Conquerors and Conquests
Who was the conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Who was the first Spanish explorer to land in Florida?
Juan Ponce de León
What were the three main types of Spanish settlements?
Pueblos, missions, and presidios
What did Bartolomé de Las Casas advocate for?
Better treatment of Native Americans. He advocated for laws to protect them from enslavement and abuse.
What is a conquistador?
A Spanish explorer or conqueror.
What advantages did the Spanish have over the Aztec and Inca empires?
Better weapons (guns, cannons), horses, and diseases to which the native populations had no immunity.
What was Juan Ponce de León searching for?
The Fountain of Youth
What was the purpose of a mission?
To convert Native Americans to Christianity and establish agricultural communities.
What was the plantation system, and how did it function?
A system of large farms that grew crops like tobacco and sugarcane for export to Spain.
What does immunity mean?
The ability of the body to fight off diseases.
Besides gold, what other motivations drove the conquistadors?
Stories of gold and riches, land, power, and the desire to spread Christianity.
What was the significance of the Spanish fort at St. Augustine?
It was the first Spanish settlement in what is now the United States.
What was the first Spanish city in the southwest?
Santa Fe
What crops were commonly grown on plantations?
Tobacco and sugarcane
What is a pueblo?
A town in Spanish-ruled lands, often a center of trade.
Describe the impact of the Spanish conquest on Native American cultures.
Native American cultures were changed forever. Many died from disease and warfare, their traditions were disrupted, and they were often forced to work for the Spanish.
What did Cabeza de Vaca and Estevanico do to survive?
They pretended to have healing powers.
What role did Juan de Oñate play in the settlement of New Mexico?
He founded New Mexico and introduced cattle and horses to the Pueblo people.
How were Native Americans initially used in the plantation system, and what later developed?
Native Americans were initially forced to work on plantations. Later, enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas to fill this labor need.
What is a presidio?
A Spanish fort.
Explain the significance of the conquests of Mexico and Peru for Spain.
The conquests of Mexico and Peru brought immense wealth to Spain, establishing it as a major European power and marking the beginning of a long period of Spanish colonization in the Americas.
This explorer led an expedition through the Southeast, crossing the Mississippi River and searching for gold, only to die and be buried in its waters. His men's reports, even without finding gold, still expanded Spanish knowledge of the region. Who was he, and what effect did his failed quest have on Spanish understanding of the area?
Hernando de Soto. His failed quest, while not yielding gold, still expanded Spanish knowledge of the region by mapping out the Southeast, noting the resources, and encountering various Native American groups.
This type of Spanish settlement was designed to spread Christianity and teach Native Americans new farming skills. They often became thriving centers of agriculture and trade, like the ones established in California. What were these settlements called, and how did they change the lives of the Native Americans who lived nearby?
Missions. They changed the lives of Native Americans by introducing them to new farming techniques, European livestock, and the Christian religion. Often, this came at the cost of traditional ways of life and, in some cases, forced labor.
Describe the effects of Spanish rule on Native American life and traditions.
Spanish rule disrupted Native American traditions, forced conversions to Christianity, and often exploited Native American labor.
What is the significance of the term "Seven Cities of Cíbola"?
Legendary cities of gold that spurred Spanish exploration in the Southwest, though they never actually existed.