Lesson 1
Why did the Europeans want to go to the Indies?
The Indies were rich in gold, spices, and other goods. The Europeans wanted these riches.
Cortes left Cuba for Mexico to gain Aztec wealth. Then, Cortes gains ________ on his way to Tenochtitlan. __________ allows Cortes to stay there.
Allies
Moctezuma
What was Vasquez de Coronado searching for? Was he successful?
Explored the American Southwest in search of Cibola, a legendary city.
How long did it take Columbus to get across the Atlantic ocean?
Two months and nine days
Next, the Aztecs rise up and throw Cortes and the other Spanish settlers out of their city. Then, Moctezuma is killed, perhaps by ____________. However, then the Aztec Empire falls to the _____________.
his own people
the conquistadors
What were the 3 levels of society in New Spain?
Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos
Where do historians believe Columbus landed first? What were the villagers called here? What did he call the villagers here?
Bahama Islands (Southeast of Florida)
The Taino people lived there
He called them "Indians" because he thought he had reached the Indies
Then, the Spanish settlers _______ the town of Tenochtitlan. In its place, they establish the colony of ____ ______.
destroy
New Spain
What is an encomienda? What evil thing happened on certain encomiendas?
Large piece of land, usually given to people by the King of Spain. They could rule whoever lived on this piece of land. They forced slavery on Indians (the Native Taino people)
Where did Christopher Columbus go after the Bahamas, and why?
The Spanish wanted to find riches and start a colony that would bring profits (money).
How did Colonists in New Spain hope to gain wealth?
Through farms, businesses, and gold and silver mines.
What was the name of the Catholic priest who did not support slavery?
Bartolome Las Casas
How did the Columbian Exchange change the lives of the people involved (The Taino and the Europeans from Spain)?
Both hemispheres (halves of the world) got to experience new foods and animals. The Taino were exposed to germs, and their bodies could not fight that. Many people died. The settlers forced the Taino to give up their beliefs and become Christian.
Who came to New Spain to convert the native peoples?
Catholic Priests
Even though Bartolome Las Casas tried to end slavery, it did not end in New Spain. It grew. Explain.
The Spanish brought enslaved Africans to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. They replaced one group of slaves (Natives) with another group of slaves (the Africans).