SECTION

3 Spain Builds an
TEKS 1A, 2A Empire
What You Will Learn… If YOU were there...
Main Ideas You are an Aztec warrior living in central Mexico in the 1500s. You
1. Spanish conquistadors con- are proud to serve your ruler, Moctezuma II. One day several hun-
quered the Aztec and Inca
empires. dred foreigners arrive on your shores. They are pale, bearded men,
2. Spanish explorers traveled and they have strange animals and equipment.
through the borderlands of
New Spain, claiming more From where do you think these strangers have come?
land.
3. Spanish settlers treated
Native Americans harshly,
forcing them to work on
plantations and in mines.
Building Background Spain sent many expeditions to the
Americas. Like explorers from other countries, Spanish explorers
The Big Idea claimed the land they found for their country. Much of this land was
Spain established a large already filled with Native American communities, however.
empire in the Americas.

Key Terms and People Spanish Conquistadors

conquistadors, p. 46 The Spanish sent conquistadors (kahn-kees-tuh-dawrs), soldiers
Hernán Cortés, p. 46 who led military expeditions in the Americas. Conquistador Hernán
Moctezuma II, p. 46 Cortés left Cuba to sail to present-day Mexico in 1519. Cortés
Francisco Pizarro, p. 47
had heard of a wealthy land to the west ruled by a king named
encomienda system, p. 50
Moctezuma II (mawk-tay-soo-mah).
plantations, p. 50
Bartolomé de Las Casas, p. 51
Conquest of the Aztec Empire
Moctezuma ruled the Aztec Empire, which was at the height of its
power in the early 1500s. Moctezuma’s capital, Tenochtitlán, was
built in the middle of Lake Texcoco, near the present-day site of
Use the graphic organizer online Mexico City. Tenochtitlán was a large city with temples, a palace,
to take notes on Spanish conquest
and settlement in the Americas. and buildings that were built on an island in the middle of the lake.
The buildings and riches of the city impressed the Spaniards. They
saw the Aztec Empire as a good source of gold and silver. They also
wanted to convert the Aztec to Christianity.
The Aztec had thousands of warriors. In contrast, Cortés had
only 508 soldiers, about 100 sailors, 16 horses, and some guns.
Cortés hoped that his superior weapons would bring him victo-
ry. Cortés also sought help from enemies of the Aztec. An Indian
woman named Malintzin (mah-lint-suhn) helped Cortés win
allies.

46 Chapter 2
 At first Moctezuma believed Cortés to be allies killed thousands of Inca and Aztec and
a god and welcomed him. Cortés then took looted their settlements. Moreover, possibly
Moctezuma prisoner and seized control of more than three-quarters of the Aztec and
Tenochtitlán. Eventually, Tenochtitlán was Inca populations were killed by the diseases
destroyed and Moctezuma was killed. Small- the Europeans brought.
pox and other diseases brought by the Span-
ish quickened the fall of the Aztec Empire. Spanish Settlements
The Spanish began to settle their vast empire,
Conquest of the Inca Empire which they called New Spain. Spain’s gov-
Another conquistador, Francisco Pizarro ernment wanted to control migration to the
(puh-zahr-oh), heard rumors of the Inca cit- Americas. Most of the emigrants were Span-
ies in the Andes of South America. The Inca ish, though a few non-Spanish subjects of the
ruled a large territory that stretched along king also migrated. Jews, Muslims, and non-
the Pacific coast from present-day Chile to Christians were forbidden to settle in New
northern Ecuador. Spain. At first, most emigrants were men.
Pizarro had fewer than 400 men in his The government then encouraged families to
army. But the Inca, like the Aztec, had no migrate. Eventually, women comprised one-
weapons to match the conquistadors’ swords quarter of the total emigration from Spain.
and guns. Though outnumbered, Pizarro’s Spain ruled its large American empire
troops captured the great Inca capital at Cuzco through a system of royal officials. At the
in present-day Peru and killed the Inca leaders. top was the Council of the Indies, formed
By 1534 Pizarro and his Native American allies in 1524 to govern the Americas from Spain.
had conquered the entire Inca Empire. The Council appointed two viceroys, or royal
In only a few years, the Spanish had governors. The Viceroyalty of Peru governed
conquered two great American empires. most of South America. The Viceroyalty of
During the conquest, the Spanish and their New Spain governed all Spanish territories in

linking TO Today
Armored Warfare
The armor of the Spanish
conquistadors helped them
defeat the Aztec and Inca.
Spanish soldiers and their
horses wore armor made of
steel. The steel protected
the soldiers from enemy
weapons but was heavy
and hard to wear. Armored
weapons of today’s soldiers
include tanks and other
large vehicles. Inside these
vehicles, soldiers are safer ANALYSIS
from enemy gunfire. skill Analyzing Information
1. Why did armor need to be heavy?
2. Why do modern armies still use armor?

