The Spanish Caribbean Sydney and Sarah
Tainos (Arawaks) Indigenous people of the Caribbean From Orinoco River Valley in South America Cultivate crops such as manioc Live in villages with chiefs; land divided between families
Spanish Arrival Island of Hispaniola- base of Spanish operations Encomienda- system where Tainos work in fields and mines Encomenderos- Spanish settlers Rebellions occur, but easily put down
Smallpox Raiding parties to enslave indigenous people due to demographic decline 1492 population 4 million and in 1540s a few thousand Society disappears
Mining and Plantations Search for gold Find silver 1640s French, English, and Dutch set up plantations for cultivations of cash crops like sugar