Colonialism in South America
Ms. Hunt
Unit 2
RMS IB 2013-2014
Spanish Colonies
THINK ABOUT IT?- Who lead Spanish exploration in
the New World?
• Supported by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
– To strengthen the Catholic Church and gain followers
• Conquistador- Spanish explorer who sought gold
and glory through exploration in the New World
(Think Conqueror!)
Spanish
Conquistadors
• Vasco Nunez de Balboa1510- founded first European
settlement on the mainland
of the Americas
– present day Panama.
• Hernan Cortes- leader of the
Spanish force in modern day
Mexico
– Dropped out of law school to
pursuit “gold and glory” in
the New World
• Fernando Pizzaro- leader of
expedition to Andes
Mountains
Cortes’ Campaign Against the Aztecs
Cortes gets two lucky breaks
1) Montezuma, the Aztec king,
thought Cortes might be a
god, and welcomed him with
lavish gifts and gold.
2) Discovered a Spanish prisoner
who could communicate with
the Aztecs
What happened?
• The Spanish were impressed
with the grandeur and riches
of the Aztec capital
• But horrified by the barbarism
and cruelty of the Aztecs.
– Cortes immediately decided to
put a stop to the cannibalism
and human sacrifice
• Laid siege to the Aztec capital
and takes the king as hostage
• Aztec people riot and Cortes
forces the Aztec’s to surrender.
Why did the Spanish win?
• Superior technology- steel weapons, guns,
artillery, horses, steel armor.
• Indian allies – The Aztecs were so hated, it was
easy for the Spanish to recruit the help of
other Indians.
• Disease – European diseases, particularly
small pox, devastated the Aztec population
Conquering the Incas
• 1530-1532 Pizarro’s expedition
fought along the frontier of the
Incan Empire.
• 1532- Pizarro and a force of about
180 men captured the Inca
Emperor, Atahualpa
– Hoping the Spanish will go away,
Atahualpa offers Pizarro a room full
of gold, if they will leave. Pizarro
agreed, but instead had Atahualpa
executed.
• By 1541, the Spanish have a vast
empire stretching from present
day California and Florida, to
Chile.
People of Spanish Colonies
Spanish Class System
• Peninsulare – Born in Spain.
– Held High Positions
• Criollos – Spaniards born in the colonies.
– Often wealthy, they could not hold government offices.
• Mestizos – People of Spanish and Indian heritage.
– They were poor and without power.
• Africans and Indians – these people were at the
bottom and held no power.
– They were usually slaves.
The Economy of a Spanish Colony
• The Encomienda System- an economic
system set up by the Spanish to make
Spain wealthy off its colonies
• Under this system, Indians did all the
work
– mining, farming, and ranching for
Spanish landlords.
– The Spanish grew extremely rich off the
gold, silver, coffee, sugar cane, and
other crops the Indians grew for them.
• The Indians were poor, starving, and
essentially slaves
• Effect– thousands of Indians died from
starvation, murder, and disease
– the Spanish began to import Africans as
slaves
Brazil- The Portuguese
Colony
• In 1500, Portuguese Sea Captain,
Pedro Alvares Cabral discovers
Brazil.
– Goal was to reach India.
• The first permanent settlement was
set up by the Portuguese in 1532.
• Economy- Sugar Cane Industry
– which led to the importation of
millions of slaves from Africa
• Brazil would become the largest and
most important colony in South
America!
Slavery in the Colony of
Brazil
• More slaves were sent to Brazil than to any other
colony in South or North America.
• In Brazil, slaves had many more rights than in
North America.
–
–
–
–
Slaves could marry.
Slaves had to be baptized.
Slave families could not be broken up for sale.
Slaves had many days on which they could either rest or
earn money to buy their freedom.
• The Government encouraged the granting of
freedom of slaves.
• The Portuguese accepted the African slaves as
humans, not as chattel, or property.
Think about it?
• Read the quote.
“the Brazilian slave knew he was a man,
and that he differed in degree, not in kind,
from his master”
• Explain what you think that quote means.
How might that attitude of and about Brazilian
slaves make a difference in Brazilian culture
today?
RAFT Activity
• Choose from any of the following
options to create a RAFT regarding
Colonialism in South America.
• Role–
–
–
–
European colonizer
European Explorer
Conquistador
Native from South America
• Audience– European citizens
– European Monarch
– Natives of South America
• Format–
–
–
–
Letter
Advertisement
Speech
News Article
• Topic–
–
–
–
Colonizing in the New World
the Encomienda System
Spanish Social Class System
impact of colonialism
• Your final product should
– be completed on the
next blank page in your
Interactive Notebook.
– Include a title along the
top of the page“Colonialism in South
America- RAFT”
– Include color in some
way (Examples: Title,
border, images)
– Be Correct and Creative!