The Beginnings of Our
Global Age
Europe and the Americas 1492-1750
Remember Columbus?
It is easy to say
Columbus was a “bad
guy” in 2010.
Why?
BUT what do you think
we would discover if we
compared Columbus to
the times he lived in?
First Encounters in the
Americas
• Columbus met the
West Indians – called
Tainos (TY-nos).
• Poor island farmers
making cotton
clothing and growing
corn, yams, cotton.
• Friendly with
Columbus.
– Also called ARAWAK
Indians.
After Columbus: The
Conquistadors
• Seized the Native
Americans’ gold and
forced them into
slavery.
– Mining for gold
– Burning the forests for
plantation ground.
– Forced into
Christianity.
What happened to the
Tainos?
• Offended Spanish
when they didn’t pay
“proper respect” to
Christian symbols.
• Enslaved the Tainos.
• Most died of
European diseases
• Intermarried / forced
relationships led to
the end of the Tainos
by the 1700s.
BTW:
• The Caribbean gets
its name from the
Caribe Indians.
– Caribe = Canibal
– Last known pure
Caribe died in 1920.
Conquistador Advantages
over the millions of Indians?
• GUNS
• HORSES
• DISEASE
The Indians had no immunity
•
•
•
•
•
Smallpox
Measles
Influenza
Plague
90% of West Indians
died in the 1500s.
The Spanish heard tales of
gold and fierce warriors
• The hunt was on for
wealth to take from
the heathen Indians.
• The Conquistadors
came after Columbus.
– CONQUISTADOR =
Conquerors
Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs
• From a good Spanish
family.
– Failed at being a
European soldier.
– Failed at becoming a
lawyer.
Cortes was hungry for
wealth and recognition.
Cortes
• 1519 – landed on the
coast of Mexico with :
– 600 men, 16 horses,
and a few cannon.
• WHY WOULD
CORTES BURN HIS
SHIPS WHEN HE
GOT TO THE NEW
WORLD?
What did Cortes Have?
• Intelligence
• Guile –crafty or artful
deception.
• Ruthless – Without
pity or compassion
• Violence
• Luck
Luck?
• Cortes had three bits
of luck:
– His translator,
Malinche
– Learning the Aztec
story about the White
Gods
– The Aztec king,
Moctezuma, was
weak.
Malinche
• Or, as the Spanish
history books call her
– Dona Marina.
• Was she acting to
help Cortes out of
love for him?
• Was she acting in
revenge for her
treatment by the
Indians?
• Was she acting to
stay alive?
Malinche
• In Mexican history
she is a traitor to her
people.
– malinchista
• In Spanish history she
is a heroine.
– Her son, with Cortes,
was the first
MESTIZO.
• Mixed Race
Malinche taught Cortes about
an ancient legend
• Quetzalcoatl a white
god who would return
from the waters to
begin the “beginning
of the end.”
• How would Cortes
see this legend as
being an advantage
for him?
Moctezuma and the Aztecs
• The last king of the
Aztec Empire was
weak.
• Moctezuma
(Montezuma) was
very superstitious and
waiting for “signs”
from the gods on how
he should act.
The Aztecs were also hated
by other tribes
• The demands from
the empire for human
sacrifices had many
lesser tribes angry
and just waiting for a
leader to help them
beat the Aztecs.
What would you do?
• If you were
Moctezuma?
• If you were Cortes?
Moctezuma’s Mistake
• Offered gifts to the
man / god Cortes but urged him not to
come to the capital
city of Tenochtitlan.
– A city of gold.
Cortes wants the gold!
• Sometimes fighting,
sometimes
negotiating Cortes
gets to Tenochitlan.
• DAZZLED by the
wealth of the city.
• Absolute DISDAIN for
the Aztec religion.
• How is Cortes going
to get it?
Cortes makes no friends
among the Aztecs
• Not everyone thought
he was a man / god.
• Fighting breaks out.
• Cortes takes
Moctezuma hostage
and makes him sign
all his wealth over to
him.
1520-1521: How far will
Cortes go?
• Moctezuma is his
prisoner.
• The Aztecs hate the
Spanish
• A new group of
Conquistadors that
don’t like Cortes have
landed near the
capital.
– They could take the
wealth!
Cortes
• Fought his way out of
Tenochititlan.
– Lost half of his men
– Moctezuma was killed.
1520 – 1521 CHAOS
• Indian tribes, Aztecs,
Spaniards all fighting
for control of the
wealth and country.
Cortes with his Indian allies
• Take and destroy
Tenochtitlan and
rename it Mexico
City.
