The European Conquest of the Americas

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Latin American Colonies
Latin America Meso and South America. Areas in
the Americas that speak mostly Latin-based
languages like Spanish and Portuguese.
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European Explorations
Glory, God, Gold
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Cycle of Conquest Colonization
Explorers
Conquistadores
OfficialEuropeanColony!
Missionaries
PermanentSettlers
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Three Types of Colonies

• Differences resulting from economic basis
• Slave plantation economies Caribbean, Brazil,
  some in southern North America
• Settler agricultural economies Northern North
  America
• Ranching/mining economies former Aztec and Inca
  lands

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The Colonial Class System
Peninsulares
Creoles
Mestizos
Mulattos
Native Indians
Black Slaves
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Ethnic Composition in Colonial Latin America
(1825)

• Spanish America Brazil
• European 18.2 23.4
• Mixed-race 28.3 17.8
• African 11.9 49.8
• Native American 41.7 9.1

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Destination of Slaves in 1700s

• British North America 6 (348,000)
• Spanish America 10 (578,600)
• Caribbean 53 (3, 233,700)
• Brazil 31 (1,891,400)

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Class/Govt Structure

• Spanish born most elite
• Wealthy colonials powerful
• Large, intrusive govt bureaucracy Council of
  the Indies
• Influences of Africans, Amerindians, and Europe
  blended to form new cultures syncretism!
• Little female immigration more fluid social
  classes! (b/c European men marry have children
  with Amerindian women)

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The Influence of the Colonial Catholic Church
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Guadalajara Cathedral
Spanish Mission
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• Catholic influence extremely strong
• Richest institution in Latin Am.
• Undercurrents of native religions remained

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Father Bartolome de Las Casas

• New Laws --gt 1542
• Attempted to stop the exploitation of Indians

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Potosi silver mine, Bolivia

• Encomienda/Mita labor systems used to force
  extraction
• Silver shipped through Spanish Philippines to
  purchase Asian luxury goodsSpanish Monarchy
  tried to stop that practicewhy?
• Silver results in inflation in Spain economic
  decline in Ming China, which collected all taxes
  in silver

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Silver Peso

• Standard World currency

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Treasuresfrom the Americas!
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Examples of Native American Slave Resistance

• In many areas, Amerindians secretly kept up their
  own religious practices
• Maya areas were persecuted by the Catholic
  viceroy after a cave of their gods was found
• Incas attempted to preserve the mummies of their
  emperors. These also were destroyed
• Armed rebellions
• - Palmares, a small independent state of
  escaped-slaves