Spain’s American Colonies
Spanish Timeline
• 1492 Columbus • 1521 Cortez
discovers West conquers Aztecs
Indies • 1532 Pizzaro
• 1494 Treaty of destroys Incas
Tordesailles
divides New Spain • Motives: Gold,
and Brasil Glory and God
(Portugese)
• 1513 Balboa
discovers Pacific
How were the viceroys organized in
Spanish colonies?
• Divided into two
viceroys (governors):
• New Spain consisted
of Mexico, Caribbean,
Central America
• Peru included all of
South America except
Brazil.
Why did the Native Americans
resent missionaries as much as
conquistadors?
• Both tried to destroy
their way of life.
Missionaries tried to
convert Natives to
Christianity.
• Both wanted the
Natives to work for
them.
• Both considered the
Natives a lower class.
What did de Soto and Coronado
find?
• De Soto: finds Florida
and Southeast U.S.
• Coronado: finds
Southwest U.S.
Why did the Spanish encourage a
mestizo population?
• Mestizos are people with mixed Spanish/
Native American descent.
• Made the people easier to control in
society and allowed for assimilation.
• Social Structure of New Spain:
Encomienda System
Peninsulares, Mestizos, Native Americans
Columbian Exchange
• Goods exchanged
from Europe to the
Americas.
• Europe: gold, timber,
potatoes, syphillis
• Americas: horses,
cows, slaves, small
pox
What effect did Native American
rebellion have in New Spain?
• The Pueblo under
Pope were able to
fight for their cultural
identity but lost a lot
of land and life in a
futile struggle. Bought
a short period of
freedom. Spain
leaves North America
alone.