Conquests of Latin America Spanish and Portuguese Influence

By Rowan Castellanos & R. Antonio Granillo

Motivation for Iberian Peninsula Exploration of the Americas

�  Need of basic resources �  Expansion in land suitable for cash crops �  Navigational discovery in trade routes to Asia �  Spread of Christian faith “FOR GOD, GOLD,

AND GLORY!”

Iberian Peninsula & Asian Trading

�  Goods obtained: ◦  porcelain ◦  silk ◦  spices

�  During the reign of the Mongol Empire, European merchants were able to travel across land; however, with the fall of the empire and the spread of the bubonic plague, land travel was no longer safe. ◦ Thus, Muslim sailors brought Asian

goods through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea to Cairo, Egypt, where the Italian merchants would buy them to then trade in western Europe. ◦ Monarchs and merchants soon

realized that a direct route would equal larger quantities and an enormous profit.

�  In addition to Asia, trade with Africa was crucial for a variety of goods: ◦  gold ◦  ivory ◦  slaves

�  Gold was especially important because it was the primary payment used in purchasing luxury Asian goods.

European & African Trading

Spread of Christianity

�  Spanish Kingdom was unified under religion ◦ Thus, the Spanish Kingdom would strengthen with an

increased number of Christian followers �  Effect of Christian Movement: ◦ Assimilation of indigenous cultures ◦  increased violence in Latin America ◦  justified Spanish conquest

�  Crusades against the Muslims began in the 11th century

�  In fact, it wasn’t until the fall of the last Muslim kingdom, Granada, that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were willing to sponsor Columbus' journey.

Technology of Exploration

� The technology used for exploration developed from Mediterranean and Northern European ideas that were applied to Chinese and Arabic inventions

� Two types of sails were used: ◦  square sails (for a wind from behind) ◦  triangular sails (for both side winds and winds from behind)

�  Arguably the most important of exploratory technologies: ◦ mariner’s astrolabe ◦  compass

Beginnings of Portuguese Exploration

�  Exploration picks up only after 1415, when Prince Henry conquered the Moroccan port of Ceuta and sponsors voyages down the West African Coast.

�  Portuguese merchants began to establish trading posts; and, in 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean.

Vasco De Gama

�  Dias had a very unpleasant trip; he went three months without seeing land; his cargo was not very appealing to Indian markets; and less than half of his crew made it back.

�  Because of this, no one continued what he had begun until 1497, when Vasco de Gama left Lisbon for India.

Christopher Columbus

�  Columbus thought he could do it more efficiently by going west.

�  Columbus brought his proposal the Portuguese crown, King John II, but was turned away.

�  He than takes it to the Spanish crown, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, they agree to sponsor him and Italian bankers finance the voyage.

The First Voyage

�  Columbus set sail in August of 1492, about two months later he landed in the Bahamas

�  Believing he was in the Indies, Columbus named the native people- the Taíno people- Indians.

�  He then sailed around the Caribbean for about three months in search of gold.

�  Before returning to Spain, Columbus made a stop in Portugal to show King John II what he discovered…

Dispute Between Spain and Portugal

�  Columbus' news angered King John II, so he sent a letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella saying that according to a previous treaty (Alcaçovas Treaty, 1479) ALL lands discovered by Columbus belong to Portugal.

�  He informs them that he will be sending fleet to claim the new lands.

�  King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella know that they do not have the military power to match Portugal’s, so they seek a diplomatic solution.

The Treaty of Tordesillas

�  On May 4th, 1493 (Spanish-born) Pope Alexander VI drew an imaginary line running North and South through the mid-Atlantic, about 230 miles from the Cape Verde Islands.

�  He said that all unclaimed land to the west of this line would belong to Spain, and Portugal would get the unclaimed land to the east.

�  King John II felt cheated and in June of 1494 negotiated the line to about 1100 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands

�  Further exploration revealed that Spain still had much more land; so, over the next century, Portugal pushed Brazil’s border westward.

�  Because the line was not clearly defined, Spain did not oppose Brazilian expansion.

The Caribbean

�  Columbus returned on his second voyage to create a colony in Hispaniola

�  He took control of the natives and forced them to work as slaves, growing cash crops and mining for gold.

�  The encomienda system was developed and a pattern of conquest and settlement develops…

�  The Spanish would arrive on a new island, were greeted by the native peoples, and began to survey the land.

�  The natives would grow resentful of the Spanish helping themselves to food, women, and gold, thus reacting violently. Reactions were easily extinguished; the Spanish had the advantage of guns, armor, and savage dogs.

�  They took leaders captive to ensure cooperation and forced the growth of cash crops, paid tribute, and mining.

�  The Caribbean serves as a 'testing ground'; Spaniards build Iberian style cities, learnt to adapt to new conditions, and developed a method of government.

