1. Notes The Spanish Empire

2. Conquistadors The Spanish conquerors of the Americas – known as conquistadors – had incredible success due to guns and determination. By 1550, Spain controlled northern Mexico. Shortly thereafter, Francisco Pizarro took control of the Inca Empire in the Peruvian Andes. Within 30 years, the western part of Latin America, as Europeans called it, was under Spanish control.

3. The right of encomienda… The Spanish created a system of colonial administration. Queen Isabella declared that the natives (called Indians after the Spanish word Indios, or “inhabitants of the Indies”) were her subjects. She gave the Spanish the right, called encomienda, to use the natives as laborers.

4. The effect on the native people… The Spanish were supposed to protect Native Americans, but few of them worried about this matter. Forced labor, starvation, and disease took a huge toll on the Native Americans. European diseases ravaged the native populations, who lacked immunity to such diseases as smallpox.

5. Populations decrease… Haiti had a population of 250,000 when Columbus arrived. By 1538, only 500 Native Americans had survived. Mexico’s population dropped from 25 million to 1 million.

6. A shift in culture… Catholic missionaries converted and baptized hundreds of thousands of native people. They also brought parishes, schools, and hospitals. European religion, culture, language, and government replaced the native structures.

7. Question of the day… What was the impact of the Spanish settlement on the Native Americans? The majority of the natives quickly died off as a result of violence, forced labor, starvation and disease.