New Spain
Makenzie Lynd
February 10, 2014
HIST 17A
Jackman
The Colonies of New Spain
In the decades after 1519, the Spaniards created the distinctive colonial society of New Spain. Through this paper I will discuss the features of this new society, how it benefitted the Spanish, and its toll on the native populations using evidence and facts found in out textbook, The American Promise: A Concise History and an article from the Economist Newspaper titled, Americas:1519: The Conquest. It started in the sixteenth century when the New World helped Spain become the most powerful monarchy in both Europe and the Americas. Then there was the conquest of Mexico that ended greatly for the powerful Spain but not so much the native people of Mexico. This New Spain showed other Europeans how the New World could be made to serve the purposes of the Old.
It began in 1519 with Hernan Cortes’s march into Mexico and by 1545 Spanish conquests extended from northern Mexico to southern Chili. Cortes way of living off the land after entering Montezuma was establishing peaceful relations with the native people when he could and killing them when he thought necessary. Throughout this New World riches filled Spanish treasure chests while the native population was forced into labor and if Cortes did not kill them deadly epidemics did.
New Spain had a system of governing used during the Reconquest1 called encomienda2. This system allowed the Spanish encomendero, or “owner” of a town, to collect tribute from the town in return for providing law and order and encouraging “his” Indians to convert to Christianity. This system began after the Spanish monarchy gave the conquistadors permission to explore and plunder what they found. After the crown took one-fifth of any loot confiscated they allowed the conquerors to divide the rest. Giving out this subdued land was also a way for Cortes to compensate his disappointed, battle-hardened soldiers. The Spanish got this idea of Encomienda thanks to the
February 10, 2014
HIST 17A
Jackman
The Colonies of New Spain
In the decades after 1519, the Spaniards created the distinctive colonial society of New Spain. Through this paper I will discuss the features of this new society, how it benefitted the Spanish, and its toll on the native populations using evidence and facts found in out textbook, The American Promise: A Concise History and an article from the Economist Newspaper titled, Americas:1519: The Conquest. It started in the sixteenth century when the New World helped Spain become the most powerful monarchy in both Europe and the Americas. Then there was the conquest of Mexico that ended greatly for the powerful Spain but not so much the native people of Mexico. This New Spain showed other Europeans how the New World could be made to serve the purposes of the Old.
It began in 1519 with Hernan Cortes’s march into Mexico and by 1545 Spanish conquests extended from northern Mexico to southern Chili. Cortes way of living off the land after entering Montezuma was establishing peaceful relations with the native people when he could and killing them when he thought necessary. Throughout this New World riches filled Spanish treasure chests while the native population was forced into labor and if Cortes did not kill them deadly epidemics did.
New Spain had a system of governing used during the Reconquest1 called encomienda2. This system allowed the Spanish encomendero, or “owner” of a town, to collect tribute from the town in return for providing law and order and encouraging “his” Indians to convert to Christianity. This system began after the Spanish monarchy gave the conquistadors permission to explore and plunder what they found. After the crown took one-fifth of any loot confiscated they allowed the conquerors to divide the rest. Giving out this subdued land was also a way for Cortes to compensate his disappointed, battle-hardened soldiers. The Spanish got this idea of Encomienda thanks to the
Bibliography: -Anonymous. "Americas: 1519: The Conquest." The Economist 31 Dec. 1999: n. pag. Print. -Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartmann. The American Promise: A Concise History. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2014. Print.