Bellwork
• In the last lesson, we discussed how the
Spanish began to colonize the Americas. What
were the consequences of the Spanish being
in the new world? Please name at least 2
consequences.
– Be prepared to discuss this concept.
American History
Section 3, Unit 2
Spanish Colonization
Objectives
• Identify the geographic areas in which the
Spanish controlled after the discovery of the
new world
• Identify cultural characteristics of SpanishAmerican life
• Explain what outside forces influenced the
settlements
Question
• Why did the Spaniards in the previous lesson
begin to move northward? What were they
looking for?
Spanish
America
• P. 17
To the left, we see the lengths of
the Spanish Empire in the
Americas (highlighted in red).
The Spanish, around the early
1500’s, did not extend far into
the eastern United States or
Canada due to outside forces
from other European nations (we
will discuss this later).
As well, Spain did not have
control over Brazil, which
Portugal claimed sometime
around 1500.
La Florida
• By the early 1500’s, the Spanish had already
turned their attention to La Florida.
• Spain’s goal of La Florida was to establish
permanent settlements and safe harbors in
which to conduct trade.
La Florida (cont.)
• One of the first attempts to establish a
settlement in Florida took place in 1526.
• Lucas Vazquez Ayllon led some 500 colonists from
Hispaniola to a site on the coast of present day
South Carolina.
• The colonists- which included families,
missionaries, and African slaves, built San Miguel
de Gualdape, but the colony did not last the first
winter.
– Nearly two-thirds of the settlers perished and the rest
struggled home in early 1527.
La Florida (cont.)
• Farther south in Florida,
settlers again had trouble
establishing a colony.
Native American groups
living in the area fought
the Spanish to keep them
from settling the area.
• However, in 1565, a
expedition by Pedro
Menendez de Aviles
succeeded in planting a
permanent settlement in
Florida- St. Augustine,
which is still the oldest
European-established city
in the United States.
New Mexico
• In 1609, about 1,500 miles west of St.
Augustine, Pedro de Peralta- the newly
appointed governor of the New Mexican
territory- established the capital of Santa Fe.
This outpost would help Spain keep a hold on
the whole of the Spanish territory in the west.
Pueblo Indians and the Spanish
• The Pueblo Indians and the Spanish struggled
for control of this area.
• The Pueblo resented the Spanish for
attempting to tax them and force them into
Catholicism.
Question: How did the Tainos in our
previous lesson respond to Spanish
demands? Do you think the Pueblo would
handle the situation differently?
Pueblo Revolt
• In 1680, the Pueblo’s
temporarily drove the
Spanish out of Santa Fe
while under the
leadership of Popé- the
Pueblo Prophet.
• By the time the Pueblo
Revolt was over, some
400 Spaniards were
dead and 2,000 settlers
fled south.
Aftermath
• Popé had hoped that by destroying all traces
of Spanish culture, his people could
reestablish their own customs. However, the
Pueblos would lose control of the territory in
1690 (10 years after the revolt) to New
Mexico’s new governor, Diego de Vargas.
• Under Vargas, Spanish rule was reestablished
after a successful reconquest.
– Instead of punishing the Pueblo’s, the Spanish
wisely pardoned them and allowed them to
accede to Spanish rule without excessive violence.
Arizona
• Around 1690, the
Spanish also began to
move into Arizona.
• Father Eusebio Kino
began to build Catholic
Missions near presentday Nogales in 1687
and Tucson in 1700.
• He also explored the
southern reaches of the
Colorado River.
Defensive settlements
• During the 1700s, the fear of the French and
British expansion (which we will discuss later)
prompted the Spanish to speed up their
colonization of both New Mexico and Arizona.
• They established presidios (forts), missions,
villages, towns, and large ranges across the
region.
Texas
• Spanish settlement in present-day Texas proceeded
slowly.
• The first permanent Spanish colony was founded at
Ysleta in 1681 by the settlers who escaped the Pueblo
Revolt.
• However, France’s colonization activity in North
America prompted Spain to strengthen it’s hold on
Texas:
– They began to build more missions and other settlements
near the Rio Grand, but because of few resources and raid
by the Apaches and Comanche's, settlement was slow.
California
• California was the last of Spain's northern
territories to be colonized.
• Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored much of the
California coastline in 1542, but it was not
until the 1700’s that Spain (who was
threatened by Russian explorations in
Northern California, Washington, and Oregon)
that they attempted to build permanent
settlements.
California
• In 1769, Gaspar de
Portola founded San
Diego and, seven years
later, Juan Bautista de
Anza, founded San
Francisco.
• California would also be
home to many Catholic
missions over the next
several decades of
colonization, most of
them built near the
Pacific Coast.
Spanish America
• By 1780, Spanish America was one of the largest
colonial empires the world had ever known.
• Within its borders were lands of rich geographic
diversity- coasts, deserts, rainforests, and
mountains.
• To oversee this huge and diverse empire, Spain
organized it into viceroyalties (territories ruled
by a colonial governor). The first two
viceroyalties formed was New Spain and Peru.
– Each was governed by a viceroy- who was the kings
representative- and the viceroy supervised lesser
officials.
New Spain
Peru
Colonial Government
• Colonial government worked better in theory
than in practice.
