colonial era latin america 1492-1815. five areas to define the era political conquest race and...
TRANSCRIPT
Colonial Era Latin America1492-1815
Five Areas to Define the Era
Political ConquestRace and social hierarchyReligious lifeEconomic ruleWar and technology
Political ConquestStory begins 1492
…In 10 years, Balboa crosses Panama to the Pacific in 1502, laying claim to the Americas…
By 1513 (21 years)…
…and Cortes by 1519 in Mexico…
…via a route from Veracruz…
…in 1532, the largest empire fell to Pizarro.
Race and Social HierarchyClass differentials
Social/Racial Pyramid
Peninsulars
Creoles
Mixed Races
Indigenous and Africans
The Peninsulars
Ruling Class—held highest offices in the Government and Church
Born in Iberia—Spain or Portugal
Given land or charters of exclusive right to huge tracts of land and the people on it to exploit
Many were “second sons” of nobility—primo geniture excluded them from inheriting the family wealth of the homeland
Their own children born in the colony would be of a lower class
Creoles
Spaniards born in the colonies of European parents or of Creoles parents—white, but not born in Europe
Second-class status based on where one was born
Could not become bishops in the Church or Viceroys in the colonies
Resented the Peninsulars, but could nothing about it
Often wealthy, well-educated, and more knowledgeable about the colony than the Peninsulars
Many of the folk heroes come from this group
Mixed Races
Mestizo—native + EuropeanMulatto—African + EuropeanZambo—native + AfricanCabodo—native + African + EuropeanUsually, the father is Peninsular or CreoleStatus is higher if European to some degree,
with preference for Mestizo leading to white for a price
Bottom Rungs of the Ladder
IndigenousAssimilatedRural
AfricanFreedmenSlaves
Peninsulars
Creoles
Mixed Races• Mestizo• Mulatto• Zambo• Cabodo
“Pure”• Indigenous• African
Religious LifeCatholic in Name Only
European Controlled
Ferdinand and Isabella were named the “Catholic Monarchs” in the Reformation—challenges to Papal (Pope’s) authority
Extremely religious, Isabella supported Columbus at least partially to gain souls for the Church
Missions from the Jesuit, Franciscan, and Dominican orders set up a system of churches to Christianize the “heathens”
Spanish and Portuguese culture is spread as well
First Things First
Indigenous are trained at the mission to become obedient and to work without question for the Church
Cathedrals are built on the ruins of old holy sites
Old idols are given a make-overShaman leaders are rounded up and executed
as hereticsMissions become places for food and
protection
The Strategy:
Friars• Preach
for days at an outpost
Local Shaman• Shows
interest in gospels
Shaman taught basics• “Christ-
ianizes” his group
Friars move on to
the next outpost
Cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe
December 1531
Tepeyac at the shrine to Tonantzin, and Aztec goddess
Native man, Juan Diego, sees the image of a brown-skinned woman
Symbol of faith, hope, compassion become the symbol of Mexican nationalism
Junipero Serra
Arrives 1749 as a Franciscan missionary at Vera Cruz
Walks despite poor health to Mexico City
Jesuits expelled 1767, Serra fill the void in Mexico and California
Political? Sure, the Russians were moving south from Northern California
FOUNDS MISSIONS ATLos AnglesSan FranciscoSan Diego
ALLOWSWhippingsShacklingConversion at gunpointImprisonmentForced labor
As one Friar noted, the Indians "live well free but as soon as we reduce them to a Christian and community life... they fatten, sicken, and die."
Crusading Mentality
Land Grants given to religious orders include the peons (peasants) to work the land
Suppress language, culture, but most of all, religion of the old ways
Promises of “equality” in the eyes of God and paradise in the afterlife
What’s the big deal?
SchoolsSocial institutionsCharityStatus of the individualNetworking
Economic RuleMoney?
Hacienda/Fazenda System
European-style landholding
Lord of the manor in a mini-castle (title)
Peasants work plots of land or mine resources
Encomienda—land and peasants “belong” to the noble
Noble is supposed to protect the peasant
Peasants (serfs) tied to land—can’t be sold as slaves
Closer to the plantation system in Latin America
Patron is the land owner
Self-sufficient except for luxuries
Life of Luxury for the Patron
Gardens of the Hacienda San Gabriel in Guanajuato,M exico.
Palacio San Jose Argentina
Hacienda Aurora, Puerto Rico
Uses of the LandCoffeeSugarRiceCattleWheatRubberGold/Silver/
Copper Mining
Working cacao hacienda in Mexico
But, the other side of the gate…
War and TechnologyWhen disease is not enough
Weapons
Europeans Indigenous
European Technology by 1600date invention
1500 Wheel-lock musket, flush toilets
1510 Da Vinci’s water wheel, pocket watch
1565 Graphite pencil
1568 Bottled beer
1589 Knotting machine
1590 microscope
1593 Galileo's water thermometer
In the Americas?
No wheelNo gun powderNo iron or steelNo horsesNo spinning wheelBut they did have a calendar,
foot suspension bridges, and irrigation