Americas Flashcards
Spanish Conquest of Central and South America
Cotez’s Conquest
Cortez’s conquest started in Mexico (1519). The entirety of Montezuma was terrified of Cortez and his spanish men as this is the first time they have experienced guns and smoke. Hernan Cortez brought 450 soldiers, who first started out with alliances with other tribes. However, they starved the city of Tenochtitlan into surrender to bring down the Aztec empire. They were looking for gold and silver. It caused a major smallpox epidemic.
Spanish conquest of central and south America
Pizarro’s Conquest
In the Andes Mountains 1530, the Incas were at the height of their military expansion, but the Spaniards came. They weren’t frightened at first, more mesmerized. They killed Incas while looking for jewelry. Francisco Pizarro took a small band of men, later 600, seeing them as harsh overlords with strict taxation. Pizarro looted temples in Cuzco for gold, silver, jewels, and even looted bodies of dead incan rulers. He took advantage of two fighting factions of Incas by holding a conference to “help the situation” but killed them all. Atahualpa was killed after he delivered a large amount of money to Pizarro. They caused an outbreak of plague, killing hundreds of thousands. There was no clear hier like the Abbasids and mamluk Sultanates because of too many concubines.
Spanish Administration of America
Viceroy
The spanish administration made residents for elite where they would travel to haciendas (manors) to collect taxes. Large size of the area and lack of roads and viceroy had the most power in the cities really. Viceroy«viceroyalty«_space;Spanish King
Spanish Administration of America
Audiences
Audiencias made sure viceroys don’t build up power bases since they had little contact with the crown.
Spanish Administration of America
Large Haciendas
Haciendas were the manors of the new world. Spanish encomenderos were people who have the right to make Taino work in plantation fields and mines. They were treated as serfs to the manors. Conquistadors had control of large haciendas
Spanish Administration of America
Republica de Indios
The natives incorporated into Spanish land holdings with native councils to work with priests. The natives paid taxes to the crown and church until they were forced to assimilate and do mining work. Priests resided in local missions to bring the natives to Christianity.
Encomienda System
It was a system that rewarded by spanish conquers that allowed Iberian colonials to exact both labor and tribute from defeated peoples. It caused rampant abuse. Changes occur and the encomienda system was no longer effective. Instead, they started sharecropping in exchange for seeds, tools, supplies, but never able to pay off their debt. They were still a captive labor force.
Mit’a System (continuity)
It was a mandatory public service in the society of the Incan Empire. It is used for construction of roads, bridges, agricultural terraces, and fortifications in Peru.
Chattel Slavery
It was used by the english, making slaves to be considered legal property, being sold, bought, and owned forever. Most commonly used by the British and was used for much longer than the other systems.
Plantations
Spanish made the Taino work on plantation fields and mines, but they are soon wiped out with disease. Because of the lack of natives, Spanish surtned to Africans for sugar plantations after the Portuguese. They moved africans to the West Indies and ship them up north to New york to work on plantations. 15-25% died. They were treated as chattel slaves. If they ran away, they raided plantations for supplies. Cotton, rice, and indigo were popular crops. Portuguese in brazil set up sugar plantations. ONly Portuguese were rich. They had a large labor force of africans.
New Syncretic religions And languages among african slaves
Voodoo was a traditional hafo-hatian religion. Combined it with Christianity, to where the spirits were made by god to help govern the natural world. Offered prayers and perform rites towards god. Gulluh was the creole language and continued after slavery ended. It is an oral language and doesn’t have a written language. Created it to communicate amongst themselves during slavery.
New syncretic religions among natives
Believe their gods abandoned them, so they blended their religion with Christianity. Made the Cult of saints, where they gave catholic saints qualities of indigenous gods.
New crops from Africa
Rice, okra, rice, gumbo. Okra was used as a thickening agent for soups.
New crops from Asia and Europe
Brought new crops and animals for a varied diet for natives. Wheat, grapes, meat from pigs and cattle.
Natives rebellion in British North America
Natives compete with/go to war against each other for French and English trading goods. It was more violent when the Natives were introduced to gunpowder and weapons. The seven year war; france loses colonies.
