Spanish-America

Colonial Spanish America  Deepikaa Sriram and Jonny Summers Prezi Link: [] Questions: “The Iberians had not set off on voyages of conquest and settlement. They had sought a much more modest goal: trade. Theirencounter with the New World rather than China or India forced a drastic change of plans...besides the legacy of some glorious architecture, it would be difficult to enumerate the benefits the New World enjoyed from its rich mines. Only a residue of the wealth produced remained in the New World” (Burns 27-30). ==== Though its motives for exploration rapidly changed, the Spanish Empire did not initially embark on its quest for a people and land to exploit; instead, the Spanish desired a westward route to trade with Asian nations and India. Spain, lying on the Western tip of Europe, envied the massive amounts of wealth fostered by the Asian trade routes monopolized by Italy and other Mediterranean countries. In response, Spain sought its own passage to the Indian and Chinese empires in the great unexplored territory to the west of Europe. Instead of the Asian mainland, Spain encountered the Americas. The Indians and their land initially frustrated the Spanish; the Indians displayed little interest in overseas trade, and the land had very few obvious sources of income. The Spanish likewise, after conquests and exploration into the heartland of the continent, identified new sources of wealth, forcibly utilizing the Indians to generate wealth. The explorers and adelantados, or prospecting conquistadors, were delighted by the discovery of precious metal deposits and sought quick means to subject the indians into slavery and generate wealth from the rich gold and silver mines. Most of the products generated by these mines and the cash-crop plantations that steadily supplanted mining as the prime sources of Spanish income promptly left the American colonies to the homeland. The underlying pattern of Spanish colonization of the Americas was thus established early in the Spanish domination; exploitation and extraction of the maximum amount of wealth possible governed settlement. In doing so, Spain allowed for its American subjects to eventually question the purpose in obeying an overseas ruler, when in fact the colonies gained no monetary benefit from complying. ====
 * 1. What were the motives for settlement for your area and how did those impact the structure of government and **
 * relationship with the Mother Country? **

“With the forced migration of the Africans to the New World, the racial triptych -- Mongoloid, Caucasian, and Negroid -- was complete. Each contributed to the formation of a unique civilization representing a blend of the three” (Burns 25). Colonies located near a water source prospered because they had more ready access to trading routes as well as clean water for crops. They were able to export and import goods easier, so they were generally more wealthy and therefore had more power with respect to the other colonies. Viceroys often represented the Spanish King in the colonies. However, the viceroys often took the power into their own hands and ruled without the King’s approval for every step. This was mostly due to the fact that there was a big communication gap between Spain and the Spanish colonies. It often took months to relay information between the King and his colonies, so the viceroys often had more power and jurisdiction to make changes. Powers of office were heavily influenced by demographics as well. All the blends of races that made up the Spanish American region traced back to an original three. The first group is the Mongoloid, which was a vulgar term for Asians or in this case, Native Americans. Literally translated, Mongoloid means lesser than human, or lesser than the common white man. The second racial group is the Caucasian, or the European. Finally, the third group is the Negroid, or the Africans. These three groups created not only a blend of races, but a social pyramid, which became the crux of society. Though these three races were only influenced by geographical origin, they received entirely different privileges. Only Europeans could hold office of great importance, such as the viceroy. Native Americans, the Mestizo, and Creoles could hold less important offices. Blacks couldn’t hold any offices or have any form of power.
 * 2. How did geography and demography impact the political and social structures that developed? [[image:coiote.jpg width="413" height="241" align="right" caption="The Mestizo "]] **

“As royal power grew stronger in the eighteenth century, the cabildo grew weaker, and the tendency to tighten the centralization of the empire restricted the independence of the municipal governments” (Burns 50). “The blacks possessed a leadership talent that the slave system never fully tapped. It became evident when the runaway slaves organized their own communities, known variously as palenques or cumbes in Spanish America and quilombos in Brazil, or when the slaves revolted against their masters.” (Burns 25) The Spanish monarchs transferred The Peninsulares, which were people born in Europe and moved to the New World, were the top of the social pyramid. This was followed by Creoles, Mestizo, Mulattoes, and then the Palenques. This social hierarchy andunequal treatment of the people in Spanish America caused widespread discontent throughout the region. The royalty, placed at the top of the hierarchy, was ruling all the way from Spain. In the 1500’s, messages often took months to relay from Spain to Spanish America. This caused a massive communication gap between Spain and the New World. The gap thus prevented a more effective government. Also, because the governing system favored Europeans and those of European descent, the other racial groups didn’t have a say in government. Over a period of time, this caused widespread discontent within the Mestizo, Mulattoes, and the Palenques. In fact, a number of slave revolts took place in Spanish America, showing the discontent with the unequal treatment of what the Europeans called “lesser” racial groups. The slave revolts began in Spanish America in 1537 and continued past 1835. The number of slave revolts throws light on the unfair treatment the “lower” races had to face. The social hierarchy did not show much room for advancement based on hard work, so basically, if a person was born as a slave, he would die with the same harsh treatment and lack of rights, regardless of whether he became a free slave or not.
 * 3. How did the political structure established lead to discontent in the future? **

