The Americas: PreColumbian Empires to
Colonies

This Power Point presentation goes with the Mastering the TEKS in World History
book by Jarrett, Zimmer, and Killoran.
Essential Questions
 What were the major characteristics of the Maya,
Inca, and Aztec civilizations?
 How did the voyages of Christopher Columbus forever
change the world?
Important Ideas
 Complex American Civilizations
 Renaissance encouraged European Exploration
 Christopher Columbus
 Spanish Conquest
 Europe got rich from the Americas
 American farming encouraged African slave trade
The Kellogg Institute
Early Americans
Nomadic Asians
followed herd animals
into the Americas.
American Peoples
experienced their own
Neolithic Revolution.
Pre-Columbian (before
Columbus) Civilizations
Grew maize (corn)
Did not live in river
valleys
Developed complex
societies
UCLA.edu
How did the
Ice Age effect
the population
of the
Americas?
What if it had
not occurred?
The Maya (1500 B.C. to
1546 A.D.)
Present day Guatemala
Each city had a chief who was half man and
half god
Social Structure
Hereditary nobility (performed sacred ceremonies
and assisted ruler)
Craftsmen (made goods for nobility)
Farmers (most people)
Warlike people who
Based on the information
above, what type
of
practiced
human
religion did the Mayans
have?
sacrifice
Harvard.edu
Built
magnificent
cities with
palaces,
temples, and
pyramids
Developed a
system of
hieroglyphics
or picture
words
What similarities does this
Mayan
civilization
have to the
Achievements
Egyptian
civilization?
Complex
system of
math with use
of zero, 365
day calendar
Created
colorful murals
and created a
popular ball
game
The Aztecs (1200-1521)
Present day Mexico
Grew crops in “floating gardens” in wet,
marshy lands
Complex Social Structure:
Emperor who was all powerful
Nobility served in government, army officers, and
priesthood
Commoners who worked as
farmers, fishermen, craftsmen,
and warriors
Slaves
Religion: Polytheistic
Warlike group that conquered
all surrounding tribes
Wku.edu
Built complex
temples that
were aligned
based on the
movements of
the sun and
moon
wikipedia
Compare
the
Aztec
Aztecs
to the
Achievements
Maya
UNM.edu
Built a large
empire with a
complex
government
structure and
large cities
wikimedia
Created
accurate
calendars
based on the
sun
Calendar SFA.edu
Sacrificed
humans to
their main
god, the Sun
god. Sacrifice
was need to
keep the
universe in
motion
The Inca Empire (122-1535)
Present day Peru,
Ecuador, Bolivia, and
Chile
Terrace farmed and
grew potatoes and
other root crops
Raised llamas and
alpacas for food,
wool, and
transportation
Uncp.edu
How are the Incas different from other
Neolithic Civilizations you have studied?
Machu Picchu
Built thousands
of miles of
roads to
connect the
empire
Excellent
engineers that
built buildings
out of fitted
stones
Inca
Achievements
Used a system
of knotted and
colored ropes
(quipu) for
communicatio
n instead of
writing
Built a large
empire that
covers present
day Peru,
Ecuador,
Bolivia, and
Chile
Inca Quipu Larco Museum
Collection
Pre Columbian Art
La balsa Muisca (The Muisca raft), a preColumbian gold sculpture representing the
Muisca´s offerings of gold.
Aztec jade mask depicting the
god Xipe Totec
Carved Mayan flint
dagger.
Describe PreColumbian art
based on these
works of art.
Inca Jar
Mayan jade mask
The Aztec
goddess
Coatlicue,
mother of earth.
Women’s Roles in
Mesoamerica
 Women:
 Harvested grains
 Prepared food (made maize into flour)
 Cared for livestock
 Cared for children and home
 Some sold goods in markets
 Some were artisans
 Some worked as priestesses
The Age of Exploration
Why the Interest in
Exploration?
 Asia
 Marco Polo’s writings
sparked European interest in
Asia
 Asian goods, especially
spices and silk, were sought
after in Europe
 The Silk Road was cut off by
the Ottoman Turks
 Renaissance:
 A new spirit of inquiry arose
 Europeans wanted to
explore the oceans
 New technology allowed for
better navigation, especially
the compass and triangular
lateen sail
Caravel: TAMU.edu
What impact did the
Ottoman Empire have on
European Exploration?
The dynamic energy of Western civilization between
1500 and 1800 was most apparent when Europeans
began to expand into the rest of the world.
