History: spain and the new world = key topic 2 ( the conquistadors 1513-1528)

What is a conquistador?

Spanish explorer in the new world

Why would people become conquistadors?

• new continent could bring riches beyond your imagination

• Monarchs gave them rights to invade + conquer in the name of Spain and allowed some to become governors of particular regions

• Had to give monarch 1/5 of gold / treasure

What did conquistador do?

• had to finance there own expeditions and find others to join them

• Expected to send regular reports back to Spain + act on orders from Spanish administration, didn’t always happen due to limited time or wanting independence

• Invading Spanish were taking land from natives with massacre, murder ,treachery, rape and torture marking their explorations

When did Balboa first land on mainland America?

1509

What was the name of the first settlement in mainland America?

Darian

Balboa, discovery of Pacific Ocean and creation of Panama narrative?

• 1509: Balboa leads a party to rescue a Spanish expedition in mainland America

• 1510: Balboa and rescued Spanish create a settlement called Darian (first Spanish settlement on mainland America and it flourished)

• Balboa is appointed as captain general and governor of Darian, he begins to explore mainland America

• Balboa hears rumours about a vast sea in the West and they set out to find it travelling across Panama

• 1513: they find what they call the southern sea (pacific ocean) and claim it for Spain, they begin to explore it and find islands with lots of pearls that they send to Spain

• 1514- Spanish king sends over Padrarias who takes over from Balboa, they were old enemies and Balboa is executed

• Padrarius and his second in command (Espinosa) explore the land and eventually decide to built a settlement called Panama ( this was very well situated between both oceans and fertile land)

• 1522: most of the people from Darien are forcibly moved to Panama and Darien is destroyed by natives

Narrative of Valazquesz’s conquest of Cuba (1511-14)

• due to illness and killings no longer enough natives on Haiti to be slaves. Many natives including Hatuey (native chief) fled to Cuba to escape Spanish and warn the others about them . This led to Spanish desire to invade Cuba

• Valazques and 300 other conquistadors travel to Cuba to find Hatuey. They need to make an example of him to stop others from rebelling

• Hatuey was captured after 3 months, after refusing the choice to convert to Christianity they burn him at the stake (he was going to die either way)

• Spanish launch invasion on Cuba, they approach villages and get Priest Bartolome to persuade them to give them food and hand over half their village

• Caonoa was large native town on Cuba, Spanish wanted entry to their houses, this was refused by natives. Spanish went wild and slaughtered many natives, called massacre of Caonoa

• Massacre of Caonoa was a turning point, any resistance from natives would be treated with violence. Bartolome turned against Spanish and tried to help natives

• Spanish settled on Cuba, Conquistadors rewarded with land and ecomiondo system set up, natives used as slaves mining for gold, on farms and soldiers for further exploration

• Spanish created a number of towns, including Santiago de Cuba (1514 and the capital) and Havana is 1515

Magellans voyage narrative (1519-22)

• a sea route to spice islands has still not been found, the new King Charles I wants to find a route and claim them as spains, he employed Magellan a Portuguese defector

• In September 1519 Magellan set sail with 5 ships, heavily armed and 270 men

• The sailors set off for the south of South America and spend the winter trying to find a way across, there were mutiny’s on 3 of the ships, the Santiago is shipwrecked

• Magellan decides on a route and has a disagreement with the captain of the San Antonio and he returns to Spain, the 3 remaining ships sail through Sraits of Magellan. Many crew die from scurvy and malnutrition

• In march 1521 they land in Honoham in the East. A month later Magellan and many others are killed in a battle with the natives, Concepcion is burned as there isn’t enough crew left, the Trinidad remains for repairs and is then shipwrecked by Portuguese

• The Victoria heads back to Spain alone, captained by Juan Encano

• On his return Encano was rewarded with 500 gold crowns and a coat of arms with an image of the globe on

• Spain could now claim the Spice islands for themselves as they had found a western route, this voyage also brought prestige to Spain as they were the first to circumnavigate the world

Cortes’s expedition of Mexico - narrative

• whilst in Cuba the Spanish receive reports for more gold from mainland, valesquez wanted more glory for Spain by claiming land + spreading Christianity

• Valezquez appointed Cortes as commander of expedition to mainland but only for trade, valezquez had his doubts about Cortes and wa skiing to remove him but Cortes heard bout this and left before he could

• In February 1519 Cortes set sail with 11 ships and 600 Spanish and Europeans (soldiers, sailors carpenters, women priests and slaves)

