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Spain Built an American Empire - Coggle Diagram
Spain Built an American Empire
The Voyages of Columbus:
August 3, 1492: Columbus departs from Spain with three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.
October 12, 1492: Columbus reaches the island of San Salvador in the Caribbean, believing he has reached the East Indies.
First Encounters: Columbus mistakenly calls the native peoples "Indians" and begins claiming the lands for Spain, interacting peacefully with the Taino people.
Spanish Conquest in Peru:
Francisco Pizarro: In 1532, Pizarro leads a force into the Inca Empire.
Capture of Atahualpa: Pizarro tricks and captures the Inca emperor Atahualpa, demanding a massive ransom in gold. Despite receiving the ransom, Pizarro executes Atahualpa, causing the Incan resistance to collapse.
Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs:
Hernando Cortés: After landing in Mexico, Cortés learns of the wealthy Aztec Empire and sets out to conquer it in 1519.
Meeting Montezuma: The Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, initially thinks Cortés is a god and gives him gold.
Conflict and Conquest: In 1521, Cortés and his forces, aided by native allies and diseases like smallpox, defeat the Aztecs and conquer their capital, Tenochtitlan.
Spain's American Empire:
Peninsulares: Spanish settlers who moved to the Americas, many of whom were men who formed relationships with native women, leading to the creation of a mestizo population.
Encomienda system: Spanish settlers were granted control over native labor in exchange for protection and conversion, although the system was often abusive.
The Portuguese in Brazil:
In 1500, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.
Sugar Plantations: Portuguese settlers develop sugar plantations, fueling the colony’s economy with European demand for sugar.
Spanish Influence and Expansion:
Military Might: Spain's wealth from the Americas funded a powerful navy and army, which helped protect their colonies and expand their empire.
Expansion into the Southwest U.S.: Spanish explorers, like Juan Ponce de León (1513) and Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1540-1541), explored and claimed parts of the modern-day U.S. Southwest in search of gold.
