Latin American Colonialism
Colonialism from the conquests shaped global trade and aspects of the modern world in many different ways. When Spaniards invaded the lands of the Aztec and Inca, they destroyed their whole way of life. After the fall of these empires, the conquistadors took over the people and forced them into slavery. Spain and Portugal expanded their power through global trade by using the resources of Latin America. This essay will explain the aspects of colonialism, the rise of global trade, and its affects on the modern world.
When the Europeans arrived in 1519, they took Latin America by a storm. Once of the Europeans, Cortes found allies to take over the Aztec empire. Leading with the city if Tenochtitlan, Cortes takes over each Aztec city, to ultimately …show more content…
Global trade had many positive and negative effects on the Americas. Some positive aspects were the establishment of the Columbian exchange. The Colombian exchange consisted of shipping products from the Americas, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and coffee to Africa for the exchange of sugar, citrus, and bananas. But unfortunately along with the useful products came diseases, such as smallpox and yellow fever. These epidemics caused a lot of the population in the Americas to die off. Even though global trade created a lot of wealth for Spain and Portugal, it also created a lot of poverty and inequality in the Americas. Africans were imported to Latin America to be forced as slaves and grow sugar, and the Indians of the land also had no choice but to mine …show more content…
Africans were forced to work on plantations with little or no respect. They had no choice but to work all day in the scorching hot sun. Even though slavery is very unfair, it was nothing compared to the conditions that the Indians worked in at the silver mines. The Indians were forced to climb down into the dark mines with little light and work all day. Down in the mines, the Indians inhaled the human poison mercury, which eventually sickened and killed them. After the significant number of deaths, Spain only put a ventilation shaft in a silver mine. But silver was more important to Spain than Indian lives. This kind of forced labor and grueling conditions led to many imperfections that we experience in modern society
When the Europeans arrived in 1519, they took Latin America by a storm. Once of the Europeans, Cortes found allies to take over the Aztec empire. Leading with the city if Tenochtitlan, Cortes takes over each Aztec city, to ultimately …show more content…
Global trade had many positive and negative effects on the Americas. Some positive aspects were the establishment of the Columbian exchange. The Colombian exchange consisted of shipping products from the Americas, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and coffee to Africa for the exchange of sugar, citrus, and bananas. But unfortunately along with the useful products came diseases, such as smallpox and yellow fever. These epidemics caused a lot of the population in the Americas to die off. Even though global trade created a lot of wealth for Spain and Portugal, it also created a lot of poverty and inequality in the Americas. Africans were imported to Latin America to be forced as slaves and grow sugar, and the Indians of the land also had no choice but to mine …show more content…
Africans were forced to work on plantations with little or no respect. They had no choice but to work all day in the scorching hot sun. Even though slavery is very unfair, it was nothing compared to the conditions that the Indians worked in at the silver mines. The Indians were forced to climb down into the dark mines with little light and work all day. Down in the mines, the Indians inhaled the human poison mercury, which eventually sickened and killed them. After the significant number of deaths, Spain only put a ventilation shaft in a silver mine. But silver was more important to Spain than Indian lives. This kind of forced labor and grueling conditions led to many imperfections that we experience in modern society