Table of Contents
How were Spanish colonies organized?
The first Spanish settlers organized the encomienda system by which Spaniards were given title to American land and ownership of the villages on that land. The encomienda system was officially abolished in 1717, but it continued in outlying regions until Mexico achieved independence in the 1820s.
How did the Spanish colonies develop?
Spain grew rich from the gold and silver it found after conquering native civilizations in Mexico and South America. However, conflict with Indians and the failure to find major silver or gold deposits made it difficult to persuade settlers to colonize there.
Why did Spain develop colonies in the New World?
The main motivations for colonial expansion were profit through resource extraction and the spread of Catholicism through indigenous conversions.
How was life in Spanish colonies?
Daily life was a complex combination of compliance and rebellion, order and disorder, affluence and poverty. On the one hand, Spaniards relied on Native Americans for labor, tribute, and assistance in governing the many Native American towns.
What was Spain’s main goal in the New World apex?
What was Spain’s main goal in the New World? To obtain wealth.
What was the culture of the Spanish colonies?
Colonial Culture. Though influenced by Spanish traditions from the Iberian peninsula, the culture that emerged in the colonial New World was a mixture of European, African, and local Native customs.
What was the size of the Spanish Empire?
Perhaps the greatest empire that the world has ever known, the Spanish Empire controlled, influenced, or claimed nearly half of the world in the 16th-18th centuries. Spanish dominance reached all five of the then-known continents.
What kind of culture did Latinized America have?
“Latinized” America was a diverse, capable, and often complex society. While it sought to duplicate the Spanish lifeways of the Old World, it created its own unique traditions, identities, and cuisines.
How did Spain become the Master of the world?
Spanish dominance reached all five of the then-known continents. Spain’s rapid growth from a group of small weak kingdoms fighting Islamic incursion and each other to become, though challenged, the near master of the world, is a phenomenal story.