Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which European conquerors took more precious metals from Mexico and the Andes in 20 years than all the gold accumulated in Europe over centuries?
Which European conquerors took more precious metals from Mexico and the Andes in 20 years than all the gold accumulated in Europe over centuries?
What discovery in 1545 contributed significantly to the wealth of Spain?
What discovery in 1545 contributed significantly to the wealth of Spain?
What led to the extinction of the local population within several decades in the mines?
What led to the extinction of the local population within several decades in the mines?
During the Spanish colonization, which Catholic Pope provided support for Spanish endeavors in the New World?
During the Spanish colonization, which Catholic Pope provided support for Spanish endeavors in the New World?
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Why did the Portuguese start to import African slaves as labor in Brazil?
Why did the Portuguese start to import African slaves as labor in Brazil?
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Who became the governor of the colony 'New Spain'?
Who became the governor of the colony 'New Spain'?
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What epidemic devastated the Inca Empire before the Spanish arrived?
What epidemic devastated the Inca Empire before the Spanish arrived?
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Who fought a war against his brother to gain succession to the Inca throne?
Who fought a war against his brother to gain succession to the Inca throne?
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Which empire did Francisco Pizarro defeat in 1532?
Which empire did Francisco Pizarro defeat in 1532?
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To which city did the Spanish arrive in large numbers to stake their claims for encomiendas?
To which city did the Spanish arrive in large numbers to stake their claims for encomiendas?
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Which Amerindian woman served as a crucial translator and advisor for Hernan Cortes during the Aztec conquest?
Which Amerindian woman served as a crucial translator and advisor for Hernan Cortes during the Aztec conquest?
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Who was the Aztec ruler during the Spanish conquest?
Who was the Aztec ruler during the Spanish conquest?
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What was the capital city of the Aztec Empire that later became Mexico City?
What was the capital city of the Aztec Empire that later became Mexico City?
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Before the Spanish Conquest, which empire controlled territories around Lake Titicaca in South America?
Before the Spanish Conquest, which empire controlled territories around Lake Titicaca in South America?
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What Spanish conquistador led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire?
What Spanish conquistador led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire?
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What European power sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus that initiated the European colonization of the Americas?
What European power sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus that initiated the European colonization of the Americas?
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Study Notes
The Atlantic World: Silver and Conquest
- Most Spaniards lived in towns, with former imperial cities of Mexico City and Cuzco flourishing.
- European conquerors extracted more precious metals from Mexico and the Andes in 20 years than all the gold accumulated in Europe over centuries.
- Potosi (Bolivia) and Zacatecas (Mexico) mines produced the greatest amounts of silver for Spain.
- The Spanish relied heavily on slave and coerced local labor.
- The discovery of Potosi silver mines in 1545 led to the production of 17,000 tons of silver and 200 tons of gold by 1640.
- Heavy working conditions in the mines, including the use of quicksilver, long hours, and high mortality rates, led to the extinction of local populations in several decades.
Portugal's New World Colony
- The Portuguese and Spanish divided South America with the unenforceable Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494.
- Papal support for Spanish colonization came from Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI.
- When no precious metals were discovered in Brazil, the Portuguese began to produce sugar.
- The Portuguese imported African slaves for labor when the Amerindian population fought or fled.
- The Portuguese settled along the coast, but rarely intermarried with the local population.
The Atlantic World: The Incas
- The Inca Empire in the Andes had a population of 4 to 6 million before the Spanish arrived.
- A smallpox epidemic spread from Mesoamerica into the Andes, killing the Inca Emperor and sparking a war between his sons.
- In 1532, Francisco Pizarro defeated Atahualpa and the Incas with his 600 men, horses, and dogs.
- The Spanish established their capital in Lima, Peru, and introduced a new scale of imperial expansion and provided Europe with great wealth and a market for their products.
The Atlantic World: First Conquests
- Columbus claimed the island of Hispaniola, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic for Spain, prompting more expeditions with tales of gold.
- The Spanish experimented with colonial rule, creating a model in Hispaniola for the rest of the New World.
- The Spanish responded to Amerindian resistance by enslaving Indians to work in gold mines.
- The Spanish crown awarded encomiendas (grants) to settlers with the right to force Amerindians for labor, though they had to pay special taxes on precious metals extracted from their land.
The Atlantic World: Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest
- The Aztecs united numerous independent states under a single monarch, creating an empire of 25 million based around Lake Texcoco.
- The city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was large and wealthy.
- The Aztecs were a powerful, wealthy, complex, and militarized empire untouched by Africa-Eurasia and unprepared for European invaders and their warfare.
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Description
Learn about the Spanish conquest in the Americas, including the rise of Cortés in New Spain, the fall of the Inca Empire, and the defeat of Atahualpa by Francisco Pizarro. Explore the devastating impact of smallpox in the Andes region.