New Empires in the Americas 47

 Central America, Mexico, and the southern Exploring the Borderlands
part of what is now the United States.
The Spanish established three kinds of
of New Spain
settlements in New Spain. Pueblos served as Spain’s American empire was not limited to
trading posts and sometimes as centers of gov- lands taken from the conquered Aztec and
ernment. Priests started missions where they Inca empires. Many other Spanish explorers
converted local Native Americans to Catholi- came to North America. They explored the
cism. The Spanish also built presidios, or mili- borderlands of New Spain and claimed many
tary bases, to protect towns and missions. new lands for the Spanish crown.
To connect some of the scattered com-
munities of New Spain, Spanish settlers built Exploring the Southeast
El Camino Real, or “the Royal Road.” This In 1508 explorer Juan Ponce de León landed
network of roads ran for hundreds of miles, on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. By
from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The roads later 1511 he had conquered the island for Spain
stretched to settlements in California. and founded the city of San Juan. De León also
discovered gold on Puerto Rico. Spanish offi-
Reading Check Analyzing How did the Span- cials appointed him governor of the colony.
ish conquer the great Aztec and Inca empires? In 1512 Ponce de León discovered the
coast of present-day Florida. The next year
he searched Florida for a mythical Fountain
of Youth. Though he never found the fabled
Reasons for Spanish fountain, Ponce de León acquired royal per-
mission to colonize Florida. However, he
Victory
failed to colonize the area.
Several advantages helped the Spanish defeat Two decades later another explorer trav-
the Aztec and Inca. eled through Florida. Royal officials gave
Hernando de Soto permission to explore the
Causes of the Aztec and Inca Defeat coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1539
his expedition landed in an area near the
• Spanish steel armor and weapons present-day city of Tampa Bay, Florida.
• Spanish horses De Soto then led his men north through
• European diseases what is now Georgia and the Carolinas. The
• Spanish alliances with Aztec and expedition then turned west and crossed the
Inca enemies Appalachian Mountains. De Soto discovered
the Mississippi River in 1541. The explorers
then traveled west into present-day Oklahoma.
Effects
De Soto died in 1542 on this journey.
• Reduced Native American population
• Spanish rule of the Americas Exploring the Southwest
• Columbian Exchange The Spanish also explored what is now the
southwestern United States. In 1528 explorer
ANALYSIS Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca joined conquis-
skill Analyzing Information tador Pánfilo de Narváez on an expedition
Which cause do you think was most important to North America. Their group of 300 men
to the Spanish victory? first landed on the Florida coast. They faced
many severe problems, including a shortage
of food.

48 Chapter 2
 Pizarro, 1531
de Soto, 1539–1542
Coronado, 1540–1542
Aztec Empire
The group built boats, which made it pos-
Inca Empire Spanish Explorations, 1513–1542
sible for them to travel0 around 1,000 the Florida 2,000 Miles
NORTH

s i p pi R.
panhandle. The explorers 0 continued
1,000 along
2,000 Kilometers AMERICA 40°N
N
the Gulf Coast and eventually reached the

is
W E

Miss
Mississippi River. Severe weather hit this group Ri St. Augustine
30°N o S 30°N
hard, and many members of the expedition Gr
an
de
Gulf of Bahama
Mexico Islands Tropic of Cancer
died. Cabeza de Vaca’s boat shipwrecked
Cuba
20°N 20°N
on what is now Galveston Island in Texas. Mexico City Puerto Rico
Hispaniola
(Tenochtitlán) ATLANTIC
Only four men survived: Cabeza de Vaca, a Caribbean Sea
MESOAMERICA OCEAN
­Moroccan-born slave named Estevanico, his 10°N
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Spanish slaveholder, and one other sailor. was the first European
Each of the four survivors was captured to see the Pacific Ocean on r
Equator
A m az Rive
and enslaved by Native American groups liv- when he and his men
crossed Panama in 1513. SOUTH
ing in the area. After six years of captivity,
Lima Cuzco AMERICA
the men finally escaped. They journeyed on PACIFIC
OCEAN
foot throughout the North American South- 20°S
west, receiving help from Native Americans
they met along the way. In 1536, after turn- Ponce de León, 1513 HRW National
ah07bs_c02leg011a 30°S
ing south, the group reached Spanish settle- Cortés, 1519
Magellan, 1519–1522 Spanish Exploration, 1513–1542
ments in Mexico. Final 1/28/05
Cabeza de Vaca and
Soon after their journey ended, Estevani- Estevanico, 1528–1536 40°S

