The Age of Exploration

How were the Spanish able to defeat the Aztec and Inca? Hernan Cortez (Aztecs) = 600 Spaniards vs. 25 million natives in Mexico Francisco Pizarro (Inca) = 200 Spaniards

4. Alliances w/ other Native groups 1. Disease (smallpox) Europe, Asia, & Africa have domesticated animals and have adapted to diseased from animals 2. Superior Weapons Steel, Guns, horses, dogs, canons, & armor 3. Trickery Aztecs believed the Spaniards are gods According to legend, the Aztec god will return from the east and take the throne To keep god away, the Aztec emperor gave Cortez gold to bribe him Cortez wanted more gold and attacked Tenochtitlan 4. Alliances w/ other Native groups Hated paying tribute to Aztecs/Inca

Glory, God, & Gold 1453- Ottomans (Muslim Empire) took control of Constantinople block European route to Asia Portugal/Spain sail around Africa to Asia Portugal: Bartolomeu Diaz- makes it to the Cape of Good Hope Vasco Da Gama- makes it to India Prince Henry the Navigator- Portuguese prince studied shipbuilding

Ottoman Empire

Glory, God, & Gold 1492- Christopher Columbus sails for Spain ( hoping to reach China) Arrives in Hispanola Financed by Isabella & Ferdinand of Spain Pope divided the Atlantic Ocean in half along a line of longitude and gave everything on the left to Spain and everything on the right to Portugal Spanish ultimately gained control of the Americas, Portugal only gained Brazil Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese, left from Spain)- 1st explorer to sail around the world, around the Americas Dies in the Philippines

What was the Colombian Exchange? Massive exchange of plants, animals, & diseases These things moved between the New (Americas-west) and Old Worlds (Europe- east) Started with Columbus 1492 To the Americas: cows, horses, wheat, smallpox To Europe: potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, corn

From Old World to New World From New World to Old World Columbian Exchange From Old World to New World From New World to Old World Wheat Sugar Bananas Rice Grapes Horses Pigs Goats Cattle Sheep Chickens Smallpox Measles Typhus Turnip Coffee Pear Garlic Corn Potato Beans Peanuts Squash Pumpkin Tomatoes Avocados Chili pepper Pineapple Cocoa Tobacco Rubber Turkey Vanilla Papaya Quinine (a medicine for malaria)

The Spanish Empire in the Americas Encomienda System: The government of Spain legally granted Conquistadors large areas of land, along with permission to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in the area: Natives were forced to work on plantations, mines, & ranches Conditions were terrible and cruel, many Native Americans were literally worked to death As many overworked Native Americans died, the Spanish brought in slaves from Africa to dot he work

Social Classes The Spanish developed a social structure in the Americas that placed people in a hierarchy Peninsulares: The Spanish-born people at the top of the class structure (named after the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain is located and thus where they were born) Creoles: The 2nd highest class on the social pyramid, Creoles are those of European descent (product of European parents) who were born in the colonies Mestizos: The people of mixed Native American and European descent Mullatoes: Those of mixed African and European descent The lowest ranking social class was made up of Native Americans and people of African descent (those with no European blood)

Social Pyramid in Latin America

Triangular Trade Raw goods/crops such as sugar/tobacco were grown in the Americas and sent to Europe Europe trades manufactured goods such a guns for slaves in West Africa Slaves are captured by other Africans as prisoners of war Slaves brought to the Americas- “Middle Passage” Slavery became an issue if race in the Americas because they were different from Americans/Spanish Stripped of their customs in the Americas Slaves were worked to death until 1801 when slavery was banned

The Triangular Trade

What was mercantilism? Policy that said there was a limited amount of money in the world Each country needs to grab what they can before it is gone Export more than you import…more money in your pocket Colonies and markets were needed to make the “mother country” rich