Spanish Conquest of the

Americas

Why the Spanish?

• Skilled ship builders

• Skilled sailors and explorers

• Advances in navigation technologies

a)Caravel Ships

b)Compass

c)Astrolabes

• Government of Spain willing to invest a lot of $

• Treaty of Tordesillas

What did the Spanish want in

the Americas? • Gold (riches to take back to Spain)

• Glory (stories of mighty conquest to prove

Spanish superiority)

• God (Convert the “uncivilized” people to

Christianity)

How did the Europeans

(including the Spanish)

Conquer the people of the

Americas?

Guns

Germs

Steel

Aztecs and Incas

• The Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of

South America were two native groups

the Spanish encountered.

• Both groups were rich in gold

• Spanish soldiers were known as

conquistadors meaning conquerors.

Treaty of Tordesillas 1494

Boundaries Details

• Declared by the leader of

the Catholic Church

Pope Alexander VI

• Spain and Portugal

• Spain control west of line

• Portugal control east of

line

Spanish Conquistadors

Hernan Cortes

• Conquered the Aztec

Empire in Modern Day

Mexico

• Destroyed the civilization

of the Aztecs in search

for Gold and other natural

resources

• Set up Spanish colony

Spanish Conquistadors

Francisco Pizarro

• In 1532 conquered the

Inca Empire in Modern

Day Peru

• Destroyed the civilization

and set up a Spanish

colony

• In search of Gold and

natural resources

Christopher Columbus

• Looking for a trade

route to Asia

• Lands in the New

World (island of

Hispaniola) in 1492

• Returns for 3 more

trips to the New World

• Basically steals from,

enslaves, and kills

Native people

Spanish Conquistadors

Ponce de Leon Hernando de Soto

Ponce de Leon

• Ponce de Leon had sailed with Columbus

on his second voyage.

• He explored and conquered Puerto Rico

and became its governor.

• He later sailed to North America landing in

present day Florida searching for the

Fountain of Youth.

• He was the first Spaniard to set foot in

what is today the United States.

New Explorations

• After Columbus, Balboa, and Magellan

others from Spain went on to explore the

Americas.

• Driven by their desire for gold and other

riches, they pushed deep into North and

South America.

• This was new land to the Spanish but it

was home to people already living there.

Spanish Conquistadors

Explorer Date Area Explored

*Ponce de Leon 1513 Puerto Rico and

Florida

Hernado Cortes 1519-1536 Mexico and

California

Fancisco

Pizarro

1531-1535 West Coast of

South America

*Hernando de

Soto

1539-1542 Southeast North

America

Coronado 1540-1542 Southwest

North America

Hernando de Soto

• Hernando de Soto traveled with an army

of 600 soldiers.

• The group marched north from Florida to

the Tennessee River Valley searching for

gold.

• In present day Tennessee, they killed or

captured Cherokee Indians and burned

their villages.

Hernando de Soto

• De Soto encountered many other Indian tribes during his expedition.

• He encountered the Mound Builders killing between 2,500 to 11,000.

• After this battle, De Soto’s men were in poor condition. Many died others deserted.

• The remaining soldiers marched to the Mississippi River. They were the first Europeans to see the great river.

Hernando de Soto

• In 1542, De Soto died of fever.

• His men buried him in the Mississippi

River to hide his death from the Indians.

• Though he found no gold, Hernando de

Soto claimed the land he explored for

Spain.

• The remaining men returned to Mexico.