co’s slaveholder sold him to a Spanish vice- Pizarro, 1531

de Soto, 1539–1542
roy. The viceroy assigned Estevanico to serve
Coronado, 1540–1542 50°S
as a guide for a new expedition he was send- Aztec Empire
120°W 110°W
ing into the Southwest. Native Americans Inca Empire
killed the enslaved African in 1539. 0 1,000 90°W
2,000 Miles 80°W 70°W 60°W 50°W 40°W
60°S
De Vaca eventually returned to Spain, 0 1,000 2,000 Kilometers

where he called for better treatment of Native

geography
Americans. De Vaca later wrote about his
skills INTERPRETING MAPS
experiences in the first European book exclu-
1. Movement Which explorer went the farthest north,
sively devoted to North America. De Vaca’s according to the map?
book increased Spanish interest in the New 2. Location What city did Cortés reach in 1519?
World. His writings fueled the rumors that
riches could be found in North America.
to explore the North Ameri-
“For two thousand leagues did we travel, on can Southwest. He wanted to
land, and by sea in barges, besides ten months
find the legendary Seven Cit-
more after our rescue from captivity; untiringly
did we walk across the land, . . . During all that ies of Gold that were rumored
time we crossed from one ocean to the other, . . . to exist there. His expedition ah07b
We heard that on the shores of the South there went through present-day New Spanish Explora
are pearls and great wealth, and that the richest Mexico and Arizona, where a
and best is near there. ” group of his men discovered
ah07
–Cabeza de Vaca, The Journey of Álvar the Grand Canyon. Coronado
Núñez Cabeza de Vaca Spanish Explora
trekked through Texas and
De Vaca’s account inspired other explorers
to travel to North America. In 1540 Estevanico was an enslaved African
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado set out who traveled with Cabeza de Vaca.

49
 make the country very wealthy. From 1503
Spanish Viceroyalties, c.1650
to 1660, Spanish fleets loaded with treasure

s i p pi R.
NORTH 40°N carried 200 tons of gold and 18,600 tons of
N
AMERICA silver from the former Aztec and Inca empires

is
W E

Miss
St. Augustine to Spain. Mexico and Peru also grew food to
S
Gulf of Bahama
help support Spain’s growing empire. How-
Mexico Islands Tropic of Cancer
ever, these gains came with a price for Native
Cuba
20°N
Mexico City Puerto Rico
Hispaniola
Americans. Native peoples suffered greatly at
(Tenochtitlán) ATLANTIC
Caribbean Sea the hands of the Spanish.
MESOAMERICA OCEAN

Forced Labor
on r
By 1650 the Spanish Empire in the Ameri-
Equator
A m az Rive
PACIFIC cas had grown to some 3 to 4 million people.
OCEAN SOUTH
AMERICA
Native Americans made up about 80 percent
Lima A
ND of the population. The rest were whites, Afri-
cans, and people of mixed racial background.
ES

20°S
Tropic of Capricorn
Settlers who came from Spain were called
MO U N

peninsulares (pay-neen-soo-LAHR-ays) and

Viceroyalty of New Spain
usually held the highest government posi-
TAI N

Viceroyalty of Peru
Buenos Aires
tions. To reward settlers for their service to the
S

