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Effects of the Conquistadors. Spanish Settlements. Hernan Cortes - captured the Aztec Empire Francisco Pizarro - captured the Inca Empire New Spain- Spain’s government wanted to control migration to the Americas and create a Spanish Empire. Spanish Empire . Social Structure.
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Spanish Settlements • Hernan Cortes- captured the Aztec Empire • Francisco Pizarro- captured the Inca Empire • New Spain- Spain’s government wanted to control migration to the Americas and create a Spanish Empire
Social Structure • These explorers convinced people from Spain to come to the Americas and settle • Social structure: • Peninsulares- Born in Spain • Creoles- Born in the New World to Spanish parents • Mestizos- People born to Spanish and Native American parents • Mulattoes- People born to Spanish and African parents
Spanish Treatment of Native Americans and Slaves • In 1650, the Spanish Empire was made up of 3-4 million people- 80% were Native Americans • Forced Labor • Encomienda System- a system which gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to demand their labor in exchange for protecting them and converting them to Christianity *****More often, the Spanish treated the Native Americans as slaves and were cruel and abusive toward them****
Plantations • Plantations- large farms that grew just one kind of crop • Plantations made a lot of money for the owner, but required a lot of labor which was done by Native Americans
Diseases • Millions of Native Americans died due to diseases they got from contact with the Europeans within years of the arrival of Columbus • Due to a decreasing population of Natives, and therefore a decreasing labor force, the Spanish agreed to turn to slaves from West Africa for labor
Middle Passage • The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean that brought slaves from Africa to the Americas
Search for the Northwest Passage • Northwest Passage- a non-existent water route through North America that would allow ships to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
Search for the Northwest Passage • Many Explorers tried looking for the Northwest Passage • English-sent John Cabot- he led England to the Americas • French- sent Jacques Cartier- he claimed parts of Canada for France • Dutch- sent Henry Hudson- landed in New York (Hudson Bay/ Hudson River) • None of these explorers found a Northwest Passage, however their explorations led to increased European interest in North America • People began to have interest in creating colonies in North America