1. Chapter 2 Section 2: Spain’s Empire in the Americas
How did Spain establish an empire in the Americas?
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2. Spanish Explorers CONQUISTADORS De Leon Cortes Pizarro Cabeza Coronado
Question # 9: 1.     What were the Spanish soldier-adventurers
called that set out to explore and conquer a world unknown to them?
CONQUISTADORS
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3. Hernando Cortes Nov. 1519 Cortez marches into Tenochtitlan
1519 Sailed from Cuba to Mexico
Nov Cortez marches into Tenochtitlan
Cortez meets with the Aztec ruler Moctezuma
and Moctezuma offers Cortes gold to leave
Tenochtitlan
The gold has the opposite effect and Cortes takes Moctezuma hostage and claims Mexico for Spain
Aztecs rebel and force the Spaniards to leave

4. Hernando Cortes
1 year later Cortes returns and takes over Tenochtitlan again
He destroys Tenochtitlan and builds present day Mexico City and makes it the capital

5. Map of Cortes’ Expeditions
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6. Francisco Pizarro 1531 Landed in present-day Peru
He was searching for the Incas because it was believed that they had a lot of gold
Pizarro takes the Incan ruler Atahulpa captive
The Incas paid Pizarro a HUGE ransom, but Pizarro killed the ruler anyway
Pizarro takes over the capital Cuzco in 1533

7. Question # 11: Why were a few Spanish conquistadors able to defeat the larger armies of the Aztecs and Incas?
There are 3 main reasons why the Spanish were able to easily defeat the Aztecs and Incas
The Spanish had better weapons made of steel, armor, cannons, etc
They rode in on horses and many of the N-As thought they were gods
N-As had been at civil war with each other and were divided

8. Question #12: What regions in the present-day United States did Spaniards explore?
The Spanish conquistadors explored the southeastern and southwestern portions of the US
The first European settlement in North America was St. Augustine in Florida

9. Juan Ponce de Leon 1513 sailed from Puerto Rico to present day Florida
Saw the beautiful flowers and named the region La Florida
He was the first Spaniard to set foot in the US

10. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
Vaca led survivors that made it through Fl to present-day Galveston Island, TX
They continued their quest for “Gold, Glory, and God”
Eventually they were captured and most died Cabeza and 3 others made it back to Mexico City
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11. Francisco Coronado Main goal: to find the “Golden City”
He never found his “Golden City”
He explored what is present day NM, AR, TX, and KS

12. Hernando de Soto He went as far north as NC and then west toward OK
De Soto searched for gold in what is now the Southeastern portion of the US
He went as far north as NC and then west toward OK
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13. Bartolome de Las Casas
Las Casas was a missionary priest sent by the Spanish to convert N-As to christianity
He was instrumental in getting the govt. in New Spain to end the encomienda system
Unfortunately he argued to replace the N-A workers with A-A workers thus leading to harsh slavery in the Americas

14. Question # 13 A: What was the lasting accomplishments of Bartolome de Las Casas?
The lasting accomplishment of de Las Casas was that he convinced Spain to reform the encomienda system.

15. Question # 13 B: How would you describe the lives of Native Americans in New Spain? How were Natives treated under the encomienda system?
Native Americans were treated harshly and cruelly under the encomienda system. They were forced to live in dangerous conditions working in the mines, they were overworked on the plantations and they were forced to change their religion to Christianity

16. Social Class System in New Spain
BASED ON BLOOD LINE
Peninsulares: born in Spain moved to Mexico
Creoles: Children of the Peninsulares
Mestizos: People of Spanish and Indian blood
Mulattos: People of Spanish and African decent
N-As and A-As