Spanish conquered societies

LEARNING FOCUS - identify the societies that the Spanish conquered in the Americas.

Open up the Google Document sent to your Drive entitled, "6. Spanish conquered societies".

KEY POINTS

* after the defeat of the Aztec Empire, Cortes founded the colony of New Spain. Mexico City (formerly Tenochtitlan) became its capital.

* Over time, the colony grew to take over most of the area that includes the United States, Mexico and the islands in the Caribbean Sea.

* Throughout the 16th century many cities were established in North and Central America.

* As each city was established missions were also set up so that Christianity could be introduced to the native people.

* Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro defeated the Inca Empire in 1532.

* The empire included the modern nations of Peru, Ecuador and parts of Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

* Spain became a world power but this brought it into conflict with other European nations that were active in the New World. Great Britain, France, Portugal and the Dutch were active in the Americas and conflict was inevitable.

Immediate effects of colonisation of the Americas

Destruction of civilisations

The Aztecs had surrendered to the Spanish in the siege on Tenochtitlan in 1521 CE, but the real struggle was yet to come. Central American and European culture and traditions were extremely different. In the Aztec world of conquest, success was measured by power, prestige and tribute. When the Aztecs defeated an enemy, they allowed the defeated peoples to keep their customs, their gods and to a large extent their way of life - the Aztecs simply replaced the ruling body in the newly conquered land and increased taxation in the form of tributes. The Spanish, however, were fighting more comprehensive war. When the Spanish defeated an enemy, they replaced the laws, decimated the existing religion and took away freedom of those they conquered. Much of the wealth of the conquered land, including the land itself, was taken by the victors.

This is what happened when the Spanish claimed victory in the siege of Tenochtitlan. The conquered society was proclaimed New Spain by the Spanish king in 1522 CE. Cortes, back in favour with the Spanish king after appeals for leniency on his behalf, was named governor and began to build a new city on top of the world, which became known today as Mexico City. The values, traditions, and culture of the Aztecs had no place in the new society of the Spanish, and were quashed under the way of life the Spanish imposed on the indigenous Aztecs.

Immunity and disease

The devastating effect of the smallpox virus on the Aztec people was only the beginning of a number of diseases that would sweep through New Spain. The indigenous people of the Americas did not have a resistance to European diseases. It is thought that the population around Tenochtitlan in the Valley of New Mexico was reduced from 1.6 million to 900 000 in 1521 CE as a result of the smallpox alone. Furthermore, by the year 1600 CE, more than 15 major disease epidemics had swept through the Americas, killing an estimated 50 million people.

The smallpox virus has two strains and a minor strain. It is one of the few diseases to have been completely eradicated in modern society - the last known natural case was recorded in 1977.

Watch the following video to elucidate your understanding.

Discuss as a class!

Dispossession of land and slavery

In the aftermath of the Spanish conquest, the land of the Aztecs was taken from them and distribute to Spanish settlers. This was done through a system known as the encomienda system. This system was a system whereby a Spanish settler was granted land as well as an indigenous workforce that he could use for labour. He also had the right to tax the indigenous people through a forced tribute. In return, the Spanish settlers were to provide the indigenous people with religious instruction and protection. This system dispossessed the people of their land and eventually led to a form of slavery, as the Spanish would often neglect their responsibilities of protection and instruction and workers would therefore receive nothing in return for their labour.

Slavery was not only taking place through the encomienda system - it was also occurring in the wider New Spain, as indigenous people were rounded up to do the manual labour that the Spanish refused to perform themselves, such as working in mines, building roads and rebuilding cities. Slaves were often subjected to dreadful conditions and, as a result, many of them died.

Watch the following video about the encomienda system to enhance your understanding.

Immediate effect on the wider world

Technology

It was the superior technology of the Europeans that had allowed only 700 Spaniards to defeat the mighty Aztec Empire. The use of war advancements and technology such as horses, gunpowder and navigation equipment had given the Spanish a clear advantage. With Spanish influence in New Spain, such advancements became common across the Americas.

Riches

After the Spanish conquests in South America, the Spaniards sent a considerable fortune back to Spain in the form of vast amounts of gold and silver. The country became very wealthy.

They also increased their fortune from the discovery of natural resources and new foods and crops in South America, such as maize, beans, potatoes, tobacco and chocolate. These foods were extracted, sent back to Spain and traded around Europe. Spain increased its wealth and Europe benefitted from the new experiences.

Long-term effects of colonisation of the Americas

Struggle for freedom and the Mexican War of Independence

The Aztec people under Spanish rule began to lose their cultural identity as many of the customs and practices of their ancestors were no longer allowed to be performed. Those with Aztec ancestors came to be identified by the language they spoke rather than other distinctive cultural aspects. The language of the Aztecs and of many other indigenous tribes around Central America was Nahuatl, so that the people who spoke it became known as the Nahua.

The Spanish occupation of the Aztec Empire was only the beginning - the occupation of many more native lands in Central America continued for the next 300 years. It would take the people of Central America, now known as Mexico, 11 years of fighting the Mexican War of Independence (1810 - 21 CE) before they were finally given self-determination from Spanish rule.

Indigenous people today

In Mexico today there are still a number of contemporary issues that face the ancestors of the Aztecs. There are approximately 1.4 million people in Mexico today that speak Nahuatl. There are an untold number, however, that have lost the language and much of their culture to a more contemporary Mexican culture. Many challenges face these few few remaining Nahua people.

There are a number of indigenous peoples that still live in forests in South America. In today's world, where there is an ever-increasing need for natural resources, these communities are under continued threat and pressure to give up or sell their land for resources such as timber from the trees and more farming land from the soil. When this occurs, the indigenous people lose their territory and the ability to provide for themselves. This has led to poverty and a lack of resources in a number of instances for Nahua people.

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