Capital of viceroyalty
0 1,000 2,000 Miles
40°S Crown, Spain established the encomienda
0 1,000 2,000 Kilometers (en-koh-mee-e n -duh) system . It gave set-
60°W
tlers the right to tax local Native Ameri-
40°W
cans or to make them work. In exchange,
120°W 100°W 80°W Tierra del Fuego
Cape Horn these settlers were supposed to protect the
Native American people and convert them to
60°S
geography
Christianity. Instead, most Spanish treated
skills  INTERPRETING MAPS
the Native Americans as slaves. Native Amer-
1. Location What was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru?
2. Place Which viceroyalty included modern-day Mexico? icans were forced to work in terrible condi-
tions. They faced cruelty and desperate situa-
tions on a daily basis.
The Spanish operated many plantations,
The Impact Oklahoma, going as far north as Kansas large farms that grew just one kind of crop.
Today before turning around. He never found the Plantations throughout the Caribbean colo-
Today fabled cities of gold. nies made huge profits for their owners. It
Christianity is the
most commonly
took many workers to run a plantation, how-
Reading Check Comparing How were the
practiced religion ever, so colonists forced thousands of Native
in Latin America. expeditions of Ponce de León and Coronado similar? HRWNational
National
Americans
HRW to work in the fields. Indians who
The majority of ah07bs_c02map012a
ah07bs_c02map012a
were taken to work on haciendas, the vast
Latin American ViceroyaltiesofofNew
New Spain
ViceroyaltiesSpanishSpainestates in Central and South Amer-
Christians are
Roman Catholics, Spanish Treatment of Final1/28/05
Final 1/28/05
ica, had to raise and herd livestock. Other
but an increasing
number have
Native Americans Native Americans were forced to endure the
joined Protestant The journeys of the Spanish explorers backbreaking work of mining gold and silver.
faiths. allowed Spain to claim a huge empire in the The forced labor and harsh treatment killed
Americas. Spain’s American colonies helped many native people in New Spain.

50 Chapter 2
The Role of the Catholic Church Primary Source
The Catholic Church played a major role in
the interactions of the Spanish with Native Book
Americans. The Spanish king commanded Brief Account of the
priests to convert the local people to the Devastation of the Indies
Christian faith. Some Native Americans
Bartolomé de Las Casas, a Catholic priest in New Spain,
combined Spanish customs with their own.
encouraged better treatment of Native Americans.
Others rejected Spanish ideas completely.
Some European settlers in the Americas
protested the terrible treatment of Native
“fought
When they [Spaniards] have slain all those who
for their lives or to escape the tortures they
Americans. A priest named Bartolomé de would have to endure, that is to say, when they have
slain all the native rulers and young men (since the
Las Casas said that the Spanish should try
Spaniards usually spare only the women
to convert Native Americans to Christianity
and children, who are subjected to the
by showing them love, gentleness, and kind- hardest and bitterest servitude [slav-
ness. The Spanish monarchs agreed, but the ery] ever suffered by man or beast),
colonists did not always follow their laws. they enslave any survivors. With these
infernal [devilish] methods of tyranny
Reading Check Finding Main Ideas How did they debase and weaken countless
the encomienda system strengthen Spanish rule? numbers of those pitiful Indian
nations.
”
–Bartolomé de Las
SUmmary and preview In the 1500s Casas,
from Brief Account of the
Spain built a vast empire in the Americas. Devastation of the Indies
The Spanish treated the Native Americans
ANALYSIS
harshly in their new empire. In the next skill ANALYZING POINTS OF VIEW
section you will learn about other Euro- How did Las Casas’s view of the treatment of Native
pean empires in the Americas. American groups differ from the views of other Spaniards?

Section 3 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People Critical Thinking

1. a. Identify Why did the Spanish begin exploring 4. Categorizing Review your notes on Spanish
North America? conquest and settlement in the Americas. Then
b. Analyze How was Hernán Cortés able to copy the following graphic organizer and use it to
conquer the Aztec Empire? explain the impact Spain had on the Americas.
c. Elaborate What advantages did the Spanish have
over Native Americans? What role did disease play? Spanish America

2. a. Recall Which Spanish explorer received permis- government

sion to colonize Florida? religion
b. Analyze Why do you think Cabeza de Vaca wrote labor
of great riches that could be found in the Americas?
c. Evaluate Why do you think de Vaca called for
better treatment of Native Americans after having Focus on Writing
been held prisoner by them? 5. Taking Notes on the Spanish Empire Take notes
3. a. Identify What was the encomienda system? on the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and
b. Analyze Why do you think the king of Spain the founding of the Spanish Empire. How did this
commanded Catholic priests to teach Native Ameri- empire affect Native Americans?
cans about Christianity?

New Empires in the Americas 51