“By these, as well as other means, the Spanish landowners steadily pushed the remaining Indians, whom they had not incorporated into their states as peons, up the mountainsides and onto arids soils, in short, into the marginal lands [...] The Spanish crown tolerated, if it did not encourage, the large landholdings in its American possessions” (Burns 36). The socio-economic gap between the different steps of the social hierarchical pyramid led to a massive wealth gap between the ethnic groups. The viceroy basically held the power of a local king in the area. Though he reported to a higher power, he received almost the same amount of power and jurisdiction over the people because of the amount of difficulty in relaying information back and forth between Spain and the New World. The viceroys were the wealthiest in the region. The viceroys had multiple slaves and large amounts of land to control. Also, the viceroy had power over the Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes, and the Slaves and Palenques.The next extreme, which is the slaves, had no power with respect to the viceroy. They worked under owners, which were more than often, Peninsulares, who themselves worked under a viceroy. The slaves, which included both blacks and Native Americans, had absolutely no rights. They were subject to any action their owner took upon them, and relied completely on the owner for shelter and food. Contrasting the two groups: the viceroy and the slave, it is evident that the socio-economic gap is due to the power placed in the hands of the viceroy. The viceroy had control over even where the Native Americans lived. They were forced out of what used to be their native land and into unfamiliar territory and into land that did not provide the proper conditions for them to survive as they used to.
 * 4. To what extent did the socio-economic climate in your region lead to a wealth gap? **

“As the American colonies grew in population and activity and as Spain became increasingly involved in European wars in the eighteenth century, breaches appeared in the mercantilistic walls that Spain had carefully constructed around its American empire. British merchants audaciously assailed those walls and when and where possible widened the breaches. For their part, the Spanish Bourbons tried hard to introduce economic reforms that would reinforce Spain’s monopolistic economic control. They authorized and encouraged a series of monopolistic companies. Doubtless, the Guipuzcoa Company best illustrates the effects of these monopolies and certainly the protests they elicited from from a jealous native merchant class” (Burns 70). The mercantilistic policies and intentional monopolies of the Iberians were oppressive to the Spanish- American Colonists, and this was a driving factor behind the economic unrest of the merchant class in Latin America which lead to unrest and eventual rebellion. Spain initiated these monopolies in order to increase its economic control in the region, since its economy was being contested by the British and other European countries. The Guipuzcoa Company, made in 1728, was meant to ensure that merchants in Venezuela conducted business directly with the Empire and eliminated the middleman of foreign markets, thus increasing the Empire’s profits, while cheating the merchant class out money. The merchant class resented this because they believed that free trade would bring them more wealth, and that the Iberians were infringing on their right to free trade.
 * 5. How oppressive was mercantilism to the settlers in your region? [[image:The_Columbian_Exchange.jpg width="570" height="314" align="right" caption="Mercantilist Trading of Goods"]] **

“The colonists also widely misapplied royal authorization to enslave Indians who made ‘unjust’ wars on the Europeans. They so frequently claimed to royal officials that their enslaved Indians were captives in a ‘just’ war that the crown eventually had to forbid enslavement for any cause” (Burns 31). There were two major labor systems that impacted the structure of society in colonial Spanish America. The first system, which was called encomienda literally means “the entrustment”. The system relied on the “encomendero”, or leader, to command a group of Native American laborers. The Spanish crown used this as an opportunity to spread the catholic religion. The encomendero was responsible for teaching the Native Americans about Catholicism and European customs. However, the term encomienda was highly misused and the laborers were often exploited. The natives weren’t considered slaves, but essentially property of the Europeans. As the conquistadors spread through the New World, they seized tribes and made them subject to their control. Over the next 200 years, as a result of the encomienda system, the Native American population drastically decreased due to disease and the harsh labor. . The second labor system was the “repartimiento”. This system allowed certain officials the privilege to force small groups of Native Americans for temporary labor. The system, instituted in full form by 1575, continued all the way till the beginning of the 19th century. The work was legally not supposed to exceed two to three weeks. Another rule in the repartimiento system that was almost seen as comical was the fact that the Native Americans had to be given wages. The officials often skewed the rules for their own purposes and never followed these rules. Between 1601 and 1609, the Spanish crown changed the law so that the Native Americans could choose which official they worked under so that the Native Americans were given some right. However, almost all the officials’ treatments were brutal, so the Native Americans weren’t given much of an opportunity for fair treatment.
 * 6. What were the major labor systems that developed and how did they impact the structure of your society? Who was laboring? **

