Spanish America
The Columbian Exchange
o Exchange of plant, animal and diseases (as well as precious metals)
o Had a profound impact on European economy, diet and society
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Sugar, chocolate, potato, and tobacco became particularly popular
o Horses, pigs, cows, and many tree fruits dramatically impacted the Americas, as well as diseases
The Conquistadors
o The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) had divided the western world between the Spanish and Portuguese
o On the premise of religious conversion, but inspired by rumors of gold, Spaniards set off for the west
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Vasco Balboa discovered Panama, and claimed the Americas (1513)
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Ferdinand Magellan’s crew circumnavigated the globe (1522)
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Ponce DeLeon explored Florida (1513, 1521)
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Francisco Coronado wandered around the American southwest looking for gold. (1540-42)
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Hernando DeSoto wandered around the American Southwest, also looking for gold (1539-1542)
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Francisco Pizarro led the conquest of the Incas in Peru, and extracted immense wealth (1532)
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Hernan Cortes led what was arguably Spain’s greatest gain: the conquest of Mexico
o The Caribbean became a stopover and storage point for Spanish ships in the Americas
o The conquistadores were sailors, professional soldiers, merchants, a few nobles, and those looking for fame
o Most were young, single, and ambitious
o Where they ran into native people, they ruthlessly conquered and converted
o The encomienda system was created in which native people fell under the control of those who took over their land
o When there was little left to explore or conquer, the conquistadors lost most of their power and privilege to a new class of
Spanish administrators, sent by the monarchy
Cortes and Mexico
o Cortes had heard rumors of unrest and available wealth in the Aztec empire
o Moctezuma may have taken Cortes for the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl
o The Spanish were initially welcomed by the Aztecs
o Their demand for gold soon caused the Aztecs to attack and drive the Spanish out of Tenochtitlan (1520)
o The Spanish laid siege to Tenochtitlan, forcing its surrender in 1521
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Coincided with a smallpox epidemic which devastated the Valley of Mexico
o The native temples of Tenochtitlan were torn down and replaced with Catholic temples
o Spanish was introduced, though some was blended with native languages
o European animals and crops were introduced
o Catholicism was introduced, though some native customs were retained and fused
o Spanish conquistadors married native women, leading to the creation of a “mestizo” class
o The fusion of the distinct cultures led to the creation of a distinct Mexican culture, over hundreds of years.
The spread of Spanish America
o Spanish cities popped up throughout the Americas, especially in Mexico and Peru, near silver deposits
o Cathedrals and universities were created in large city centers
o They established forts to protect against French and English encroachment into Spanish territory
o They began to expand northward into the present day American southwest
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Established the missionary system, creating missions and presidios
o In (present day) New Mexico, efforts were made to convert the Pueblo people to Christianity
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The Spanish attempted to repress the native customs of the Pueblos
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The Pueblo launched a revolt known as Pope’s Rebellion (The Pueblo Revolt) (1680)
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They killed dozens of priests and hundreds of Spanish settlers
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They destroyed every church in the province
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They built a traditional Pueblo ceremonial religious chamber (kiva) at the heart of Spanish Santa Fe
o The Spanish began building small, sparsely populated garrisons and missions in Texas to protect against French encroachment
o Explored, but left alone, California was missionized in the late 1700s, beginning with a mission in San Diego, established by
padre Junipero Serra (1769)
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As they moved up the coast, they established 21 missions, reaching as far north as Sonoma
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Many nomadic Indians were brought into the missions, and adopted Christianity
Lost contact with their native cultures, and were often susceptible to diseases
o The Spanish would maintain the majority of their American empire for almost three hundred years, and left a significant
cultural legacy in the vast regions they controlled