• Orders issues by the crown or Catholic church
had to be carried thousands of miles across the
Atlantic and the land to reach the outposts of the
empire.
• Government officials in the new territories would
become impatient and make their own decisions–
and in the case where they ignored orders from
the crown, punishment was rare.
– Most settlements formed their own local
governments to make up for the inefficient
government.
Missions
• Spanish Missions were designed to win Native
Americans over to Catholicism, teach them
Spanish ways, and make them loyal Spanish
subjects– Natives often worked in Missions as
“mission Indians” and worked in the crafts or
farmed.
• However, their attempts only fostered
resentment among the Natives due to harsh
labor systems force onto Natives by the missions,
the discipline systems, and diseases brought by
the Spanish.
Missions
• The missions were just
one form of settlement,
but it was not
uncommon for many
people to live in, or
around, the area of a
mission (which included
farming areas,
workshops), with the
center of the mission
being a church.
Haciendas and Ranchos
• Outside the missions, the Spanish government
divided the land into farming and ranching
estates.
• Haciendas, some consisting of hundreds of
thousands of acres, were the largest.
• Smaller farms and ranches were called
ranchos.
Peons
• Peons, or landless laborers (mostly Natives)
worked on haciendas.
• In theory, hacienda owners were to pay the
peons, who were free to come and go as they
please.
– In reality, most land owners kept the peons bound
to the land by land debts and they could not leave
until they pay off their debts– it was similar to the
encomienda system.
– As well, children of peons often had to assume the
debts of their deceased parents.
Ranchos
• Most owners of ranchos
lived on their land and
worked alongside their
laborers, unlike those who
owned the haciendas.
• The Spaniards who drove
the cattle on haciendas and
ranchos were excellent
horsemen called vaqueros
– Their lifestyle and languagewhich included the lasso,
rodeo, and corral- became
the model for the North
American cowboys.
Colonial Life
• People living on haciendas, in missions, or in the
bustling cities of Spanish America developed a
unique social structure.
• Peninsulares- Spaniards born in Spain- and
criollos- Spaniards born in the colonies- held the
most privileged positions in the Americas. Most
lived in huge homes and had many servants,
owned businesses and owned haciendas.
• Spaniards held high government positions and
studied law, theology, or medicine.
Mestizos
• Below the Spaniards were
the mestizos, men and
women born of EuropeanIndian unions. If they looked
more Spanish than native or
were related to important
Spanish families, mestizos
could aspire to high
positions in society.
• However, most mestizos
lived moderately as
artisans, estate supervisors,
traders or shopkeepers.
Caste system
1.
2.
• Overtime, a caste system
began to form (see right).
• At the bottom was the
Native Americans, Africans,
or people of mixed ancestry.
• These groups were legally
prevented from holding
public office and certain
jobs.
– Most of these people
worked laborious jobs.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Peninsular – a European born in
Spain;
Criollo (fem. criolla) – a White
person with Spanish or European
descent born in the Americas;
Mestizo (fem. mestiza) – a person
of mixed White European and
American Indian ancestry;
Pardo (fem. parda) – a person of
mixed white European, Native
American Indian and African Black
ancestry;
Indio (fem. India) – a person who is
a pure native of, or indigenous to, the
Americas;
Mulato (fem. mulata) – a person of
mixed White European and Black
African ancestry;
Zambo – a person of mixed Black
African and Native American Indian
Ancestry;
Negro (fem. negra) – a person of
African descent. Persons of mixed
race were collectively referred to as
castas.
Women
• The roles of women were also heavily defined by
race.
• Spanish women maintained a degree of economic
independence because they could own property
in their own names. They could also manage
family businesses, either with their husbands or
by themselves (if they were widowed).
– Many wealthy Spanish women were taught to read,
write, sew, and cook- however most still could not
read and they were discouraged from pursuing higher
education.
Women
• However, women who
were Native American,
African, or mixed had
few opportunities to
receive a formal
education.
• They were taught useful
skills for the home, but
they could do little
independently.
Spanish America
• Overall, Spanish presence in North America
would have a long-lasting effect on the
colonization of the country.
• They would continue to have a powerful empire
for another century, up until around the mid1800’s.
• However, the influence of the empire can still be
seen in modern society, whether it be the art,
architecture, culture, or language of the
southwest.
Review Objectives
• Identify the geographic areas in which the
Spanish controlled after the discovery of the
new world
• Identify cultural characteristics of SpanishAmerican life
• Explain what outside forces influenced the
settlements
– French presence
– Native American presence
Video
• To transition into the next lesson, please
watch the following video about Spanish
Expansion in the Americas.
Video: The Black Legend, Native Americans, and the Spanish
Questions
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Next Lesson
• In the net lesson, we are going to talk briefly
about the French expansion in North America.
Review
1. Around what characteristic did the Spanish revolve
their caste (class) system? How do you think this
reflected their feelings about differences between the
Spanish and other groups?
2. What caused the Pueblo Revolt?
3. How did the Spanish govern their new empire? What
problems arose with this form of government and
how did small towns and villages react?
4. Name three (3) cultural characteristics that you can
see in the west today that reflect on the Spanish
American influence.
5. How was the labor system on the hacienda similar to
the encomienda system we discussed in the previous
lesson (consider how they treat the laborers)?