) Conquistadors agreed to give Spain 1/5 of the gold they found in the Americas.
c) Hernando Cortés, with 600 men and 16 horses, set sail for Mexico in 1519 in search of gold.
2. Moctezuma, the Aztec ruler who ruled much of Mexico, decided to welcome the Spaniards as guests.

2. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
a) Cortés shrewdly took Moctezuma’s invitation knowing that the Spanish had been in contact with Native American tribes that were the Aztec’s enemies.
b) On Nov. 8, 1519, Cortés marched into Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital.
3. At first, Cortés was friendly to Moctezuma.
a) Soon Cortés made Moctezuma a prisoner in his own city.
b) The Aztecs reacted by expelling the Spanish from Tenochtitlán.
c) Cortés recaptured the city and later destroyed Tenochtitlán.
d) Moctezuma was killed and the Aztec empire was no more.
4. Francisco Pizarro set his sights on the Incan empire in 1532.
a) Pizarro captured the Incan emperor, Atahualpa, and had him executed.
b) By 1535, Incan resistance collapsed.

3. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
5. The Spanish were able to conquer the Aztecs and Incas because of superior military equipment, horses, and deadly European diseases.
B. Exploring Lands to the North
1. Conquistadors explored the northern borderlands for gold.
a) The borderlands spanned the present-day southern United States from FL to CA.
b) Juan Ponce de León traveled through parts of FL in 1513, looking for the fountain of youth.
2. Pánfilo Narváez led an expedition into the Gulf of Mexico that led to disaster.
a) The ship was wrecked in a storm and the survivors were captured by the Native Americans.

4. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
3. From 1539 to 1542, Hernando De Soto explored FL and other parts of the Southeast.
4. Francisco Coronado, in 1540, searched for the seven cities of gold in the present day American Southwest.
5. Spanish expeditions in the northern borderlands met with little success because of a lack of gold and stronger Native American resistance.
a) Spain focused on bringing order to the South.
C. The Colonization of New Spain

5. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
1. Spain had many causes for colonizing the Americas.
a) Search for wealth.
b) Spread of Christianity.
c) To satisfy a thirst of adventure and exploration.
2. At first, Spain let the conquistadors govern the land.
a) Most conquistadors proved to be poor leaders.
b) The Spanish government started to appoint viceroys to govern regions of land.
3. A set of laws called the Laws of the Indies stated how the colonies should be organized and ruled.
a) three kinds of settlements = pueblos, presidios, and missions.

6. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
4. The pueblos, or towns, were centers of farming and trade.
a) In the middle of town was a plaza.
b) Shops and homes lined the four sides of the plaza.
5. Presidios were forts where soldiers lived.
a) Inside the high thick walls were shops, stables, and storehouses for food.
b) Soldiers protected the surrounding countryside.
c) The first presidio was built at St. Augustine, FL in 1565 (The first European settlement established in the present day United States).

7. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
6. The Spanish set up missions, settlements run by Catholic priests and friars whose goal was to convert Native Americans to Christianity.
a) They often forced Native Americans to live and work on the missions.
b) In NM, the Spanish tried to destroy any trace of traditional Pueblo Indians’ religious practice which led to the Pueblo revolt of 1680.
7. Missions spread across the Spanish borderlands.
a) The first mission was in TX was founded in 1659 at El Paso.
8. In 1691, Fr. Eusebio Francisco Kino crossed into present day AZ and set up 24 missions in the area.
a) A bunch of missions also dotted the CA coast from San Diego to San Francisco.

8. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
D. The Social Order of New Spain
1. The Laws of the Indies also set up a strict social system.
a) People were separated into four social classes.
2. At the top of the social scale were the peninsulares, the people born in Spain.
3. Below the peninsulares were the creoles, people born in the Americas to parents of Spanish origin.
a) They were wealthy and well educated.
b) They could not hold the jobs reserved for peninsulares.
4. Below the creoles were people of mixed Spanish and Native American background, known as mestizos.

9. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
a) Worked on large farms and ranches owned by peninsulares and creoles.
b) Worked as carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, and bakers.
5. The lowest class in the colonies was the Native Americans.
a) Native Americans were the largest group.
b) Native Americans were kept in poverty for hundreds of years.
6. The effects of colonization can be seen in the new way of life in New Spain that blended Spanish and Native American ways.
a) Spanish introduced their language, laws, religion, and learning.

10. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
7. Native Americans also influenced the culture of New Spain.
a) Colonists adopted Indian foods, such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and squash.
b) Buildings were built using adobe bricks.
8. Spanish colonists needed workers for their ranches, farms, and mines.
a) The Spanish government gave these landholders encomiendas, land grants that included the right to demand labor or taxes from Native Americans.

11. 2.1 Spanish Colonization and New Spain
9. Mines in Mexico, Peru, and other parts of the Americas made Spain rich.
10. Harsh conditions for the Native Americans led to a priest named Bartolomé de Las Casas to seek reform.
a) Many in New Spain did not share in Las Casas’ view.
b) In the 1540s, the Spanish royal government passed laws to protect the Natives, but these laws were mainly ignored.
E. The Transatlantic Slave Trade
1. The death toll from the Native American population continued to rise.