Transcript Latin American Colonization

How do leaders gain, maintain and use/lose their power?
How did Spain and Portugal rule their empires in the
Americas?
What were the effects of the Columbian exchange?
What social classes developed in Latin America?
Key Terms
Colonialism: The policy of a dominant country
conquering and ruling a weaker country, usually
for the purpose of exploiting the weaker
country’s natural resources
Conquistadors: From the spanish word for
“conqueror,” this term refers to the spanish
explorers who were responsible for the
Euorpean conquest of the New World, especially
of Mexico and Peru during the 16th century.
European Exploration
August, 1492: Columbus Sailed to “Asia”
or East Indies
Actually landed on an island in the
Caribbean
– Claimed land and called people Indians
Spain and Portugal began dividing up
world claiming everything they “found”
Spanish Claims
Under the Treaty of Tordesillas, Spain
claimed most of the Americas
Hundreds of explorers and conquistadors
followed in the path of Columbus.
What did they want?
Explorer Findings
Vaco Nunez de Balboa:
– Expedition across mountains and jungle of Panama let to
discovery of South Sea or Pacific Ocean
Megellan:
– Tried to find trade route around South America
– Went around Cape Horn to find profitable trade route to Asia
– Eventually found more profit from wealth of Aztecs and Inca
Empires
Pedro Cabral:
– Landed on east coast of South America (Brazil) and claimed it as
Portugal land
Other Explorers:
– French, English, and Dutch explorers challenged Spanish and
Portuguese claims for almost 300 years
Spanish Rule
By the mid 1500’s Spain ruled an empire
that extended from Mexico to Peru
The King of Spain divided area into two
sections and ruled with Viceroy’s
Council of the Indies:
– Powerful council made all the laws for the
colonies
– Regulated church, courts, and trade with
Spain’s American Empire
Mercantilism
Principles: A country’s economic strength
depended on increasing it’s gold supply by
exporting more goods than it imported
Role of Colonies under mercantilism:
– Supply the parent country with raw materials
Lumber, cotton, sugar, precious metals, etc.
– Market to sell manufactured goods
Furniture, clothing, tools, etc.
Effects:
– Made the colonies economically dependent on Spain
for trade and manufactured goods
Effects on Natives
Stolen Treasure
– Conquistadors melted down tons of gold and silver and shipped
them to Spain
– Forced natives to mine for gold and silver
Plantation Economy
– Spanish colonists set up plantations to grow cash crops that
were shipped to Spain
– Coffee, Sugar Cane, fruit crops, also ranches
– Forced Labor of natives
Encomienda System
– Conquistadors were given encomiendas. Gave Spanish settler
the right to demand taxes or labor from people living on land
The Columbian Exchange
Global exchange of people, goods, and
ideas
Exploration and conquest created links
between Eastern and Western
hemispheres
Links changed regions forever
Class Systems of Latin America
Essential Question:
– What social classes developed in Latin America?
Criterion A: Knowledge
– Demonstrate subject content knowledge and understanding through the
use of descriptions and explanations, supported by relevant facts and
examples, and may show other ways of knowing.
Task:
– Using the book (Pages 464-465), create a
visual representation of the class system in
place throughout the colonies.
– Be sure to include descriptions, explanations,
and facts surrounding the different classes.
Latin America: Challenges in the 21st
Century
An understanding of the causes and
consequences of change through physical
and human actions and processes
– Essential Questions:
How did the arrival of Spanish conquistadors affect
the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca cultures?
Why was the development of democratic
governments in Latin America so difficult?