The Conquistadors

Spanish conquest of the Americas

Describe the Diversity that existed amongst native peoples of the Americas prior to the arrival of

Europeans?• Geography = Different

• South = More complex civilizations (Aztecs & Incas).

What Initially Caused European Exploration and which 2 countries

took the lead?

• A = Looking for new trade routes to Asia.

– 1. Portuguese go South (Africa)– 2. Columbus goes West (North America)

Portuguese• Prince Henry “The

Navigator”

• Borrowing from Muslim World

• The Caravel•

Columbus & Spain

• 1492

• Landed 1st in Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic)

• Later Cuba

Impact of Columbus

• News of the “New World” that Columbus had “discovered” motivated Spain to send men to conquer & colonize the Americas.

• These Spaniards were called Conquistadors.

Spanish Motivations for Colonizing the New World (Americas)

• The 3-G’s

• Gold

• God

• Glory

Spanish Attitudes towards Native Americans

• Spaniards thought natives were inferior “savages” because of the way they dressed & their beliefs (they were not Christians).

• Spaniards would force Native Americans to convert to Christianity and to do forced labor. (Mining for Gold and Silver.)

http://www.reformation.org/american-holocaust1.jpg

Why The Conquistadors were able to conquer the People of Central

and South America• Guns, Germs, and

Steel.

• In other words, superior technology, horses, diseases.

• Smallpox is the big killer.

Hernando Cortes

Took an army of a few hundred men and conquered the Aztecs (1519-1521).

• The Aztecs thought he was a God a first.

• Kidnapped Montezuma, then killed him.• • Built Mexico City on top of Tenochtitlan.

Francisco Pizarro

• Led 168 Conquistadors and conquered the Inca.

Spanish Settlement

• Mostly men, so lots of race mixing.

• Missions

• Presidios

• Stretch from Present West coast of USA to bottom of South America.

Switch to Slave Labor

• Since disease killed so many of the Native Americans, the Spaniards began using African slave labor in the Americas.

“Columbian Exchange”

• Refers to exchange of goods, diseases, and people between the New World and the Old World.

• Europe, North and South America, and Africa.

Review

• What 2-factors allowed for European exploration in the 1400s?

• What motivated European Exploration?

• What was Columbus looking for?