what factors encouraged european exploration? why did they come to latin america?

What Factors Encouraged European Exploration? Why did

they come to Latin America?

Conquistadors

• European explorers and conquerors of other lands

• Mainly Spanish in Latin America

• Conquered or took Latin American land to build stronger empire for European country

• REMEMBER – what would conquistadors get by taking others?

1. God

• Spread Christianity and covert all non- Christians

2. Gold

• Main reason

• Trade of spices

3. Glory• Countries

wanted to be the best

• Conquering others makes them more powerful

Spanish Conquests in the

Americans

Christopher Columbus

• Italian explorer• Working for Spain• To discover a new

passage to the East Indies

• To Dominican Republic• Interested in finding

gold• Set up permanent

settlements• Very poor treatment of

the natives

Hernando Cortes

• Spain• Conquered Aztecs (in Mexico)• Montezuma (stupidly) treated Cortes well• Cortes obtained gold• Used violence = smallpox

* Took advantage of Aztec misunderstanding to exploit them for riches; was seen as a god. Oops.

Francisco Pizarroa. Spanish conqueror in

South America mainly Andes Mtns area

b. Conquered Inca Empire with force meeting little resistance

c. Captured Atalualpa and put him in “jail”

d. Ransom Gold / Silver

e. Court case, Atalualpa loses, and is executed (strangling/hanging)

f. Incas gave up and he claims their land for Spain

Why was it so easy for the conquistadors to take over land in Latin America? They had:

1. Better weapons2. Help of various native groups3. Disease killed most natives

-Measles-Mumps-Smallpox

Spain’s Pattern of Conquest

• Married native women; mestizo children

• Oppressed natives• Encomienda System:

natives farmed, ranched, or mined for Spanish landlords.– This system forced natives

to work under brutal conditions – it was forced physical labor

Spanish Influences on Social Classes in Latin America

The Spanish culture like language, religion, dress, food, and social rankings influenced the majority of countries in Latin AmericaLife changed for the native people once Europeans imperialized or conquered, especially when it came to ranking the people into classes (you will see the European influence)

Peninsulares

• .01% of population• Men who had been

born in Spain• Only ones allowed to

hold government jobs• Kept loyalty of

colonial leader

Creoles

• 22.8% of population• Spaniards born in Latin

America• Could not hold high level

political office• Could be officers in

Spanish Colonial armies• Best educated of people

born in L.A/least oppressed

Mestizos

• 7.3% of the population

• Persons of mixed European (Spanish) and Indigenous ancestry

Mulattos

• 7.6% of population• Persons of mixed

European (Spanish) and African ancestry

Africans

• 6.4% of population• Slaves

“Indians”/Indigenous

• 55.8% of population• Stood at the bottom of

social ladder• Unlike enslaved Africans,

Indians were of little economic value to the European (Spaniards)

• As a result they were more severely oppressed than any other group

Question

• What social group will start the revolutionary movements in Latin America? WHY?

ANSWER…

•Creoles