1. Spanish Conquest of America
Treaty of Tordesillas
Agreement that divided newly discovered land between Spain and Portugal
- New lands west of the line
would belong to Spain, new
lands to east would belong to
Portugal
- The rest of the world was
ignored.

2. Conquistadores: Spanish soldiers who took part in the invasion of Middle and South America in the 15th-17th centuries
Goal: Claim and colonize land on behalf of Spain.

3. Hernán Cortés (Spain) Conquered the Aztec
Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain.
Known for “burning his ships” as a way
of motivating his men - didn’t actually
burn the ships but did destroy them.

4. Francisco Pizarro (Spain) Conquered the Incan Empire and claimed Peru for Spain
Basically tricked the Incan leader.

5. Juan Ponce de Leon (Spain)
First explorer and governor of Puerto Rico
First European expedition to Florida (which he named… meaning “flowery”)
Named governor but killed by Native Americans on a return trip
Famous for searching for fabled Fountain of Youth
… but was he really??

6. Spanish Colonial Society in “New Spain”
The Encomienda System land that included native people was granted to individuals by the Spanish crown.
Natives would provide either gold or labor and the Spanish provided “protection” and conversion to Christianity.
What was it really??? Basically
enslavement of the native population.
Between the harsh conditions of their enslavement and disease, the
population of Native Americans
drastically declines.

7. The Protector of the Indians
Bartolomé de Las Casas – explorer and missionary
After witnessing the brutal treatment
and exploitation of the Indians he
gave up his encomienda.
He began to defend the native
populations. Las Casas argued that there was “no need for the Indians to suffer at the hands
of men professing to have the love of Christ in their hearts”.
Wrote: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, which highlighted the abuses he saw.

8. Unfortunately there was too much money being made for his efforts to be widely supported.
As the Indians numbers kept decreasing
and demand for goods increased, it
created even more pressure for “workers”
Las Casas he came up with an alternate
solution. He urged the King to look to Africa
for new labor.
In 1518, King Charles I of Spain allows
the direct transport of slaves from Africa
to the colonies.
Las Casas would later realize, and regret,
the impact of that decision. His suggestion
set in motion 300 years of African slave trade
and did little to improve conditions for the
Amerindians.

9. Slavery in New Spain Africans had built up an immunity
to many European diseases and similar
climates meant that they had skills in
farming similar crops.
Unlike the Indians, African slaves
could be readily replaced as ships
packed with new slaves for sale
continually arrived from the west coast of Africa
Las Casas did not expect slavery to expand like it did, but African slavery proved to be much more profitable than the encomienda and slave trade exploded in the Americas. 

10. Spanish Legacy Black Legend
As Spain became more powerful, other Eurpoean countries wanted in on the money. Propaganda began to circulate that pushes the idea that the Spanish brought nothing but bad to the New World; they were corrupt and cruel people who subjugated and exploited the New World Indians, stole their gold and silver, infected them with disease, and killed them in numbers without precedent.
What was the real motive behind it???

11. Spain takes a hit….
Pope’s Rebellion 1680– the 1st successful Native American revolt against the Spanish
The Spanish keep pushing further and further North eventually into what is present day New Mexico.
Led by a medicine man, the Pueblo fought back and won. The Spanish left….but they’ll be back