Spanish Exploration, Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

Flashcards covering key points about Spanish conquest, labor systems (encomienda and asiento), African slavery and resistance, and the caste system in the Spanish colonies.

Who were the two monarchs credited with starting the Spanish empire in the Americas?

Ferdinand and Isabella.

What term describes the Spanish conquerors who led expeditions and claimed lands in the Americas?

Conquistadores.

Which explorer crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean, signaling Spanish expansion?

Vasco Núñez de Balboa.

Whose voyage completed the circumnavigation of the world, though he died before finishing?

Ferdinand Magellan.

Which civilizations did Cortés and Pizarro conquer to establish Spanish supremacy in the Americas?

The Aztecs in Mexico (Cortés) and the Incas in Peru (Pizarro).

What did the conquistadores ship back to Spain that increased wealth and power?

Gold and silver from the Americas.

What labor system granted natives to Spaniards and forced them to farm or work in mines?

Encomienda system.

What system required colonists to pay a tax on each enslaved person imported to the Americas?

Asiento system.

What was the purpose of the asiento system?

To regulate and tax the importation of enslaved Africans.

Approximately how many enslaved Africans were imported to the Americas before the transatlantic slave trade ended?

Between 10 million and 15 million.

What was the mortality range for Africans during the Middle Passage?

About 10% to 15% died.

How did Africans resist slavery?

They ran away, sabotaged work, revolted, and maintained aspects of African culture (music, religion, and folkways).

What did the Spanish caste system define and base its status on?

The status of people in the colonies by their heritage (European, Native American, and African).

Who were at the top of the Spanish caste system?

Pure-blood Spaniards.

Who were at the bottom of the Spanish caste system?

People of pure Indian or Black heritage.

Why did the colonies develop a large mixed-heritage population?

Most Spanish colonists were single men who had children with Native American or African women.