Ancient CivilizationsColonization & Independence

History of Latin America

Mayan CivilizationAztec CivilizationIncan Civilization

All were highly organized and extremely effective at ruling over vast areas of land & people

Each religion was Polytheistic & all had a similar creation story

Practiced Astronomy, developed a 365 day solar calendar

Technology allowed for people to be well fed & there was an extremely divided system of labor

Trade was based on goods rather than currency

3 Major Tribes

Mayan civilization fell apart due to drought, war & conquest by the Aztecs

Aztec (Montezuma II) were conquered & killed by Fernando Cortez in 1521Cortez became the viceroy of New Spain, particularly

MexicoInca (Atahualpa) were conquered and killed by

Francisco Pizzaro in 1533The ancient civilizations were massacred by war,

forced labor & disease at the hands of the SpanishReligious temples were torn down & replaced by

Churches

Colonization by the Spanish

The Influence of the Colonial Catholic Church

Guadalajara Cathedral

Our Lady of Guadalupe Spanish

Mission

The Catholic Church has since been extremely influential in most of Central & South America.

In the 1500’s Spain were in competition for land & wealth by colonization with the Portuguese (monopoly)

Columbus’s discovery motivated the European monarchs to expand their wealth through colonization & trade

The new world had:LandLabor Cost to

Spain $0.00Gold & silverExotic food & spices

Motives for Colonization

The “Columbian Exchange” Squash Avocado Peppers Sweet

Potatoes Turkey Pumpkin Tobacco Quinine Cocoa

Pineapple Cassava POTATO

Peanut TOMATO Vanilla MAIZE Syphilis

Olive COFFEE BEAN Banana Rice Onion Turnip Honeybee Barley Grape Peach SUGAR

CANE Oats

Citrus Fruits Pear Wheat HORSE Cattle Sheep Pigs

Smallpox Flu Typhus Measles Malaria Diptheria Whooping

Cough

Trinkets Liquor GUNS

The Colonial Class SystemPeninsular

es Criollos

Mestizos

Mulattos

Native Indians Black Slaves

PROBLEMS IN THE SPANISH EMPIREPolitical Disempowerment:

Spanish colonies were run by the Council of the Indies, a group appointed by the King that met in Spain and sent its directives (policies) across the Atlantic. Those directives were carried out by the viceroys, officials appointed by Spain to govern the colonies.

Economic Disempowerment:Spain had the first right to colonial goods and resources. Excluding all competitors, economic policy was set for Spain’s maximum benefit.

European Empires in the Americas

Viceroys would often times “bend” the kings policies to benefit themselves and the other Iberian Peninsulares.

The Native populations including the Mestizos, Mulattos & Africans far outnumbered the Spanish or Portuguese.

The Enlightenment

The French Revolution

The American Revolution

The Napoleonic Wars & Law Code

The End of the Colonies