Spain’s Colonial Rule
Spain ruled the colonies under a system where the monarch held complete power.
Absolutism
In colonial Latin America, the Church ranked just below this institution in power.
The Crown
He claimed Brazil for Portugal in 1500.
Pedro Álvares Cabra
Frontiersmen who explored inland for slaves and gold.
Bandeirantes
Runaway enslaved people formed these resistant communities.
Quilombos
These councils advised the viceroys and helped check their power.
Audiencias
The king controlled bishops and tithes under this arrangement.
Patronato Real
This treaty divided new lands between Spain and Portugal.
Treaty of Tordesillas
Gold was discovered here and in roughly what year?
Minas Gerais in the 1690s.
Las Casas and other reformers sought to reduce this system that exploited Indigenous labor.
Encomienda / forced labor system
Name the two main viceroyalties and their capitals created by Spain in the Americas.
New Spain- Mexico City
Peru- Lima
In addition to religious duties, the Church operated these two types of public institutions in colonial society.
Schools and hospitals/charities
Explain why Salvador was chosen as Brazil’s first capital
Located in sugar-growing region; central coastal location for trade and administration.
Explain why gold wealth did not remain in Brazil.
Portugal heavily taxed gold (royal fifth) and exported wealth to Europe; most stayed in Portugal rather than Brazil.
This religious figure defended Indigenous rights and influenced the New Laws of 1542.
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Name TWO reasons why Spanish authority was difficult to enforce in the colonies.
– Long distance from Spain
– Slow communication
– Local elites resisted reforms
– Corruption was widespread
Give TWO ways the Church shaped everyday life in the colonies.
– Ran schools
– Ran hospitals/charities
– Held land → wealth
– Spread Catholic culture / art / architecture
Name TWO reasons the captaincy system failed.
– Poor funding
– Indigenous resistance
– Isolation
– Lack of support from Portugal
Name THREE ways mining transformed Brazilian society.
– New towns (ex: Ouro Preto)
– Larger population
– Increased importation of enslaved Africans
– Cultural growth / baroque churches
– More social hierarchy
List THREE ways enslaved or Indigenous people resisted colonial authority.
– Formed quilombos
– Revolted
– Cultural preservation
– Flight/escape
– Refusal to work
If Spain was “all-powerful,” why did the Crown deliberately allow local elites to ignore royal reform efforts?
To preserve loyalty, stability, and profit; strict enforcement risked unrest and economic decline.
Why did both Church and Crown see benefit in supporting each other, rather than operating separately?
Church justified conquest + hierarchy; Crown protected church wealth + influence, ensuring shared authority.
Explain how sugar created long-term instability in Brazil even though it generated massive wealth.
Depended on slavery + monoculture → inequality + limited development → unstable long-term economy
Mining made Portugal rich, yet Brazil remained unequal and unstable. Explain why.
Wealth flowed to Portugal; inequality expanded; dependency on slavery + extraction prevented long-term economic growth.
How did the blending of European, African, and Indigenous cultures influence identity in colonial Brazil?
Created a diverse, mixed society (mestiço culture); blended religions/art/language → long-term cultural identity distinct from Portugal.