CH 24

Who were the Indigenous peoples living in the Spanish Caribbean?

The Taino.

What did Columbus establish as the capital of the Spanish Caribbean?

The fort of Santo Domingo.

What system allowed Spanish settlers to have total control over local people in the Americas?

Encomiendas.

What epidemic disease contributed to the decline of the Taino populations?

Smallpox.

What was the result of Hernan Cortés' conquest of the Aztec Empire?

He conquered the Aztec Empire between 1519 and 1521 with 450 men.

What role did tribal resentment play in Cortés' conquest?

It helped Cortés in his efforts against the Aztecs.

Which empire did Francisco Pizarro conquer?

The Inca Empire.

By what year did Spanish forces control all the former Inca Empire?

1540.

What was the administrative structure of the Spanish colonial empire by 1570?

Governed by viceroys with oversight from audiencias.

How did Portugal acquire Brazil?

By the Treaty of Tordesillas.

What type of society emerged in colonial Brazil?

Mestizo societies.

What characterized the social hierarchy in Iberian colonies?

Whites owned land and held power; mixed races performed labor; Africans and natives were at the bottom.

What was the economic basis of Spanish New World wealth?

Silver mining.

Which two major silver mining sites were key to the Spanish economy?

Zacatecas in Mexico and Potosi in Peru.

What system replaced the encomienda system in the Spanish colonies?

The repartimiento system.

What was the primary labor source for sugar production in Portuguese Brazil?

African slaves.

How did the death and birth rates affect slavery in Brazil?

High death rates and low birth rates created a constant demand for more slaves.

What type of crops did European settler-cultivators in North America grow?

Cash crops like tobacco, rice, indigo, and cotton.

What were the primary contributions of Spanish missionaries in the Americas?

They introduced Catholicism and established mission schools.

What became a national symbol in Mexico in 1531?

The Virgin of Guadalupe.

What was the nature of British captain James Cook's exploration of Australia?

He explored east Australia and established a penal colony in 1788.

What was the outcome for the indigenous Chamorro population due to Spanish voyages?

They resisted but were decimated by smallpox.

Who became regular visitors to the Pacific Islands after the eighteenth century?

Whalers, missionaries, merchants, and planters.