• Cortes landed in mainland march 1519, he claimed the Yucatan peninsula for Spain and converted natives to Christianity

• In April 1519 the Spanish clashed with the Tabascan natives, Spanish won and took control of there virtually called Pontochan, they made peace and gave the Spanish gifts including interpreter

• Cortes re-astabllished settlement called Vera Cruz, this was beyond what he was told to do, some Spanish tried to steal ships and go back ri Cuba but he caught them, hung some of them and sunk the ships

• In August / September Cortes continued making war with natives, the compoalans join Spanish against mutual enemy the aztecs, more natives grouped join them

• By end of September 1519 Cortes had created several alliances with natives who wanted to attack Aztec’s. Cortes had sunk his ships so could not leave he was committed to exploring and conquering Mexico

Spanish conquest of Mexico 1519-21 narrative

• montezuma was emperor of aztecs and had been monitoring Cortes in the new world

• Montenzuma sent ambassadors to Cortes with gifts and invited them to Tenochtitlan, the capital, they gave them a specific route to follow through Cholula which the the Spanish were wary of so Cortes took warriors with him

• When they arrived in Cholula they received no welcome and so became more suspicious

• Cortes meets with Cholulan rulers who admit they had been asked to attack them but wouldn’t, Cortes captures the leaders and massacre many of the people

• After they go on to Tenochtitlan where they were treated like royals

• The Spanish felt outnumbered so captured Montezuma and made him a puppet ruler, Cortes put images of Virgin Mary on top of temples and Montezuma forced to acknowledge King Charles I of Spain as leader

• In 1520 1000 Spanish landed at Vera Cruz on instruction from Valezques, Cortes left to go fight them and won, the surviving Spanish joined him

• Alvarado who Cortes had left in charge was worried about an attack from the Aztecs and so he killed some nobles at a feast, Montezuma was killed by his people and the Aztecs chased out the Spanish many killed on both sides, called the night of tears

• Cortes and survivors regrouped at lake Texcoco and began to take over Tenochtitlan, thousands were already dead from diseases and starvation, the Spanish killed all the Aztecs they could find and the city was there in August 1521

• The Aztec empire had fallen and natives tribes began fighting each other again, they looked to Spanish for solutions and so Spanish control in Mexico increased due to this and their control of Tenochtitlan

When did Cortes formally receive his title?

• in 1523 he became governor + captain general

• Four royal officials went with him and they had a secret code to communicate the the council of Indies (council set up by Isabelle and Ferdinand to study problems of colonisation, based in Spain)

How did Cortes strengthen Spanish control in the new world?

• continued to kill native leaders and priests brutally

• Forced chiefs to pay tribute to Spanish in form of gold + maize

• Destroyed remaining temples and re- built Tenochtitlan and called it Mexico City

• Developed agriculture and imported goods from Spain, wanted to rely less on Caribbean islands

• Industry developed like gunpowder, sugar cain and iron ore

• Spread Christianity, asked for Friars to come from Spain to help convert natives

• Encouraged further exploration for new settlements and gold

• gave land to Spanish settlers and set up encomiondo system

Why was Cortes removed as Governor from the new world?

• valezquez was his enemy and Cortes had to leave Tenochtitlan to fight Spanish from Cuba

• Rumours of his greed got back to Spain, people saying he was hoarding wealth and treasure as little gold was coming out of Mexico

• King Charles I wanted to control him, he was worried about the control Cortes had and needed a trusted and loyal govenor in the new world

Aztecs living under Spanish rule - violence and death

• Aztec leaders killed

• Encomienda system- many worked to death farming and mining

• Small pox outbreaks led to millions of deaths - also lead to famine as less people to farm land

Aztecs under Spanish rule - culture + religion

• Aztec leaders killed, new leaders had to be found from Spanish

• Tenochtitlan destroyed and Aztec buildings torn town, replaced with Spanish style buildings

• Spanish forbade human sacrifice and tore temples down, Aztec religion was destroyed

• Friars (missionary ) sent to convert Aztecs, many thought the Christian Gods had beaten their Aztec gods

Aztecs under Spanish rule - living conditions

• Encomienda system set up lead to forced labour

• Had to grow new crops and animal farming was introduced

• Aztecs used to being in hierarchy, Spanish used this to take control

• Native women became mistresses of Spanish + led to mixed children

• Aztecs introduced to Spanish alphabet + language, could now tell their history and get involved in trade

• Had to pay tribute to Spanish