First Portugal and Spain, then later the Dutch Republic,
England, and France, all rose to new economic heights
through their worldwide trading activity.
Dutch Republic
England
France
Spain
Economic motives loom large in European expansion.
Merchants, adventurers, and state officials had high hopes
of expanding trade, especially for the spices of the East.
The spices, which were needed to preserve and flavor
food, were very expensive after the Arab middlemen
shipped them to Europe. Europeans also had hopes of
finding precious metals.
Many people shared the belief of
Hernan Cortes, the Spanish
conqueror of Mexico, that they
must ensure that indigenous
people were, "introduced and
instructed in the holy Catholic
faith.
Spiritual and secular affairs were
connected in the sixteenth
century. Many Europeans
wanted to convert indigenous
people to Christianity, but
grandeur, glory, and a spirit of
adventure also played a major
role in European expansion.
New sailing
technology made the
voyages of discovery
possible.
Europeans had
now reached a level
of ship design that
enabled them to
make long-distance
voyages beyond
Europe.
The Portuguese
invented a ship,
called the caravel,
that was faster than
previous models.
Portugal took the lead in European exploration.
Beginning in 1420, under the sponsorship of
Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese fleets
began probing southward along the western
coat of Africa.
There they discovered a new source of gold.
The southern coast of West Africa became
known to Europeans as the Gold Coast.
Portugal
The Columbian Exchange
Jarett Publishing
The Age of Discovery
 Both Spain and Portugal wanted
to establish trade with Asia and
financed overseas exploration
 Spain’s Rulers, Ferdinand and
Isabella:
 Captured the Muslim areas of Spain
 Expelled Spain’s Jewish Community
 Reunited all of Spain under Christian
Rule
 Sough to spread Christianity across
the world
 Portugal
 Prince Henry developed a lighter
sailing ship
 He sponsored expeditions along the
coast of Africa
Ferdinand and Isabella
wedding portrait, unknown
artist
Why would European
monarchs spend so
much money on
exploration?
Christopher Columbus
(1451-1506)
 Sea Captain from
Genoa, Italy
 Sailed west in 3 ships
in hopes of finding a
quicker route to Asia
 Sponsored by the
King and Queen of
Spain
 Found instead the
Americas
 This new land
brought riches and
raw materials to
Europe
Why would Columbus risk his
life to find a new trade route?
The Columbian Exchange
 Goods from
America to
Europe:
 Tomatoes
 Corn
 Potatoes
 Peppers
 Squash
 Pineapples
 Chocolate
 Tobacco
 Turkey
 Goods from
Europe to
America:
 Wheat
 Sugar
 Cattle
 Horses
 Pigs
 Sheep
 Chickens
 Grains
In his four voyages, Columbus reached all the major
islands of the Caribbean and Honduras in Central
America - all of which he called the Indies.
Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
Later Explorers
Vasco de Gama
(1460-1524):
Portuguese
Discovered an all
water route to India
Sailed around the tip
of Africa in 1497
Ferdinand Megellan
(1480-1521):
Portuguese
1st to sail around the
world (1519)
What dangers might
these men have
faced in these
voyages?
Other Explorers
 England:
 John Cabot: claimed parts of
North America
 France:
 Jacques Cartier: explored the
St. Lawrence River
 Samuel Chaplain: explored the
Great Lakes area
 Robert de la Salle: explored the
Mississippi River
 Dutch:
 Henry Hudson: explored Hudson
Bay and Hudson River looking
for a “Northwest Passage” to
Asia
By the 1490s, then, the voyages of the Portuguese
and Spanish had already opened up new lands to
exploration.
Both Spain and Portugal feared that the other might
claim some of its newly discovered territories.
They resolved their concerns by agreeing on a line
of demarcation, an imaginary line that divided their
spheres of influence.
According to the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494,
the line
(of demarcation) would extend from north to south
through the Atlantic Ocean and the easternmost part of
the South American continent.
Unexplored territories east of the line would be
controlled by Portugal, and those west of the line by
Spain.
Other explorers soon realized that Columbus had discovered an entirely new frontier.
Government-sponsored explorers from many countries joined the race to the Americas.
A Venetian seaman, John Cabot, explored the New England coastline of the Americas for
England.
Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine, went along on several voyages and wrote letters describing
the lands he saw. These letters led to the use of the name America for the new lands.
The Spanish conquerors of the Americas known as conquistadors - were individuals
whose firearms, organizational skills, and
determination brought them extraordinary
success.
In 1519, a Spanish force
under the command of
Hernan Cortes landed at
the Vercrus, on the Gulf of
Mexico.