�  However, after about two decades, European diseases, harsh labor, and brutal mistreatment depopulated the islands; consequently, Spanish explorers lost interest.

�  The Caribbean was put on the 'back-burner', becoming a place of settlement rather than conquest.

�  Explorers now turned their attention to Mexico and South America

Mexico

�  In 1519 Hernán Cortés led six-hundred men to the coast of Mexico.

�  Here, with the help of Indian allies, Cortés reached the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Disease, starvation, and battle brought down the city in 1521 and Cortés replaced it with Mexico City.

�  By 1535 most of central Mexico was under Spanish control, becoming the kingdom of New Spain.

�  Explores began to push into Central America and North Central Mexico.

“We are crushed to the ground we lie in ruins. There is nothing but grief and suffering In Mexico and Tlatelolco where once saw beauty and valor”

-Aztec poet

South America

�  In 1532 Francisco Pizarro led under 200 Spaniards, along with Indian allies, to the conquest of the Incan Empire.

�  In 1533, the Incan capital of Cuzco fell, and the Spanish built the city of Lima.

�  By 1540, much of Peru was under Spanish control; with the densely populated areas conquered, the Spanish fanned out in search of riches.

“No other race can be found that can penetrate through such rugged lands, such dense forests, such great mountains and deserts and cross such broad rivers as the Spaniards have done. . . solely by the valor of their persons and the forcefulness of their breed.”

-Pedro Cieza de Leon (Peruvian conqueror)

Columbus’ Third Voyage

�  Going back to 1496, Columbus makes his 3rd voyage, exploring the Northern coast of South America. He discovered the island of Trinidad and the Orinoco River.

�  In 1499, Alonso de Ojeda visited the Orinoco River, he was accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci.

�  Vespucci lead an expedition into the Orinoco River area for King John II of Portugal and came to the conclusion that this must be a new continent.

�  Vespucci explained his conclusion in letters, letters which were read all across Europe.

�  Because of this, the German Cartographer Martin Waldseemuller named this continent America in honor of Amerigo. (TOK)

Further Exploration

�  From 1540 to 1542, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado searched Southwest America as far as Kansas for the mythical cities of gold.

�  Meanwhile, on the other side of the Americas, Pedro de Valdivia conquered the Araucarias in Central Chile and, in 1541, built Santiago.

�  By 1570, there were one hundred ninety-two Spanish cities and towns throughout the Americas.

Portuguese in Brazil

�  While the Spanish conquered most of the Americas, the Portuguese explored Brazil. (the land they got from the treaty of Tordesillas)

�  They arrived in Brazil in 1500; the indigenous people there were in the hunter-gatherer stage. There were no towns, advanced civilizations, or large amounts of precious metals.

�  It quickly became apparent that these people would not work as slaves- they were difficult to manage, had no immunity to European disease, and were able to run away and hide easily.

�  Therefore, the Portuguese imported African slaves instead and pushed the Brazilian indigenous people beyond colonial society.

�  The Portuguese planted cash crops, mainly sugar, in Brazil; commodity exports and commercial profit were predominantly the only things Portugal gained from Brazil.

Fun Facts

�  Columbus believed that the Earth had a circumference of 17,000 nautical miles and that Japan was under 2,500 miles away from where he started. In actuality, the Earth has a circumference of 25,000 nautical miles, and Japan was over 10,000 miles from him.

�  When Columbus saw Cuba, he sent delegation in search of the court of the emperor of China.

Primary Source

�  The True History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz (1581)

�  Discusses the discovery of the Aztec city of Tenochitlan, and Hernan Cortes' meeting Montezuma.

�  Spanish were intimidated by greatness of Aztec society (architecture, wealth, etc.)

�  Author justifies conquering and establishment of New Spain through religious expansion and gathering of wealth.

�  Purpose: to give a genuine account on the events that occurred in Tenochitlan.

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Works Cited

� Bentley, Henery, and Herbert Ziegler. "Transoceanic Encounters and Global Connections." Traditions & Encounters: a global perspective on the past. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 10. 465-491. Print.

�  "European Voyages of Exploration: The Caribbean." Home | University of Calgary. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/carib.html>.

�  Stearns, Peter, Michael Adas, Stuart Schwartz, and Marc Gilbert. "Early Latin America." World Civilizations: the global experience. New York: Longman Publishing Group, 11. 404-431. Print.

�  "The Portuguese in Brazil." The World Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.theworldeconomy.org/impact/The_Portuguese_in_Brazil.html>.

�  "The Spanish and Portuguese Conquest of the Americas." Powering Silicon Valley | San Jose State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/theconquest.htm>.

�  "Today in History - DW.DE." Today in History - DW.DE. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.today-in-history.de/index.php?what=thmanu&manu_id=1480&tag=7&monat=6&year=1926&dayisset=1&lang=en>.

�  "Treaty of Tordesillas: 1494." Then Again. . .. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/americas/tordesillas.html>.