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