The document discusses the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires in the early 16th century. It describes how Hernan Cortes, with only a few hundred men, was able to defeat the powerful Aztec empire after imprisoning their ruler Moctezuma. It also discusses how Francisco Pizarro defeated the Inca empire in Peru in a similar manner by inviting their ruler Atahualpa to a meeting and killing him. Key reasons for their success included European technology like guns and horses which intimidated the native populations, as well as diseases which decimated the Aztecs and Incas. The empires also had internal weaknesses like resentment from subject peoples that the conquistadors were able to exploit.

1. Hemispheres United
Old World & New World
Come Together

2. Critical Intro.
Make a strong argument for
which explorer made the most
significant contribution/discovery.
2

3. Critical Intro.
Write an 8-10 line poem
highlighting the “Technology in
Navigation”
3

4. Critical Intro.
Work with your partner.
Write a thesis comparing racial
divisions in Central and South
America vs. that of North
America.
4

5. Critical Intro.
How did the Spanish and
Portuguese exploration goals
and strategies compare?
5

6. Exploration
• Exploration before the late fifteenth century
was largely limited to land travel.
• Ships were used on the Mediterranean and
Indian Ocean trade routes for centuries, but
they were linked up to land routes through
Persia, Arabia, northern Africa, or central
Asia on the Silk Road.

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8. I. Transoceanic Reconnaisance – leads to new
discoveries.
A. Ming China
1. Admiral Zheng He explores Indian Ocean for
China
2. Ming then pull back from oceanic trade.

9. I. Transoceanic Reconnaisance – leads to new
discoveries.
B. Portuguese
1. Navigation school
2. W. African exploration
3. Establish global trading posts

10. I. Transoceanic Reconnaisance – leads to new
discoveries.
C. Spanish
1. Seeking western route/cross Atlantic
2. Competition w/Portugal

11. I. Transoceanic Reconnaisance – leads to new
discoveries.
D. Oceania & Polynesia
1. Not dramatically affected
2. Infrequent European reconnaissance

12. II. The Spanish Empire in America
A. Conquistadors (conquerors) defeat Aztec and
Incas.
1. 1519 - Hernan Cortes + 600 soldiers march
into Mexico to Aztec capital.
a. Moctezuma taken prisoner, killed in
Aztec counterattack
b. Spanish gained support of Aztec rivals.
c. Aztec empire falls to Cortes & Span.

13. 2. Francisco Pizarro led Spanish soldiers to Andes Mts.
a. Spaniards capture Incan leader Atahualpa
b. Atahualpa agrees to fill rooms with gold to gain
freedom
c. Spanish break promise; baptize & strangle
Atahualpa
d. 1540 - Spanish control Incan Empire
Pizarro

14. 3. Why Spanish success? “Guns, Germs, Steel”
a. Devastating impact of smallpox & other
diseases on native pop.
b. Guns, horses
c. Steels swords/armor

15. Critical Intro.
• Write a paragraph describing the
relationship between:
– Commercial Revolution or Commercialization
– Mercantilism
– Joint-Stock companies
15

16. Critical Intro.
North American vs.
Caribbean/Brazilian Colonies
16
In which colonies was there more racial
mixing?
What is an explanation for this?
In which colonies was there a higher degree
of racism? More racial segregation?
Evidence of that?
With a partner or two, write a paragraph addressing the following questions.

17. Triangular Trade
Pattern of trade between Europe, Africa and
the Americas

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Middle Passage

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20. 20
Triangle Trade

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The Middle
Passage:
Slaves from
Africa brought
to the New
World

22. Slave ship on “Middle Passage”

23. Slave ship on “Middle Passage”

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Treaty of TordesillasTreaty of Tordesillas:
Divided new lands between Spain and Portugal

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26. III. Iberian (Spain & Portugal) Colonial
Organization
A. Spanish & Portugal take control of lands
conquistadors claimed
1. Spain divided “New Spain” possessions into 4
Viceroyalties w/capitals at Mexico City &
Lima, Peru.
2. Portugal established Viceroyalty of Brazil.
3. Each Viceroyalty controlled by a
governor/Viceroy (King’s rep. in the New World)
4. Audiencias = special courts to review Viceroy
decisions, monitor administration of territories.

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28. B. Catholic Jesuits and Franciscans moved into
countryside
1. Encourage conversions
2. Establish churches in rural areas
3. Care for the poor
4. Many priests become sympathetic to abuses
against Amerindians.

29. IV. The Colonial Economy in Latin America
A. Spanish set up silver mines in Mex. & Peru and
plantations throughout Viceroyalties.
B. Required large labor force of native workers
1. Spanish = Encomienda System
a. Natives forced to work for Spanish in
exchange for care and conversion.
2. In Peru, Spanish used old Inca Mit’a System
3. Mit’a System = 1/7 of males working at all
times.
4. Both systems fail because disease deaths
5. Reliance on imported African slaves
increased
6. Slavery becomes race-based!

