Explorers

Columbus• • Thought he reached the East Indies and called

the inhabitants “los indios”• o A term mistakenly applied to all native peoples

of the Americas• • Columbus was presented with caps and beads

and other trifles. They gave Columbus what they had• • Columbus miscalculated where he was.• o Scholars believe he landed on an island in the

Bahamas on the Caribbean Sea.• • These people were called the Taino, not Indians.• • Claimed the island for Spain• o Named it San Salvador “Holy Savior”

Columbus

•• Second voyage to Americas in September 1493

•o Journeyed as an empire builder, not an explorer

•o Commanded fleet of 17 ships and several hundred soldiers

•o Brought 1,000 settlers•• Wanted to transform the islands of the

Caribbean into colonies, or lands controlled by another nation

Columbus and Columbian Exchange

•The Columbian Exchange is the widespread exchange of plants, animals, cultures, diseases, and ideas between Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

•Lasting effects on the world•Turning point in Native American History

Magellan• First to circumnavigate the world!!

▫What does this mean?• Portuguese Explorer

▫Magellan convinced king of Spain to fund voyage▫230 men and 5 ships – sailed around southern end of

South America into the mysterious waters of the Pacific▫Went months without seeing land and food supplies

soon ran out▫Explored Guam and reached the Philippines▫Magellan became involved in a war there and was

killed▫Crew sailed west toward home▫Out of Magellan’s original crew, only 18 men and one

ship arrived back in Spain in 1522.

Treaty of Tordesillas

•Background: ▫Vasco da Gama reached port of Calicut, on

the southwestern coast of India.▫Spices like cinnamon and pepper▫GAVE PORTUGAL A DIRECT SEA ROUTE

TO INDIA ▫Had voyaged 27,000 miles

Treaty of Tordesillas

•Columbus had thought he had reached India

•Believing him to be right, Portugal suspected Columbus had claimed for Spain land that belonged to Portugal

•Rivalry became more intense

Treaty of Tordesillas

•Pope Alexander VI stepped in to keep peace

•Suggested an imaginary line, drawn north to south of Atlantic Ocean (Line of Demarcation)

•All lands to the east would be Portugal; to the west Spain

•Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494 – gave Portugal modern-day Brazil

Aztecs/Cortes

•Came for gold•Known as Conquistadors•Cortes = important conquistador•Went to conquer Aztecs

▫600 soldiers▫17 horses▫Dogs▫Cannons

Aztec/Cortes

•Montezuma was convinced Cortes was a god

•Gave him access to Aztec gold as aw result•Aztec city didn’t seem like it could be

invaded = very advanced•Aztecs rebelled against Montezuma and

stoned him to death•Cortes eventually retook the city•Forced Aztecs to mine gold and silver•Disease-ridden

Why did Cortes Defeat Aztecs?

•Superior weaponry•Received help from other native groups•Measles, mumps, typhus infected the NA•Died by the hundreds of thousands

Francisco Pizarro

•Conquistador•Conquered mighty Inca Empire •Kidnapped Atahualpa (Inca’s leader)•Spain had New Spain (Mexico and parts

of Guatemala) and other parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean

Mestizos

•Spanish imposed culture on Natives•Spanish settlers to the Americas =

peninsulares, mostly men•Mestizo – mixed Spanish and NA

▫Many of these descendants live in Latin American countries today

Ecomienda

•Spanish oppressed NA•Wanted precious resources•NA farmed, ranched, mined for Spanish

landlords•Promised Spanish authorities they would

treat NA well•Many ended up abusing NA and many NA

died

Priests

•Spanish priests came to spread Christianity

•Criticized harsh labor of encomienda system

•Spanish ended up abolishing encomienda system in 1542

Missionaries

•Catholic Missionaries dominant throughout Spanish empire in Americas

•Wanted to convert NA•Determined to rid “heathen” people of

native religion•Tried to impose Spanish culture on them•Burned objects sacred to NA

Pope (with an accent on e) Rebellion

•1680 – NA Pope organized rebellion•Spaniards had accused Pope of practicing

witchcraft•Spanish driven out of New Mexico •400 Europeans killed•NA burned Churches, executed priests,

destroyed relics of Christianity •14 years and 4 military assaults for

Spaniards to subdue region