The Conquistadors
Spanish conquest of the Americas
Describe the Diversity that existed
amongst native peoples of the
Americas prior to the arrival of
Europeans?
• Geography = Different
• South = More complex civilizations
(Aztecs & Incas).
What Initially Caused European
Exploration and which 2 countries
took the lead?
• A = Looking for new trade routes to Asia.
– 1. Portuguese go South (Africa)
– 2. Columbus goes West (North America)
Portuguese
• Prince Henry “The
Navigator”
• Borrowing from
Muslim World
• The Caravel
•
Columbus & Spain
• 1492
• Landed 1st in
Hispaniola
(Haiti/Dominican
Republic)
• Later Cuba
Impact of Columbus
• News of the “New
World” that Columbus
had “discovered”
motivated Spain to
send men to conquer
& colonize the
Americas.
• These Spaniards
were called
Conquistadors.
Spanish Motivations for Colonizing
the New World (Americas)
• The 3-G’s
• Gold
• God
• Glory
Spanish Attitudes towards Native
Americans
• Spaniards thought natives were inferior
“savages” because of the way they
dressed & their beliefs (they were not
Christians).
• Spaniards would force Native Americans
to convert to Christianity and to do forced
labor. (Mining for Gold and Silver.)
Why The Conquistadors were able
to conquer the People of Central
and South America
• Guns, Germs, and
Steel.
• In other words,
superior technology,
horses, diseases.
• Smallpox is the big
killer.
Hernando Cortes
Took an army of a few hundred men and
conquered the Aztecs (1519-1521).
• The Aztecs thought he was a God a first.
• Kidnapped Montezuma, then killed him.
•
• Built Mexico City on top of Tenochtitlan.
Francisco Pizarro
• Led 168 Conquistadors and conquered the Inca.
Spanish Settlement
• Mostly men, so lots of race mixing.
• Missions
• Presidios
• Stretch from Present West coast of USA to
bottom of South America.
Switch to Slave Labor
• Since disease killed
so many of the Native
Americans, the
Spaniards began
using African slave
labor in the Americas.
“Columbian Exchange”
• Refers to exchange of goods, diseases,
and people between the New World and
the Old World.
• Europe, North and South America, and
Africa.
Review
• What 2-factors allowed for European
exploration in the 1400s?
• What motivated European Exploration?
• What was Columbus looking for?