30. C. Impact of Spanish Silver Mines
1. Spain = one of wealthiest nations
2. Stimulated Spanish-American economy
3. Manila Galleons = Span. ships carrying silver
across Pacific from Acapulco Mexico to Manila
Philippines
a. Exchanged silver for Asian luxury goods
4. Big impact on world economy
a. increased global flow of silver;
stimulated trade
b. Downside =Caused European inflation

31. D. Portuguese Sugar Plantations in Brazil
1. relied on slave labor; native at first, then
eventually, imported African slaves
2. Africans; more resistant to disease = better
investment
3. Portuguese will import more slaves than any
other country.

32. E. Cash Crops drive investment and economies
1. Cash crops = crop produced for profit/export
not consumption by grower
2. Examples:
a. sugar in Brazil & Caribbean
b. tobacco in Virginia & Carolinas
c. cotton in southern N. Amer.

33. V. Society in Colonial Latin America
A. Greatest social division was between
Europeans & Amerindians
Peninsulares
Span./Port.
Creoles
Span./Port
Mestizos
(European &
Amerindian)
Mulattoes
(European &
African)
Amerindians and Blacks
Born in Old World – 1st
administrators
Born in New World
- eventually dominate
politics & economy

34. VI. The Columbian Exchange
A. Global diffusion of crops, humans, animals &
disease following exploratory voyages
B. Vast changes in:
1. Natural Environment
a. Clearing New World lands for monoculture
(single crop) plantation system
b. herds of imported animals (cattle, horses,
pigs, sheep) destroy lands
c. Horse = important new animal; changed
travel, hunting, warfare.

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2. Health
a. Disease killed 50-90% of Amerindians
b. Corn, potatoes improved diets in Old World
c. tobacco changed European lifestyles/habits
3. Demographics
a. Amerindian pop. decreased
b. Natives replaced by mixed groups
c. Old World pop. increased (corn, potatoes)

37. Triangle Trade or
“Great Circuit”
N. Amer.
S. Amer.
Africa
Europe
Caribbean
Directions: Use reading to illustrate AND annotate
the Triangle Trade. Annotations should provide
thorough explanations of & for the three portions of
the trade route.

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39. The European Age of Discovery
God, Gold and Glory
Factors contributing to
the European discovery
of lands in the Western
Hemisphere
Demand for gold, spices, and natural
resources in Europe
Innovations of European and
Islamic origins in navigational arts
Pioneering role of Prince Henry the
Navigator
Support for the diffusion of Christianity
Political and economic competition
between European empires.
In other words:
In other words:
In other words:
In other words:
In other words:

40. The Sternpost Rudder- invented in China during the
Han Dynasty- allowed for better navigation of ships
Lateen Sails- allowed the ships to sail in any direction
regardless of the wind
Astrolabe- portable navigation device- measures the
distance of the sun and stars above the horizon
New & Improved Maps – Cartographers (map makers)
created more accurate and reliable maps enabling
more predictable, safer and efficient journeys.
Three-Masted Caravels- these larger ships employed
larger sails and could hold provisions for longer
journeys
Magnetic Compass- borrowed from the Chinese,
through trade with Arabs, allowed sailors to determine
direction of land without staying in sight of land
Technology of Exploration
My Exploration Poem/Song
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Commercial Revolution and Mercantilism
European
trading posts
along coast of
Africa
Trade in gold,
ivory, slaves &
other resources
Colonization by small
groups of merchants &
Trade Companies: Joint-
Stock companies
facilitating trade in foreign
lands. Eventually gain
administrative and military
power in regions.
Dutch East India Company
(Spice Islands)
British East India Company
(India)
European
colonization
Americas
Mercantilism:
An economic practice
adopted by European
powers in an effort to
become self-sufficient;
based on the theory that
colonies existed for the
benefit of the mother
country
Commercial Revolution:
•European maritime nations
competed for overseas markets,
colonies & resources
•A new economic system
emerged
•New money & banking
systems were created
•Economic practices such
as mercantilism evolved
•Colonial economies were
limited by the economic
needs of the mother
country

42. 42
Mercantilism Model
Summarization: Use the illustrations above to summarize, in your own words, the theory of Mercantilism.

43. 43

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Portugal: Vasco da Gama
France: Jacques CartierEngland: Francis Drake
Spain: Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese)
Spain: Christopher ColumbusEarly Explorers

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Portugal: Vasco da Gama

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Spain: Christopher Columbus

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Portugal : Ferdinand Magellan

48. 48
England: Francis Drake

49. 49
France: Jacques Cartier

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North American
vs. Central &
South American
Colonies

