4.2 Spain Builds a Vast Empire pp. 98-104

Objectives: Examine what life was like in the Spanish colonies. Describe how Spain settled the American Southwest.

Review: 1. Who was the last Aztec emperor? 2. Who was the leader of the Spanish quest to conquer the Aztec? 3. Define conquistadors— 4. List some advantages of the conquistadors. 5. What were three motivations of the conquistadors? 6. What was the name of the Aztec capital city? 7. What was Cortés interested in finding in Tenochtitlán? 8. What disease wiped out thousands of Aztec people? 9. What city was built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán? 10. Who was the leader of the conquistadors who conquered the Inca of Peru? 11. Who was the Incan ruler?

A. Ruling the Empire (p. 99) Spain divided its American empire into two parts—Peru (South America) and New Spain. New Spain included the Caribbean Islands, Central America, Mexico, and all the lands bordering Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. A governing official called a viceroy was put in charge of each part of the empire and instructed to produce wealth for Spain.

B. Three Kinds of Settlements (p. 99) Towns, or pueblos, were established as centers for trade. Life in a mission centered around a church, where priests taught about the Roman Catholic religion. A presidio, or fort, was usually built near a mission so its soldiers could protect it from invaders.

C. Social Classes in New Spain (p. 100) Peninsulares -people born in Spain -had the highest social position and best jobs Creoles -people born in the New World to Spanish parents -ranked lower than Peninsulares Mestizos -Spanish/Native American mix -worked as farmers, ranchers, skilled workers Native Americans -lowest class in Spanish colonies -were little better than slaves

D. The Spanish Borderlands (p. 100) In the lands along the northern edge of Spanish territory, called borderlands, the goal was to find gold. In 1513 Juan Ponce de León visited Florida (“full of flowers”) in search of riches and a rumored “fountain of youth.” His claims in Florida led the Spanish to establish St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States started by Europeans.

E. Seven Cities of Gold (pp. 101-102) Shipwrecked and lost for nearly 9 years, Cabeza de Vaca aroused Spanish interest by repeating Native American stories of cities full of gold. A Spanish explorer named Francisco Vásquez de Coronado searched for these “Seven Cities of Cibola” throughout the American Southwest. Although he failed to find these cities of gold, his expedition gave Spain a claim to much of this territory.

F. Hernando de Soto (p. 102) Another Spanish explorer who searched for the Seven Cities of Cibola was Hernando de Soto. De Soto and his men traveled from Florida through present-day South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee in search of gold. He is often credited as being the first European to see the Mississippi River--which is also where he was buried.

Review: 12. Into what two parts did Spain divide its American empire? 13. Define borderlands— 14. Define viceroy— 15. Define pueblo— 16. Define mission— 17. Define presidio— 18. Define peninsulares— 19. Define creoles— 20. Define mestizos— 21. Who made up the bottom rung of society in New Spain? 22. What two things was Juan Ponce de León looking for in Florida? 23. What is the name of the oldest city in the United States started by Europeans? 24. Who claimed that Native Americans had told him of seven cities of gold in a land called Cibola? 25. Whose explorations of the American Southwest gave Spain a claim to the area? 26. Who explored much of the American Southeast, including the northwest portion of what is today the state of Mississippi, searching for the Seven Cities of Cibola? 27. Where was Hernando de Soto buried?