Challenging the Spanish Empire
For more than 100 years, Spain and Portugal were the biggest powers in the Americas. MosltySpain had all of the New World for itself except for Brazil, which belonged to Portugal. Spain chose to conquer the Indians, and they definitely had the advantage. The Spanish had steel weapons, explosives, and firearms. The Spanish also brought domesticated animals such as horses, pigs, and cattle, which they could use for food and leather, and could ride the horses in battle.
The Spanish brought Christianity to the Indians, and forced them to give up their previous Pagan beliefs. They also allowed their army officers to become privileged landowners who would control several groups of Indian villages. They would collect tribute from the Indians and force them into labor for Spanish gain. The Spanish did not understand or tolerate Indian culture, so they
…show more content…
Ponce de Leon was one of the first Spanish explorers in North America. He was the Governor of Puerto Rico and he came to explore Florida. Stories say that he was looking for the Fountain of Youth that Indians had told him about, but really he was capturing Indians to use as slaves. He named the area Florida from the Spanish words for the Easter season, “Pascua florida.” He also tried to establish a colony in North America, but was attacked by Indians and wounded. He went back to Puerto Rico and died there.
The Spanish gained a large amount of gold from the Americas. One shipment alone was about $15 million, and they would send a shipment a week back to Spain. Eventually England and France would take over more places in the New World, because they chose to focus more on establishing a trade in goods with the Indians instead of searching for more gold and