Christopher Columbus
Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. He spent most of his life working on French privateer ships, and studying mathematics and navigation. In the late 15th century, the land route between Europe and their Asian trade partners was long and dangerous, and took too much time to complete. European explorers in this time took interest in finding alternate routes to the Far East. Portuguese navigators had already established a trade route that sailed around the coast of Africa, but Columbus suggested a different approach. Columbus theorized that by sailing west across the Atlantic, you would sooner reach the Asian coastline than by sailing around an entire continent. However, Columbus had severely underestimated the circumference of the Earth, and was actually setting sail for what we now know as the Americas. When the explorer proposed his plans to England and Portugal, he was denied. It wasn't until 1491 that Ferdinand and Isabella accepted his offer. The two monarchs wanted fame and fortune, and a new opportunity to spread Catholicism to new lands. In exchange for funding his voyage, Columbus was promised 10 percent of the riches he found, along with the title of noble and the right to govern whoever he discovered. On August 3rd, 1492, Columbus and his three ships set sail for the West Indies. After two months of harsh weather and living conditions, the voyagers made landfall. Columbus assumed they had landed at their Asian destination, but were actually in the Bahamas. The exploration of the "New World" had begun.
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus |
Spanish Explorers in America
After Christopher Columbus reported his findings to Spain in the late 15th Century, other explorers were intrigued with the idea of this "New World". Spanish noble and explorer Juan Ponce de León was among the few to accompany Columbus on his second trip to the Americas. While in Puerto Rico, he heard tales about an Island known as Bimini, which was home to a mystical spring whose water would rejuvenate those who drank from it. In search of this "fountain of youth", Ponce de León set sail once again in 1513. Though Thinking he had landed at another Caribbean island, Ponce de León had actually hit the coastal mainland of North America. He named the site "Florida" because of its lush land and vegetation. Later, in 1521, Ponce de León was wounded by an arrow during a Native American ambush, and was sailed to Havana, Cuba, where he died. It wouldn't be until the 1540's that Portuguese explorer and conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo would continue the exploration of the northern mainland. After assisting in the colonization of Cuba in 1502, Cabrillo made a fortune mining gold in Guatemala throughout the 1530's. In June 1542, Cabrillo sailed out of Navidad with his two ships, the La Victoria and the San Miguel. After a short journey of just four days, the expedition landed at a port which he named after his ship, "San Miguel". This important settlement later became known as "San Diego Bay". Cabrillo continued his expedition as far north as the Russian River before setting sail back to Mexico. Cabrillo died in 1543 during an attack launched by native Tongva warriors.
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/juan-ponce-de-leon |
Hernando Cortes and the Aztec Empire
The bloody battle between Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes and the native Aztec Kingdom in modern day Mexico signified one of the most notable periods in Spanish colonization. Throughout the 13th through 16th centuries, the Aztecs had constructed a massive empire that encompassed most of Mexico. Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes was given the title of governor for the region, and planned to Christianize or neutralize the entire population. When the Spanish arrived on the Yucatan peninsula in 1519, they were shocked at how advanced and sophisticated the empire had become compared to the other natives in North America. Many of the Aztecs, however, were at first nonviolent towards the invaders. It is thought that the Aztecs believed the white Europeans were incarnations of their pale-faced deity Quetzalcoatl, who's described appearance was remarkably similar to that of the Spaniards. The Spanish still viewed the Aztecs as inferior, and intended to forcibly convert the Kingdom, led by Aztec ruler Montezuma II. The Aztecs could not understand the Spanish language, and could not comply to the conversion process. The Spaniards viewed this as an act of defiance, and tortured, enslaved, and killed hundreds of thousands of Aztecs. After founding the colony of New Spain in the year 1519, Cortes entered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. This lead to years of warfare between the invaders and the defenders that would lead to the fall of the entire empire. In July 1520, the Aztecs, with their superior numbers, drove the Spaniards out of the capital, killing many of their men in the process. Cortes survived, and launched the final attacks on Tenochtitlan later in the year. Emperor Montezuma II was killed during this time, leading to the fall of the capital in 1521. The remains of the empire were wiped out by disease, bringing about the end of a once powerful people.
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Americas/Cortes.CP.html |
Encomienda and Forced Conversion
To assist in their conquests, Spanish conquistadors adopted the Encomienda system. Encomienda exchanged labor and product for protection and education. The Spanish Crown assigned each conquistador a group of Native Americans to rule over. After the natives paid a small fee, the conquistador would then assume complete control over the native, making them a vassal of the Spanish Empire. The conquistadors were expected to protect the natives from rival tribes and pirates, and educate them on Spanish religion, language, and culture. In exchange, the conquistador had total control over the natives: they had to work for him, and give him all of their earnings and produce. While the initial purpose of Encomienda was to peacefully convert and annex the natives, it was constantly abused and quickly became an instrument for slavery, torture, and religious persecution. The majority of natives couldn't understand the Spanish language, and couldn't follow their orders. The Spanish, in an attempt to forcefully convert them, implemented crude and bloody methods to torture and kill the confused natives. They hung them over burning fires, impaled them in deep spike pits, fed them to dogs, and bludgeoned babies and infants to death. These acts led to hundreds of years of anti-European sentiment and one of the most gruesome time periods in world history.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/imperial-rivalries/timeline-terms/encomienda-system-established |