Early Latin America
Spaniards and Portuguese:
From Reconquest to Conquest
 Geographic location of Iberian peninsula meant
conflict and thus a strong military tradition
 Mid-15th century Ferdinand of Aragon and
Isabella of Castile unified kingdoms and got rid
of religious and ethnic diversity in their
kingdoms
 1492 Fall of Granada and economic support to
Columbus
Iberian Society and Tradition
 Traditionally, Spanish and Portuguese lived in
cities- they transported this to the American
Indian countryside
 Use of African slaves already common on Iberian
peninsula-- merchants use of slaves
 Political centralization of Portugal and Castile
with well-trained bureaucracy similar to China
 Heavy influence of religion and church
The Chronology of Conquest
1492-1570- conquest- administration and
economy set up
1570-1700 – consolidation
18th century- reform and reorganization
that intensified the colonial relationship
The Caribbean Crucible
 Conquest of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Cuba,
Panama
 Arrival of Spanish women and African slaves
represented a shift from an area of conquest to
one of settlement
 Agricultural Taino people provided enough
surplus labor so began the encomienda system But native population quickly decimated and for
200 years a backwater until sugar and slaves
allowed it to surge again
 Disease and conquest- Bartolome de Las Casas –
The Paths of Conquest
 Conquests usually done by an individual or small group with
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government support
Conquest directed at Mexico and South America
Hernan Cortes -conquest of the Aztec in Tenochtitlan in 1521 (defeat
of Montezuma II)- won partly because of help from Aztec enemies
and also from disease, starvation, and battle
1535- New Spain
Franciso Pizarro and the Inca- 1533 Cuzco fell. By 1540 most of
Peru under Spanish control although active resistance continued
Spanish expeditions spread out then to North America and South
America: Francisco Vazquez de Coronado in N. America and Pedro
de Valdivia in S.America
By 1570 there were 192 Spanish cities
The Conquerors
Crown received 1/5 of treasure
Conquerors came from all walks of life and
were hoping to better themselves and serve
God
Technological edge (horses, firearms, steel
weapons) gave them great advantage
Conquest and Morality
Justification of Spanish rule and
destruction by Juan Gines de Sepulveda
versus Las Casas
Huge population declines due to epidemics
and mistreatment disrupted American
societies
Exploitation of the Indians
 No interference with aspects that served colonial
goals or conflict with Spanish authority or
religion. Indian nobility in Mexico and Peru, for
example, remained middlemen between the tax
and labor demands.
 By mid-16th century enslavement of Indians
forbidden
 Colonial governments increasingly extracted
labor and taxes from native peoples
Colonial Economies and
Governments
Spanish America an agrarian society- 80%
of the people worked on land
Mining was the essential activity and the
basis of Spain’s rule in West Indies- silver
formed the basis of Spain’s wealth in
America
The Silver Heart of Empire
 1545-1565 major silver discoveries and mining
towns developed. Potosi in Peru and Zacatecas
in Mexico
 Labor first provided by slaves and encomienda
workers and then replaced by labor draft
 Used European mining techniques
 1/5 profit went to crown
 Mining stimulated other parts of the economy
Haciendas and Villages
Family-owned rural estates developed
(haciendas)
Labor force came from Native Americans
and mestizos
Haciendas became basis of wealth for local
aristocracy
Industry and Commerce
 Small textile workshops- produced cloth and
colonies no longer depended on Europe for basic
goods
 Spain tightly controlled the silver trade- Board
of Trade in Seville. Worked with merchant guildconsulado
 Galleons- large heavily armed ships- carried the
silver belonging to the crown
 Problems- inflation and cost of keeping up the
colonies
Ruling an Empire: State and
Church
 Sovereignty of colonies rested on papal grant- Treaty of
Tordesillas (1494), which awarded lands to the east to
Spain and to the west to Portugal
 Spanish empire became great bureaucratic system built on
a juridical core and staffed by lawyers
 King ruled through the Council of the Indies
 16th century- Spain created 2 viceroyalties- one in Mexico
and one in Peru.
 Clergy formed another branch of state apparatus
 Cultural life around religion- architecture, books, schools
 Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz- author, poet, musician
Brazil: The First Plantation
Colony
 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral landed in Brazil, but
Portugal didn’t pay attention to it until 1532
 Portuguese nobles given land to colonize and
develop
 Sugar plantations- key to economic successworked on by African slaves
 1549 Portuguese king sent an official to create a
royal capital at Salvador
Sugar and Slavery
 Brazil became the leader in sugar production in 17th
century
 150,000 slaves by the end of the 17th century (1/2 of
population)
 Brazil’s social hierarchy reflected its plantation and slave
origins
 Run similarly to the Spanish colonies
 Portugal was different because it had important colonies
in Asia and Africa
 Portuguese colonies more dependent on Portugal b/c lack
of intellectual life in Brazil
Brazil’s Age of Gold
 Slowly international competition would increase
other colonies’ sugar production and push the
price down
 1695 Gold strikes- slaves provided labor- this
opened the interior of the country to settlement
 1735-1760 reached its height and made Brazil the
greatest source of gold
 Rio de Janeiro became capital of the colony in
1763
Multiracial Societies
Society of Castas
Miscegenation
Mestizos- Indian/European mix- had
higher status than the Indians
Growth of mestizo and mulatto population
to about 40%
Development of peninsulares and Creoles
Women in subordinate positions
th
18
Century Reforms
 Colonies gained new importance with population
growth in Europe and revived strength of Spain
and Portugal
 Shifting Balances of Politics and Trade
 Spain weakened by wars, poor rulers, economic
crisis
 France, Britain, Holland taking islands in the
Caribbean
 War of Spanish Succession and Treaty of
Utrecht- recognized the Bourbon family
Bourbon Reforms
 Charles III worked to strengthen Spain- using
some French models
 Colonies- new viceroyalties created in New
Granada and Rio de la Plata
 Spain involved in the Anglo-French wars, where
it lost Florida and Havana, California was settled
 Growing dissatisfaction among colonial elite
Pombal and Brazil
Marquis of Pombal directed Portuguese
affairs from 1755-1776- authoritarian
leader
Developed the interior of Brazil
Rio de Janeiro became capital
Reforms, Reactions, Revolt
Mid-18th century boom in population and
productivity
Comunero revolt 1871, Tupac Amaru
rising- increased dissatisfaction with
imperial policies
Social divisions hindered effective revolt
until Spain and Portugal were weakened by
internal European politics