Spanish Americans During The 16th And 18th Centuries

During the 16th and 18th centuries America became the land to settle for better opportunities. A lot of powerful European countries came to settle in order to expand their territories for economic gain. While the people of those countries were trying to find an easier way of life. These choices were mainly provoked by their motivations and problems in their country such as, seeking religious freedom, economic profits or a gateway from rulers' tyranny. Spanish explorers first came to the Americas in 1492, but did not settle until 1493. When Christopher Columbus first settled, the original plan was to extract the silver and gold to make Spain a wealthy country. But as the explorers stayed longer, they realized there was more they could do to be the strongest. Spain
This territory is now considered Spanish America. In this newly founded colony, many Native Americans and minerals were exploited. The Encomienda System was a significant legal system used by the Spanish Colonists to force indigenous people into laboring work. The Natives were faced with many harsh and abusive conditions from the mines, fields and construction they had to work in. During this colonialism, Natives were also forced to

leave their religious practices and convert to Christianity in order to change their way of life. If they refused, they'd be punished, killed or their villages would be burned down. These mistreatments were a leading cause of their population dropping drastically. In August of 1680, the Pueblo tribe located in northern New Mexico, fought against the Spanish colonists because they were tired of the overworking labor they had to do and the Spanish taking away their faith. This was called Pueblo's Revolt, led by Popé. He led approximately 2,000 Native American men to revolt with their own bow and arrow. The Pueblo tribe were able to successfully kill the Spanish people who lived in isolated farms, cut the