The Conquest and Colonization of Latin America
Global History and Geography I
E. Napp
Name: ___________________
Date: ___________________
The Spanish conquest of Latin America brought many important changes
to Latin American society. Spain sent royal governors or viceroys to rule
the colonies in the king’s name. Gold and silver from the Americas were
shipped to Spain, making it the strongest power in Europe in the 16 th
century. Conquered lands in the Americas were often divided among the
soldiers. The conquerors used Native Americans to farm the land and work
the mines. This system of forced labor was called the encomienda system.
In areas where many Native Americans had died, captured African slaves
were used to replace a dying Native American Indian population. Native
American populations had declined rapidly in parts of Latin America due to
a lack of immunity to diseases brought by the conquerors like measles and
smallpox.
The European encounter with the Native American Indians led to an
exchange of ideas, customs, and technologies. Global cultural diffusion
increased. This cultural exchange between the “New World” and the “Old
World” is often referred to as the Columbian Exchange. Because of the
encounter, the European diet was greatly altered by the introduction of new
foods like tomatoes, corn, potatoes, and chocolate. Western Europe became
the center of a vast global trading network, with trade shifting away from the
Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast. Raw materials obtained from the
Americas hastened European economic development. Wealth from the
“New World” enriched European merchants and their kings, especially in
the states bordering the Atlantic – Portugal, Spain, England, France, and
Holland. While Europeans benefited from the encounter, Native Americans
Indians and African slaves suffered greatly. Native American Indians lost
control of their lands and cultures while both Native American Indians and
Africans were terribly mistreated and exploited by European settlers.
Questions:
1- How did Spain benefit from the conquest and colonization of the
Americas?
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2- How were Native Americans harmed by the “encounter”?
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3- Describe the encomienda system.
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4- What was the Columbian Exchange?
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5- How did the “encounter” affect Africans?
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Although mining was the most sought after source of wealth, most of the
inhabitants of New Spain engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding.
These activities produced food for the population and products for the trade
with Europe and the East.
There were great differences between the agriculture of the Spaniards and
the agrarian practices of the Native American Indians. The Spaniards
exploited great extensions of land known as haciendas, which were
purchased or received as gifts from the king. The great landowners used
groups of Indians received under the Encomienda system (the right to use
Indian labor) to work their lands. They were supposed to give the Native
American Indians protection and a Christian education in exchange for
tribute and free labor. When the Encomienda system was ended towards the
middle of the 16th century, Indian slavery was also prohibited; nevertheless,
land owners still obtained workers in exchange for very low wages.
Two characteristics of Mexican agriculture during the 19th and 20th
centuries had their roots in the Colony: the concentration of land in the
hands of a small number of owners, and the communal ownership of small
parcels of land.
Questions:
6- How has Mexican agriculture been shaped by the conquest of the
region by Spain?
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7- How did the encomienda system affect the Native American Indians?
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The correct answer is number 1. Peninsulares were born in the Iberian
peninsula. They had the most powerful jobs in the colonial government
and owned vast tracts of land. They were politically and economically
powerful. The creoles were born in the Americas but were descended
from Europeans. They too were very wealthy but they could not hold the
most important government jobs. Mestizos had Indian and European
ancestry as Mulattoes had African and European ancestry. Finally,
Native American Indians and Africans were terribly exploited and forced
to labor under brutal conditions.
8- What conclusions can be drawn from the colonial hierarchy?
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9- Is this a fixed social class system? Explain your answer.
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One reason the Spanish conquistadors were able to conquer the Aztec and Inca Empires
rapid is that
1.
2.
3.
4.
these empires had no standing armies
the Spanish had better weapons than the Aztecs and Incas did
the Spanish greatly outnumbered the Aztecs and Incas
the Aztecs and Incas joined together to fight the Spanish
Which was a characteristic of the policy of mercantilism followed by Spanish colonial
rulers in Latin America?
1. the colonies were forced to develop local industries to support themselves
2. Spain sought trade agreements between its colonies and the English colonies in
North America
3. the colonies were required to provide raw materials to Spain and to purchase
Spanish manufactured goods
4. Spain encouraged the colonies to develop new political systems to meet colonial
needs
Which statement best describes a result of the scarcity of native Indian labor in Latin
America during the colonial period?
1.
2.
3.
4.
unskilled laborers were imported from Asia
many people from Spain and Portugal immigrated to the region
Native American Indians from the British colonies went south to work
large numbers of African slaves were imported
In many Latin American nations, a major effect of colonial rule has been the
1.
2.
3.
4.
concentration of power in a small group of landowners
minor political role of the military
equal distribution of wealth among social classes
economic control held by the Indian population
Spain’s colonial policy of mercantilism affected the development of Latin American
nations by promoting
1.
2.
3.
4.
the production of raw material and cash crops
free and rapid trade with Asia and Africa
respect for the rights of indigenous people
isolationism as a response to international political issues
In colonial Latin America, the main purpose of the encomienda system was to
1. insure that the Indians were humanely treated
2. provide a steady labor supply for early colonists