1. For God and Gold— Spanish Conquest
Coach Kuntz
United States History

2. The Treaty of Tordesillas
-The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas divided the non-European world into areas that could and couldn’t be colonized by Spain and Portugal
-This paved the way for Spanish colonization of the “New World”.

3. Why did the Spanish travel?
-In the 1500s, Spanish Conquistadors (or conquerors) traveled to the Americas
-The conquistadors traveled to the Americas to spread Christianity and to get rich.
-Spanish rulers allowed conquistadors to establish settlements in the Americas. In return, the conquistadors gave these rulers 1/5 of all gold and treasure that they found.
-Conquistadors began settling much of Central and South America.
“We came to serve God and to get rich, as all men wish to do” -Bernal Diaz del Castillo

4. The Spanish Meet the Aztecs
-In 1519, a conquistador named Hernando Cortes sailed for Mexico to secure central Mexico for colonization
-In November 1519, the Aztec emperor named Montezuma invited the Spanish into the capital of Tenochtitlan.
-Montezuma was held captive in his own palace, eventually being killed (likely by the Spanish)

5. The Spanish Meet the Aztecs (cont.)
-The Aztecs eventually forced the Spanish from Tenochtitlan, but not for long.
-The Spanish and enemy tribes laid siege to Tenochtitlan, and in 1521, the city finally fell. The Spanish took control of the Aztec Empire.

6. The Spanish Meet the Incas
-In 1532, a Spanish conquistador named Francisco Pizarro sailed down the west Coast of South America intending to conquer the Incan Empire.
-Atahualpa, the Incan emperor, was captured in 1532 and was later converted to Christianity and executed
-The Incan empire, weakened by disease and civil war, was easily defeated by the Spanish

7. Other Spanish Exploration
-Ponce de Leon travelled through present day Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth
-Panfilo Narvaez/Cabeza de Vaca/Estevanico travelled through present day Texas and Mexico
-Hernando DeSoto explored the Southeastern United States, including present day DeSoto County
-Francisco Coronado explored the southwestern United States on a quest for the mythical “seven cities of gold”.

8. Organizing the New Lands
-In 1535, the Spanish King took away the authority of the conquistadors to rule New World lands.
-The King of Spain organized his American empire into New Spain and Peru. He then put viceroys in each of the regions to rule the colony in the name of the king.