• Steals the wealth
– To “legitimize” his theft he takes
Moctezuma’s daughter and says
she is her father’s heiress and
marries her off to various
followers.
Mexico and Mexico City is a
Spanish possession
• The Indians are
forced to become
Christian.
– Some willingly.
Cortes was helped to victory
• He brought smallpox with
him.
• 80% of the Aztecs died.
What happened to the rich
Cortes?
• Had wealth, titles, and
land but few people
wanted to be known
as his friends.
• Died in 1547 and
asked for his bones to
be buried in Mexico.
• Think he is buried in
Mexico?
Interesting thing, Cortes’ will
• He remembered his
children – both
legitimate and
illegitimate – Spanish
and Indian:
• Including the son
Martin – the one he
had with Malinche.
– Martin became a
Spanish soldier and
fought in Germany and
Algiers in Africa.
Pizarro and the Incas
• Cortes’ “successes”
at getting wealth
encouraged other
Conquistadors to try
to acquire their own
fortunes.
weapons:
Guns
Germs
Steel
Francisco Pizarro
• Illegitimate son with
no inheritance from
his father.
• Joined in with his
second cousin
Hernan Cortes in the
final “mopping up” of
the remains of the
Aztec Empire.
• Became very
“Machiavellian.”
Pizarro
• Poor and needed
“patrons” to help him
get his fortune.
• Completely
RUTHLESS.
Pizarro
• Murdered one of his
patrons, Balboa,
when he was offered
more opportunities by
a rival conquistador.
• He commonly
kidnapped Indians in
Panama, demanding
gold, and after it was
delivered, sold the
captive Indians into
slavery.
Pizarro hears about a
kingdom of gold to the south
in
1530.
• The Incas
• Supposed to have
more riches than the
Aztecs.
Pizarro tries to invade
• No luck on his first
two expeditions.
• Rumors of the wealth,
but he can’t find it!
Pizarro prepares for a final try
in 1530
• What should he do to
help prepare?
Pizarro’s Plan
• Cuts a deal with the
Spanish king.
– Give 20% of the
wealth he finds to the
king.
– The king names him
governor of whatever
he conquers. Gives
CARTE BLANCHE.
– Pizarro buys three
Inca slaves and
teaches them Spanish.
The Inca Emperor
• Atahualpa (ah tah
WAHL puh) had just
won a civil war
against his brother.
• Powerful emperor and
good military leader.
• A lot of unhappy
enslaved tribes forced
to pay taxes to the
Incas and some
human sacrifices.
Pizarro and Atahualpa Meet
• Pizarro tries Cortes’
trick of making the
Inca think the Spanish
were gods.
• Atahaulpa doesn’t
buy it.
Pizarro and Atahualpa Meet
• Pizarro hands a Bible
to Atahualpa and tells
him to convert to
Christianity and serve
the Spanish.
• What do you think
Atahualpa did?
Pizarro later invites Atahualpa
to meet again
• The 6000 Incas come
in ceremonial gear.
• Pizarro lays an
ambush with 200
men, 27 horses and 3
cannon.
• Atahualpa is
captured.
Ransom is demanded
• The Incas are told to
fill a room once with
gold and twice in
silver within 2 months
to get their emperor
back.
• The Incas paid it.
Pizarro puts Atahualpa on
“trial”
• Sentences him to
burned as a heretic at
the stake.
• IF Atahualpa
converts, he won’t be
burned at the stake.
• He was Garotted.
Pizarro takes over the empire
• Much bloodshed in
forced conversions
and stealing more
wealth.
• Pizzaro tried to
“rewrite” history to
make himself look
heroic.
• Killed by a rival
Conquistador when
he was 70.
Pizarro and other Conquistadors
ruled Central and South America
• Viceroys ruled for the
king.
• Spanish and
Portuguese were
“encouraged” to
immigrate to the New
World.
• The “encouragement”
of the Indians to
convert to
Catholicism.
Encomienda – forced labor
• The Indians were
forced into slavery,
mostly mining for the
Spanish.
• When they died,
slaves were brought
from Africa to fill the
labor shortage.
• MASSIVE amounts of
gold, silver and gems
left the New World.
The Columbian Exchange
• From the New World
tomatoes, pumpkins,
peppers, corn and
potatoes were taken
to Europe
The Columbian Exchange
• From Europe, wheat
and grapes went to
the New World.
• From Africa and Asia,
bananas and sugar
cane were brought.
• Chickens, horses,
donkeys were
introduced to the
Americas too.