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Spanish Conquest of Aztec & Inca
LED by four horsemen in full armour, the small column of Spanish
infantry, with their leader, Hernan Cortes, and further horsemen in the
rear, marched along the narrow causeway across the shallows of
Lake Texcoco. They were heading for the walled towers of the
entrance to Tenochtitlan, the mighty capital of the Mexica; as we now
call them, the Aztecs.
There Cortes and his 250 men met their target: Moctezuma, the Aztec
ruler, bedecked with a splendid feather head-dress, richly-decorated
mantle and gold-soled sandals encrusted with jewels. A generation
after Colombus had landed in Hispaniola, the Spaniards in 1519 had
penetrated to the heart of the most populous and wealthiest
civilisation in the Americas.
How did Moctezuma’s appearance further motivate the
conquistadors?
For three months, as the Spaniards came inland, Moctezuma had
been paralysed by indecision: how should he handle them? He
was constrained by custom, religion and superstition. In Aztec
Mexico, ambassadors (as Cortes falsely claimed to be) were
entitled to hospitality; war was ritualised, and normally began only
after elaborate diplomacy.
The conquistadors played by different rules. After being lodged in
one of Tenochtitlan’s whitewashed palaces, they imprisoned their
host, and killed hundreds of unarmed nobles. Led by
Cuauhtemoc, Moctezuma’s nephew, the Aztecs rallied. Though
reinforced, the Spaniards were besieged, then routed as they
fled. They were soon back, and laid siege in turn. By August
1521, they were masters of a ruined city, its population cut to a
third of its pre-war 200,000.
How did custom compromise Aztec defenses?
A decade later, an even smaller Spanish force similarly struck the second great
American empire of this millennium, that of the Incas. Francisco Pizarro too followed
a code different from that of his opponents. He invited Atahualpa, the Inca ruler, to
the Spanish camp in Cajamarca, in today’s northern Peru, and then ordered an
attack against the mostly unarmed Inca escorts. The Incas stripped temples of their
gold wall-plates and ornaments to pay the ransom for Atahualpa’s release. The
Spaniards melted down 11 tonnes of gold objects, and then, after a hasty “trial”, killed
him.
How was Pizarro’s method similar to Cortes’?
Here too they faced resistance for almost a year. Indeed, the fierce topography of the
Andes made the conquest of some areas difficult. But by the 1540s, Spain had
conquered the main population centres of Central America and western South
America. The Portuguese would penetrate Brazil far more slowly. Similarity between
Aztec & Inca reaction?
Why the Spanish Conquistadors Won
The Spaniards won because they had better tactics—Aztecs in battle tried to
capture, not kill, their opponents—and technology. Horses, mastiffs and guns
terrified Aztecs and Incas armed with slings, stonetipped clubs and spears
(though Inca archers did better). The Spaniards had two other crucial
advantages. One was the diseases they had brought: the Aztec forces in the
battle for Tenochtitlan were ravaged by smallpox. The second arose from the
internal weaknesses of the two native-American empires. Sum up “Why?” in
3-5 words
Both empires had a weak point: their resentful subject peoples.
The Aztecs extracted tribute from these, and worse: over time,
mass human sacrifice came to occupy a central place in Aztec
religion, an instrument of control in what had become a reign of
terror. The Incas were less given to human sacrifice, but exacted
labour service. Cortes found ready allies: the Totonacs of
Mexico’s gulf coast and others supplied him with several
thousand troops and bearers, as well as food. And Pizarro found
the Inca empire riven by civil war after the death (probably from
smallpox) of Atahualpa’s father. In your own words, reasons
& impacts of the “Internal Weaknesses”
Greed, faith and killing
Why were the Spaniards there? In part, for profit and precious metals. (“I and my
companions suffer from a disease of the heart that can be cured only with gold,” Cortes
told envoys of Moctezuma.) But they were also driven by the militant Catholicism forged
in the centuries-long campaign to drive Islam from Spain. In 1493 a Spanish pope had
granted Castile exclusive right of conquest in the Americas, west of the Portuguese
possessions, and with it the obligation to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. 2 main
reasons for conquest?
The conquistadors did both, appallingly. To cow their subjects, Cortes and others,
sometimes abetted by priests, on occasion massacred civilians, or burned them alive.
The indigenes died from war, disease, overwork and hunger caused by the disruption of
their traditional farming. Estimates of Mexico’s population on the eve of the conquest
range from 12m to 25m; by 1568, it was under 3m. Peru had 9m people in 1532, under
1.5m in 1570. Generally speaking, impact on native population?
The Spaniards often left local rulers in place, while extracting tribute and labour service
from the shrunken native peoples. They found their own freedom of action limited by
royal officials and judges, and at times by conscience-stricken churchmen such as
Bartolome de las Casas, a landholder turned Dominican friar. The first law to protect the
“Indians” was brought in in 1542.
Why do you think African slaves will be brought to the Americas?

52. Differing
Aspect
Description of Difference Analysis: Reason for/Impact of
Difference
Plantation Societies of Brazil and Caribbean vs. Southern Colonies in British North America
Thesis: How did plantation societies of Brazil and the Caribbean differ from those of southern colonies in British North America?
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53. Differing
Aspect
Description of Difference Analysis: Reason for/Impact of
Difference
British Settler Colonies in North America vs. Counterparts in Latin America
Thesis: What distinguished the British settler colonies of North America from their counterparts in Latin America?
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