Political Transformations:
Empires and Encounters
1450-1750
Chapter 13
Colonial Societies in the Americas
• Spanish, Portuguese, British, French
• Wholly new societies
• Mercantilism: Colonies provided markets for
goods and bullion.
• Comparisons?
– Catholic Spain and Protestant England
– Type of economy
– Urbanized Mesoamerican and Andean natives
versus rural villages of North America
– Role of women
Spanish Colonies
• Long before British and French
• Economic foundation: commercial agriculture, silver
and gold mining
• Encomienda: The Spanish crown granted to particular
Spanish settlers a number of local native people from
whom they could require labor, gold, or agricultural
produce and to whom they owed “protection” and
instruction in the Christian faith.
• Repartimiento/Mita: Same but with more control from
the Spain, seen more as a tax/tribute, a certain % of
natives were required to work for the estate owners for
a certain amount of days
• Hacienda: The owners of the large estates directly
employed native workers.
Social Structure of
Colonial Latin America
Chapter 13
Colonial Latin American Caste System
• When Spanish and Portuguese colonies were
established in central and south America a caste
system formed. (castas)
• One’s social class was directly tied to how
“pure” his blood was and his place of birth.
• The kings wanted to keep the colonies under
their control and only have “loyal” people in
office.
Peninsulares
Creoles
Mestizos
Mulattoes
Amerindians
Zambos
Africans
Peninsulares
• “pure blood” ???
• From the Iberian Peninsula
• Highest social class and the only class
which could hold high office (church,
military, administrative)
• Spain wanted to keep loyalty of
colonial leaders.
Creoles
•
•
•
•
•
Born in Americas
Land-owning
Elite
Could not hold highest positions
In 1800s will rebel against peninsulares
in wars of independence
Mestizos
• Of Spanish and
Amerindian
descent
• Spanish and
Portuguese men
married native
women and had
families.
Mulattoes = Spanish and African descent
Zambos = Amerindian and African descent
Africans
• Many Africans were brought over
from Africa to the colonies as slaves.
• Some of these Africans would escape
from a plantation and find their way
to native villages.
• Natives were usually sympathetic to
the African people.
Factions by Fractions
• There were various levels in society, in
between the main groups, based on blood
quantum.
Example:
Castizos =
¾ European,
no more than
¼ Amerindian
• Derogatory Slurs
Comparisons
• Spanish and Portuguese colonies differed in
that Africans were not a huge factor in
Spanish colonial society but were in
Portuguese society.
• North American colonization was different in
that women were colonists. There was not a
shortage of women like in Meso and South
America. Less racial mixing.
• In North America three main groups: white,
red and black; in Spanish and Portuguese
colonies many mixed-race groups
Settler Colonies in North America
• Many British settlers wanted to escape Old World
society and start over, not recreate what they had.
• They could escape class restrictions of England.
• More British settlers came to New World than
Spanish or Portuguese.
• Protestants not as interested in spreading
Christianity as Catholics, but provided more literacy.
• More local self-government, joint-stock companies
and royal charters. British crown relatively
unconcerned with colonies.
Russian Empire
• From Moscow to world’s largest state (15001800)
• Brought the steppes and Siberia under its
control
• Submission to Tsar, yasak (tribute), and
Christianity
• Settlers put pressure on pastoralists/nomads
• Russified
Russian Empire
• Became multi-ethnic through conquest (Slavs,
pastoralists, Siberians)
• Wealth in agriculture, furs, mineral deposits
• Peter the Great: 1689-1725, westernization
and modernization
• Catherine the Great: 1762-1796, Enlightened
despot
Chinese Empire
• Stopped possible maritime expansion
but grew empire to the north and west
• Qing dynasty or Manchu (1644-1912),
they were from Manchuria and had
conquered the Chinese
• Brought Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet
under Chinese control or “unified”
• Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) with Russia
to set boundary
• Court of Colonial Affairs, local rulers
• Change in that area: not cosmopolitan,
nomadic pastoralists removed from
world stage
Mughal Empire in India
• Rare period of political unity, 1526-1707
• Divided between Muslims and Hindus
• Akbar: had tolerance toward Hindu majority,
married Hindu princess, put Hindus in politicalmilitary elite, built temples, lessened restrictions
on women, removed jizya/tax, House of Worship,
Indian-Persian-Turkic culture
• Opposition from Shayk Ahmad Sirhindi: it is the
women’s fault
• Aurangzeb: reversal of Akbar’s policy
• Opposition movements weakened India
Ottoman Empire
• The “Sword of Islam”: conquered
and defending Islam
• Women had many rights, more
than Europeans
• Balkans: Christian majority, mostly
tolerance, devshirme
• Europeans worried about a Muslim
takeover, Suleiman