Spanish Colonization of The Americas Test Review

Geography

100

List the 4 regions of the world that make up The Americas.  

The Caribbean, Central America, South America, North America

200

Where did Columbus first land in "The New World"? 

The Bahamas (San Salvador)

300

What are the two nations that currently make up the island of Hispaniola? Which sides of the island do they occupy? 

West: Haiti, East: Dominican Republic

400

What islands are a part of the Greater Antilles? 

Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola (Haiti & Dominican Republic, and Bonus: The Cayman Islands

500

Which two places in the Americas received the most amount of enslaved Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade

1. Brazil , 2. The Caribbean 

Colonization of The Americas Context

100

Which European countries besides Spain colonized The Americas? 

Portugal, England, The Netherlands, and France 

200

Why did the transatlantic slave trade develop?

The transatlantic slave trade developed primarily due to economic demands, European colonial expansion, and the need for labor in the Americas.

300

What was the most lucrative crop was the main driving force behind the demand for slave labor in the Americas? AND Name 3 other crops or resources grown or mined by enslaved Africans? 

Sugar (and tobacco, rice, silver)

400

What was New Spain? 

New Spain was a vast colonial territory established by the Spanish Empire in the Americas after the conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521. It existed from the early 16th century until the early 19th century. 

Included:

• Present-day Mexico (the core of New Spain)
• Parts of the United States (California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida)
• Central America (excluding Panama)
• Islands in the Caribbean (like Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico)

500

Explain the Treaty of Tordesillas in detail, draw the lines of demarcation on a map, and show what areas in the Americas the Spanish colonized, and what the Pourtugese colonized as a result. 

Spanish Colonization "Crazy Soup"

100

What was the encomienda system? What was an encomendero? 

A Spanish system in their colonies where Indigenous people were forced into labor in exchange for “protection” and Christianization.

200

What was so remarkable about Mexico City by the end of the 16th century? 

Mexico City became one of the largest and most sophisticated cities in the Americas, with impressive architecture and infrastructure. It is also one of the first multiracial societies in the world.

300

How did Asians come to live in Mexico and other parts of New Spain? 

The Galleon Trade: A trade route connecting Asia (via the Philippines) to Mexico, introducing goods and migrants to New Spain (Mexico)

400

What was the casta system and why was it developed? 

A racial classification system in Spanish colonies used to control multiethnic societies and to maintain Spanish superiority in the colonies. 

500

Name 3 laws under the casta system that limited the rights of mixed race and Africans people in the Spanish colonies.

1. Curfew or limited number of people that could gather in public 

2. Forbidding them from carrying weapons 

3. Non Spanish woman can’t wear European style clothing and jewelry.

Spanish Colonization & The Taíno (Columbus & The Indians Reading) Category Name

100

What is the difference between the words Arawak and Taíno?

 An indigenous language group in the Caribbean. The Taino who spoke Arawak and were a part of this larger group and the first people Columbus encountered. 

200

What was the impossible task given to the Taíno?

A term describing the forced labor of the Taíno to collect gold under brutal conditions, often impossible to fulfill.

300

Who was Bartolomé de Las Casas and what did he do?

A priest who criticized the mistreatment of Indigenous people and called for an end to the encomienda system through the book he wrote called The Destruction of the Indies.

400

How did Columbus initially describe the Taíno in his journal after initially meeting them?

He described them as gentle, kind, welcoming, but also noted that they could be easily enslaved and conquered. 

500

Describe the punishments and effects the impossible task has on the Taíno people. Provide at least 4 examples. 

1. Torture for not producing enough gold (cutting off limbs, murder, killing of babies)

2. Drove some to commit suicide

3. Some Taíno killed their own children rather than subject them to the brutality of the Spanish

4. The violence depleted the Taino population significantly 

Miscellaneous

100

Why did Columbus sail back to Spain after his first voyage and what did he promise the King and Queen of Spain? 

To ask for more money and ships and he promised to return with gold and slaves. 

200

What does the word diaspora mean?

Diaspora refers to the dispersion or scattering of a group of people from their original homeland to different parts of the world, often due to migration, persecution, conflict, economic factors, or other reasons. It can also describe the communities that these dispersed groups form in their new locations.

300

What three things would Columbus get if he returned to Spain with gold and spices? 

The title of admiral of the sea, governorship of any claimed lands, 10% of all wealth/profits

400

Which groups of people tried to find loopholes or make the casta system work to their advantage? How so?

1. Mestizos (Mixed Spanish and Indigenous Ancestry)

• Claiming Whiteness: Mestizos with lighter skin often passed as Spanish or sought to "whiten" their family lines through strategic marriages with Spaniards, improving their status.

• Leveraging Skills or Wealth: Successful mestizos who acquired wealth or education could petition colonial authorities to be reclassified as "Spanish" or purchase official documentation (known as cédulas de gracias al sacar) to change their racial classification.

2. Indigenous Peoples

• Exploiting Legal Protections: Indigenous groups often retained certain privileges under Spanish law, such as the right to self-govern in local communities
• . Some mestizos or castas falsely claimed Indigenous ancestry to benefit from these protections.
• Using Legal Loopholes: Indigenous elites (like caciques or local leaders) could manipulate the system to maintain power, claiming higher status within their communities and acting as intermediaries with colonial authorities.

3. Free People of African Descent

• Acquiring Freedom and Property: Some free people of African descent gained social mobility by purchasing their freedom, acquiring property, or becoming skilled artisans. Success in these fields allowed them to improve their status.

• Claiming Mixed Ancestry: By emphasizing European or Indigenous ancestry, free Afro-descendants could reduce the stigma of African heritage and move into higher casta categories, sometimes by obtaining official reclassification.

500

Who conquered the Aztec Empire? What factors led to its fall?

1. Hernan Cortes. 

2. Violence, disease, the siege of Tenochtitlán some indigenous groups allied with the Spanish against the Aztecs.