The Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire “We came here to serve God and the king, and also to get rich.”

Clash of Cultures • “Arrows and tomahawks were seldom a match for gun, cannons, and smallpox.”

Cortes’s Conquest • In February of 1519, Hernan Cortes set sail for Cuba with 11 ships and 600 men • Among them were conquistadores • Unpaid mercenaries • Risking their lives for a share of the plunder and slaves • To prevent desertion, Cortes burned all but 1 ship when they arrived in Veracruz • In Veracruz, Cortes attacked a several small kingdoms that were independent of the Aztecs • He then convinced the defeated warriors to join him on his quest to defeat the Aztecs

The Aztecs • One of the most powerful civilizations in the world at the time or Cortes’s arrival

Aztec Religion • Human sacrifice was an important element of their faith • The Aztecs used these sacrifices to justify war • The Spanish were horrified by this (public torture and executions were also common in Europe at the time)

Spanish Invaders • When Cortes entered Tenochtitlan, Montezuma II mistook him for a god • “We Spaniards have a disease of the heart that only gold can cure.” • Forced Aztecs into slavery to mine more gold and silver • Angry Aztecs stoned Montezuma II as a traitor • Cortes retreated, but returned to besiege the city while smallpox decimated the population

Spanish America • Encomienda – system in which conquistadores became privileged landowners and controlled Indian villages • Indians provided goods and labor, encomiendas provided protection and missionaries • By 1503, the Spanish started bringing African slaves to America

Spanish Exploration in North America • Spain had the good luck of both arriving first and landing in the most lucrative spot • For most of the colonial period, much of today’s United States belonged to Spain • Spain’s colonial influence lasted 300 years, much longer than England’s or France’s

Spanish Exploration in North America • Although centered in Mexico, the Spanish empire extended as far east as Florida and as far north as Alaska • The Spanish left their influence on place names, architecture, and culture

Spanish Exploration in North America • Juan Ponce de Leon was the earliest explorer of Florida • The Spanish sailed the entire Gulf Coast • Explored as far north as Newfoundland • Established a short-lived colony in the Carolinas • Spanish culture spread everywhere they went

Spanish Exploration of North America • Hernando de Soto and his men explored from Florida to North Carolina, then west to the Mississippi River. • After his death, his men sailed down the Mississippi and found their way back to Mexico • The Spanish established provinces in Florida, northern California, and Texas as a means of deterring other Europeans from wandering into their claim • St. Augustine established to keep the Huguenots in South Carolina out of Florida

The Spanish Southwest • Permanent settlements were established in New Mexico, Texas, and California • Missions: • Settled in isolated areas by Catholic priests who would work to convert Indians • After 10 years, the mission would become a secular town • Land would be divided among converted Indians and they would get full Spanish citizenship

The Spanish Southwest • Some Indians welcomed the missionaries as powerful witches • Others tried to use them against rival tribes • The rest usually submitted to Spanish rule

The Spanish Southwest • Difficult living and sparse gold caused interest in the Southwest to wane • However, by 1610 Santa Fe was thriving was English colonists were struggling to survive at Jamestown

The Pueblo Revolt (1680) • Popé led a massive rebellion against the Catholic church • Executed priests and destroyed relics • Took Santa Fe has his capital • This event marked the greatest defeat the American Indians inflicted on European efforts to colonize the Americas • The Spanish wouldn’t reassert control over New Mexico for 14 years

Horses and the Great Plains • Spanish authorities made it illegal for Indians to own horses • The Pueblo Revolt gave Indians free access to Spanish horses for the first time • The Pueblo began trading horses with other tribes • By 1700, horses were found throughout the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains

Horses and the Great Plains • The speed and strength of horses gave American Indians much greater mobility and power • Indians could travel farther to trade or fight • Horses could also carry heavy burdens from hunts

Horses and the Great Plains • Horses enables tribes like the Sioux to become nomadic bison hunters • Bison provided almost everything these tribes needed for daily life (“tribal department store”) • Horses also competed with bison for food and enabled Indians to hunt them more quickly than herds could replenish • Horses also enabled diseases to spread futher faster

Horses and the Great Plains • Horses became tribal status symbols that led to warfare • Horses, therefore, were a benefit and a detriment to American India society

The Spanish Empire