“The European settlers depended heavily on the Indians and learned much from the conquered ... When the Indians proved inadequate, reluctant, or rebellious, or where their numbers were insufficient, ... the colonists began to look elsewhere for their labor supply” (Burns 20-21). Initially, the Natives of Spanish America were only used for sex because most of the first Spanish settlers were male. The American Indians had a relatively pleasant relationship with the Spaniards in the very beginning before the Spanish began to exploit them. At first, the Native Americans taught the Spanish how to hunt, fish and use natural resources for medicine. They also introduced as well as gave a number of different crops to the settlers. Then, the settlers began trying to employ the natives. However, the natives caught on to what the Spanish were intending to do and refused. Then, the Spaniards used brute force to compel the Native Americans to plant and harvest their crops. When the natives continued to refuse, the Spanish offered them protection under the encomienda in exchange for their labor. The laws under the encomienda were soon misconstrued and misused to force the natives into harsh, unpaid labor. Soon, as a result of terrible working conditions, the Native American population decreased significantly. This caused the future colonies to have a significantly lower number of natives. The colonists also enslaved natives who attempted to wage war or rise against the Europeans.
 * 7. How were the indigenous populations (Native Americans) treated in your society and what impact did that have on future colonial development? **

“Conversion was essential, according to Iberian thought, not only to give the Indians the true faith and eternal salvation but also to draw them within the pale of empire, that is, to make them loyal subjects to Their Most Catholic Majesties. To be Portuguese or Spanish was to be Roman Catholic. The two were intimately intertwined, and consequently Church and state appeared as one” (Burns 53). The Spanish utilized papal approval and religious influence to strengthen their control in Latin America, as religion had the ability to bind people together in a way that no monarch could. Religion was government and government was religion, there was little separation between the two. The Spanish were just as concerned with conversion as they were with conquering of lands, and the monarchs gave the church full power over all things spiritual, including tithes, appointment of bishops and clergymen, and conversion of natives. The inhabitants of the Americas followed their Catholic leaders unquestioningly, and even though they may not have understood the doctrines laid down by the church, they were steadfastly loyal to the church, and much of the populace of Latin America remains loyal to Catholicism even to this day.
 * 8. To what extent did your region separate church and state and allow freedom of religion? **

“The great buildings, secular and religious, grouped around the central plaza, had a most serious symbolic purpose. Their size, magnificence, and imposing presence bespoke the power of Church and State: they reminded one of all the wealth and power of monarch and God” (Burns 59). The Spanish Monarchs modeled their New World cities after their metropolitan areas in Old Spain; Baroque philosophy greatly influenced the style and atmosphere dominating the colonial metropolises. Spain sought extravagance in city planning as well as lifestyle, with central squares accenting the great churches, cathedrals, and municipal buildings and elaborate parades of the Viceroy and other dignitaries. The Spanish used extreme displays of grandeur and frivolity to impress upon its subjects the power and might of both the church and the government. Living in close proximity to symbols of the Empire served as a constant reminder to subjects and helped to create an unquestioned deference to the Empire among the lower classes, however the upper classes not included in the pomp and grandeur of viceroyalty and high colonial posts soon grew jealous and questioning of the wasteful practices.
 * 9. To what extent did intellectual movements (Baroque, Enlightenment) influence the development of your religion? **

Key Terms:
 * Monoecomony ** : An economy focused on the production one type of crop or resource in a large area over a long period of time


 * Patrimonialism ** : a social system in which a specific person of royal or elite status has complete control over all people: from government officials to slaves.


 * Mission System ** **:** System used by Spanish-Mexico to colonize territories in the North. It was a series of religious outposts set by the Spanish Catholics between 1769 and 1833. The goal of these missions were to spread the Christian faith to Native Americans. It was the first effort by Europe to colonize the West

**Examples**: Mission San Diego Alcala (1769), Mission San Antonio de Padua (1771), Mission Santa Barbara (1786), Mission San Francisco de Asis (1776)


 * Encomienda ** : legal system that was used by the Spanish to control and regulate Native American labor. It granted a specific number of slaves to owners.


 * Repartimiento ** : The crown granted the privilege to a select few to force Native Americans into labor

then ame of a monarch
 * Viceroy ** : An official/ representative who ruled Spanish America in the name of a monarch. This can apply to any official ruling in

social pyramid.
 * Peninsulares ** : a person who was born in Spain and was currently living in the New World. Top of


 * Creoles ** : Person of european descent who was born in the West Indies or Spanish America.


 * Mestizo ** : In 1501, the Spanish Monarch permitted intermarriage between the races in the region. This gave way to the Mestizo, which is a person of mixed descent (part European, part Native American).


 * Mulattoes ** : Person with mixed black and white descent. This group of people appeared almost immediately after the introduction of Africans into the New World.


 * Palenques (cumbes) ** : Group or community of runaway slaves, both Native American and African American.


 * Declaration of Independence of New Spain **