The Aztec monarch,
Montezuma, welcomed
Cortes. The Aztec were
astounded to see the
unfamiliar sight of men on
horseback with firearms,
cannons, and steel
swords. These weapons
gave the Spaniards a
great advantage in
fighting the Aztec.
What kind of advantage would these "new" weapons
give the Spaniards?
These new weapons allowed relatively fewer men to control
great populations.
Eventually, tensions arose between the Spaniards and the
Aztec. The Spanish took Montezuma hostage and began
to pillage the city. Many villagers revolted and drove the
Spaniards from the city. However, the Aztec soon
experienced new disasters. With no natural immunity to
European diseases, many Aztec fell sick and died.
Cortes received fresh soldiers and returned to fight. After
four months of fighting, the Aztec surrendered. The forces
of Cortes leveled pyramids, temples, and palaces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAxX5IcOOI&feature=relmfu
By the end of the sixteenth century, several new
European rivals had entered the scene for eastern trade.
The Spanish established themselves in the Philippine
Islands, where Ferdinand Magellan had landed earlier.
They turned the Philippines into a major Spanish base
for trade across the Pacific.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, an English fleet
landed on the northwestern coast of India and established
trade relations with the people there. Trade with Southeast
Asia soon followed.
The first Dutch fleet arrived in India in 1595. Shortly after,
the Dutch formed the East India Company and began
competing with the English and the Portuguese.
The Dutch also formed the West India Company to
compete with the Spanish and Portuguese in the Americas.
The Dutch colony of New Netherland stretched from
the mouth of the Hudson River north to Albany, New
York.
The English seized the colony of New Netherland,
renaming it New York.
In less than 300 years, the European age of
exploration changed the world. European
colonial expansion around the world produced
a great increase in European trade. this
growth was one of the first steps in the
development of the world economy.
Led by Portugal and Spain, European nations
established many trading posts and colonies in the
Americas and in the East.
The establishment of these colonies played a role in
the theory of mercantilism that dominated economic
thought throughout the seventeenth century.
Mercantilists believed that the prosperity of a nation
depends on a large supply of bullion, or gold and silver.
To bring in gold and silver payments, nations tried to
have a favorable balance of trade. The balance of
trade is the difference in value between what a nation
imports and what it exports over time.
When balance is favorable, the exported goods are of
greater value than the imported goods.
imports
exports
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Traffic in slaves was not new, to be sure. As in other
areas of the world, slavery had been practiced in Africa
since ancient times. In the fifteenth century, it continued
at a fairly steady level.
The primary market for African slaves was Southwest
Asia, where most slaves were used as domestic
servants.
Slavery also existed in some European countries.
The demand for slaves changed dramatically, however, with
the discovery of the Americas in the 1490s and the planting
of sugarcane there.
Growing sugarcane demands much labor. The small Native
Americans population, much of which had died of diseases
imported from Europe, could not provide the labor needed.
Thus, African slaves were shipped to Brazil and the Caribbean
to work on the plantations.
Originally African slaves were brought to the Americas to
supply labor for the sugarcane plantations.
During the next two centuries, the trade in slaves grew dramatically and
became part of the triangular trade that marked the emergence of a new world
economy.
The pattern of triangular trade connected Europe, Africa, and Asia, and the
American continent.
Altogether, as many as ten million African slaves were brought to the
Americas between the early sixteenth and the late nineteenth
centuries.
One reason for these astonishing numbers, of course, was the high
death rate.
The journey of slaves from Africa to the Americas became known
as the Middle Passage, the middle portion of the triangular trade
route.
Most slaves died on the journey.
Those who arrived often died from diseases to which they had little
or no immunity.
Colonial Latin America
European colonies imitated the culture and social
patterns of their parent countries. Colonial Latin
America was divided by social classes that were based
on status.
At the top were peninsulares, Spanish and Portuguese
officials born in Europe. the peninulares held all the
important government positions.
Below the peninsulares were the Creoles, descendants
of Europeans born in Latin America.
Beneath the peninsulares and creoles were numerous
multiracial groups.
Farming became a more enduring
source of prosperity as Spanish and
Portuguese landowners created
immense estates. However, colonial
farming practices also damaged the
environment as a result of
deforestation, overgrazing, and
overcultivation of single export crops.
To maintain a supply of labor, the
Spanish continued to make use of the
encomienda system, which was the
forcing of Native Americans to pay
taxes and to provide labor. In return,
the landowners were expected to
protect them and instructed them in the
Catholic faith.