Spanish Empire in the Age of Exploration WHAP

Age of Exploration During the 1400s, four major nations were taking shape: Portugal, Spain, France, and England. What they have in common: Ambitious monarchs New methods of taxation Professional armies Strong governments Merchants who paid taxes in exchange for protection and expansion of trade.

Age of Exploration, cont. European motivations for exploration and expansion: Monarchs need money/resources to maintain growing armies and bureaucracies Increased militarism Glory for the individual and country (nationalism) Desire to explore Spread religion

Age of Exploration, cont. Also a cultural re-awakening going on: Renaissance Science is improving Questioning is changing The idea of individuality and ability to do what you want is changing Reformation and Counter-Reformation Education is improving; more info coming from the East.

Age of Exploration, cont. Technological changes are making this possible: Cartography (mapmaking) Caravel Compass Astrolabe Sailing overall is improving Cannons and military technology from the East

Age of Exploration, cont. Many explorers sponsored by these countries search for new lands: Dias went around Africa da Gama went to India Columbus to Latin America Balboa to the Caribbean Magellan to the Pacific Cortez and Pizarro to Latin America

Columbus Crosses the Atlantic Sponsored by new Spanish monarchy, sent to find a shorter route to the riches of Asia. Found the West Indies and claimed them for Spain. Set up colonies to extract wealth. Brutal treatment of natives. Disease and brutality claim many lives.

Columbus Crosses the Atlantic Sets up slave system. After eventually destroying most of the Indians, African slave labor is imported to the region. Treaty of Tordesillas (divides the western hemisphere between Portugal and Spain) is set up because rivalries for territory is inflaming tensions among monarchs in Europe.

Columbus Crosses the Atlantic Columbian Exchange begins: Plants, animals, peoples moving back and forth between the Old and New Worlds. Largest exchange in world history (still continues today).

Spain Claims a New Empire Conquistadors conquer much of the Americas. Cortez takes advantage of religion and rivalries to take over the Aztec empire. Pizarro uses Cortez’s example to take over the Andes and some of South America.

Spain Claims a New Empire Spanish pattern of conquest: Spanish are given lands to live on. They live among the natives and impose their culture on them and control the lives of those who live on their land. Forced conversion to Catholicism, speak Spanish. Male settlers intermarry with native women, creating mestizos. Forced native males to labor in the encomienda/mita system: Natives farm, ranch, or mine for the Spanish in a forced labor system as a part of a tax to pay to the Spanish.

Spain Claims a New Empire The encomienda/mita system is used as a labor tax system for the natives. African slavery increases as the need for more labor in the mines and sugar production increase. An increase in African slavery also creates another social classification, mulattos. African slavery also increases syncretism as African, American, and European religious traditions blend (voodoo).

Spain Claims a New Empire Spanish face resistance to their colonization efforts. Native Americans who were forced to convert to Catholicism sometimes rebelled against their oppressors. Most successful Indian rebellion: Pueblo rebellion near Santa Fe, NM, in 1648. Syncretism occurs: blending of Spanish and Native cultural practices (Latin American cult of Saints)

Raising of Santa Muerte images during a service in the deity's honor on Alfareria Street Tepito Mexico City. Image credit: Thelmadatter

Spain Claims a New Empire Spain also created a piece of their empire in the Far East. Spain takes over the Spanish East Indies (think the Philippines, Guam). This creates a stopping point for their ships in the great exchange of silver and goods for their sea trade. Conversion of natives to Catholicism.

Results: Spain creates a large empire and is a powerful country for several hundred years. Spain becomes very militarized and tries to expand into some parts of Europe causing wars. Spain becomes wealthy due to the extraction wealth, esp. silver, from Latin America, but this ultimately leads to inflation and economic decline. Spain sponsors and spreads Catholicism throughout Latin America and makes inroads into Asia before Asia closes its doors to western influence. Spanish cultural influence is still seen throughout the New World in language, religion, architecture, and other aspects.