Chapter 16'2 Spanish and Portuguese Colonies in the Americas

1
Chapter 16.2 - Spanish and Portuguese Colonies in
the Americas
2
Spain was immensely proud of its rich silver
mines in the Potosi region of Peru. Native
Americans were forced to extract rich silver ore
from dangerous shafts deep inside the Andes
Mountains. Many Indians died in the terrible
conditions, only to be replaced by thousands
more. Scenes such as this were repeated in
Mexico, the Caribbean, and other parts of Spain's
empire
3
Spanish and Portuguese Colonies
By the 1540s, tons of silver filled Spanish ships
and Spains empire stretched from California to
South America
4
Spanish and Portuguese Colonies
Settlers and missionaries claimed the land and
the people for their king and their Church
5
I. Ruling the Spanish Empire
Spain divided their lands into five provinces
with the most important being New Spain and Peru
6
I. Ruling the Spanish Empire
The king set up the Council of the Indies to pass
laws for the colonies
7
I. Ruling the Spanish Empire
The king appointed viceroys in each province -
officials and audiencias helped rule
8
A. The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church worked with the government to
convert the Natives
9
A. The Catholic Church
Missionaries built mission churches and baptized
thousands of Native Americans
10
B. The Economy
Spain closely controlled economic activities,
especially trade
11
B. The Economy
Colonists could export raw materials only to
Spain and could buy only Spanish made goods
12
B. The Economy
The most valuable resources were silver and gold
13
B. The Economy
Sugar cane was introduced into the West Indies
and became a profitable resource
14
B. The Economy
Sugar cane was grown on plantations and required
large numbers of workers
15
B. The Economy
Spain granted the conquistadors encomiendas - the
right to demand labor from Native Americans
16
B. The Economy
Natives worked under brutal conditions - those
who resisted were hunted down and killed
17
B. The Economy
Disease, starvation, and cruel treatment caused
catastrophic declines in the Native population
The Spanish treated the Indians with such rigor
and inhumanity that they seemed the very
ministers of Hell, driving them day and night
with beatings, kicks, lashes and blows, and
calling them no sweeter names than dogs . Women
who had just given birth were forced to carry
burdens for the Christians and thus could not
carry their infants because of the hard work and
weakness of hunger. Infinite numbers of these
were cast aside on the road and thus perished.
Bartolomé De Las Casas, The Devastation of the
Indies
18
C. Bartolome de las Casas
Priests like Bartolome de las Casas condemned the
encomienda system
19
C. Bartolome de las Casas
Spain passed the New Laws of the Indies in 1542,
forbidding enslavement of Native Americans
 New Laws of the Indies, 1542
20
D. Bringing Workers From Africa
To fill the labor shortage, Las Casas urged
colonists to import workers from Africa
The title of this engraving by Theodor de Bry
reads "The veins of gold ore having been
exhausted, the Blacks had to work in sugar."
21
D. Bringing Workers From Africa
The demand for sugar grew and the settlers
imported millions of Africans as slaves
22
A. Social Structure
II. Colonial Society and Culture
At the top of society were the peninsulares
followed by the Creoles
23
A. Social Structure
Mestizos - people of Native and European descent,
and Mulattoes - people of African and European
descent, came next
Mestizo
Mulattoe
24
A. Social Structure
Native Americans and people of African descent
formed the lowest social class
Slaves Harvesting Sugarcane In the West Indies
25
B. Cities
Colonial cities were centers of government,
commerce, and European culture
La Plaza Mayor, Mexico City
26
C. Education
Universities were built to educate young men
women wanting an education entered the convent
Convent de San Francisco TECALI,  Puebla  State 
Shield of the University of Mexico est. 1551
27
III. The Portuguese Colony in Brazil
By the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, Portugal
claimed Brazil and sent settlers to build towns,
plantations, and churches
28
III. The Portuguese Colony in Brazil
Brazil offered no instant wealth from silver or
gold so they turned to plantation agriculture and
cattle raising
29
IV. Challenging Spanish Power
To get around Spain's strict control over trade,
smugglers traded illegally with the colonists
30
IV. Challenging Spanish Power
Pirates preyed on Spanish treasure ships and
privateers operated with the approval of European
governments