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Explain Spanish explorers’ achievements. Describe Spanish society in New Spain and Peru. Evaluate the causes and effects of Spanish imperial policies in the American Southwest.

Religious Divisions Cause Conflict Spain Organizes Its American Empire Spanish Explorers Push North The Pueblos Revolt Against the Spanish

The Spanish did very well in their early expeditions in the Caribbean, South America and Central America. The conquistadors were very driven by their leader Hernan Cortes. (who was a wealthy lawyer) They pillaged and captured village after village taking a large amount of gold as they went

Until finally they reached the Aztec’s, where Cortes meets Moctezuma. Moctezuma brings Cortes into his immense city with a population of 200,000. (dwarfed any Spanish city) Seeing all the gold and wealth, Cortes attacks Tenochtitlan and after four months of bloody battle and disease Cortes comes out victorious; at a high cost.

Fuelled by his sense of accomplishment and his enslaving of Indians, Cortes has the city rebuilt. Using the same stones that were just torn down; this time built into a massive Christian Cathedral, and palace for Cortes to live in. With his city built, he sends out his conquistadors to continue to conquer and establish Spanish forts and missions into present day North America.

For the next 15 min read section one. As you read be thinking about how missions, presidios, explorers, and Native Americans helped strengthen the Spanish American Empire. Complete a concept web within your group to summarize how each of the above stated items strengthened the Spanish American Empire. (two bullet points for each)

In the mind of Spain, the Americas had immense gold, silver and land for building up a new Empire for Spain. However, we learn part of this is true and what Spain doesn’t understand is the price at which this land will come.

Spain financed an aggressive military policy in regards to the Americas. This alarmed the French Dutch and English, who also wanted their part of the wealth of the Americas. During this same time the Protestant Reformation of 1517 was beginning to occur. Martin Luther began challenging the Pope and protesting against the Catholic Church; saying that it was corrupt and materialistic.

This protest brought forth Protestants, which began dividing them selves up into different denominations. Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptists, Anglicans and Quakers. This movement spread throughout Europe. French separated into hostile protestants and Catholic camps, Spanish remained Catholic though.

The conquistadors were very successful at conquering territory and establishing colonies; however they were not very good at running said colonies. Because of this the Spanish King relied on Friars to help run the colonies. They were also missionaries working to convert Indians into Catholics. (most would act Catholic while priests were around then conduct their traditional rituals on their own time)

During the 1530’s-1540’s the Spanish Crown divided the American Empire into two large regions. These were known as Viceroyalties. A person appointed by the King called a Viceroy had the duty of ruling over his Viceroyalty. The two Viceroyalties were: New Spain (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean Islands) New Peru(All South America except Brazil)

During the sixteenth century, about 250,000 Spanish people immigrated across the Atlantic to join the American empire. Most of these were men in search of wealth and gold. Men began taking Indian wives and having mixed children called mestizos.

Colonial officials created a castas system to maintain their authority. This is a complex racial hierarchy system. At the bottom lay the pure African and Indians and the Spaniards were at the pinnacle.

Hernan Cortes’s success in conquering Mexico inspired other conquistadors to push north and explore the land to find their own golden empires. Two of which were Hernando de Soto and Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.

Explores Florida in 1539 Pushes further into Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. De Soto died in 1542 and his men gave up and fled to Mexico.

In 1540 he searches the Rio Grande valley, and defeats most of the Pueblo Indians. To rid them of Coranado the Pueblo Indians appeal to his greed and send him of telling him of gold and riches just past the great plains at a kingdom named Quivira. Of course Coranado found nothing and returned to the Pueblos and took his revenge before returning to Mexico in 1542.

Due to the failure of De Soto and Corando not finding gold the crown lost interest in the northern frontier. Spain hears word that the French had developed a fortified town on the Atlantic coast of Florida. In 1565 Pedro Menedez de Aviles attacked and destroyed the French base. After destroying the base Menedez comes upon a fortified city named St. Augustine, which would become the first long standing colonized town in what later would become the United States.

During the 1590’s, Juan de Onate set out an expedition to establish a colony in the lands of the Rio Grande. It was difficult to develop the colony due to the fact it was so remote and poor. (roughly 2000 colonists) The only group to do well were the friars, they built over 50 missions and worked to convert the Indians to Catholicism.

The Pueblos initial population was roughly 40,000 in By 1680 their population had dwindled to around 17,000 from disease, violence, and famine. The Pueblos team with the Apache Indians (long time enemy) under the leadership of Pope’to revolt against the Spanish. The Revolt was successful and drove the Spanish Colonist back to El Paso.