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Shortly before the death of Queen Isabella I in 1504, the Spanish sovereigns created the House of Trade ( Casa de Contratación) to regulate commerce between Spain and the New World. The overseas colonies became and remained the king’s private estate.
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The empire was created in a time of rising European absolutism, which flourished in both Spain and Spanish America and reached its height in the 18th century. (See Latin America, history of.)Ī colonial period of nearly three centuries followed the major Spanish conquests. Other conquistadors entered the regions of what became Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina. By-products of the Inca conquest were the seizure of northern Chile by Pedro de Valdivia and the descent of the entire Amazon by Francisco de Orellana.
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The Pizarros and their followers took and divided a great amount of gold and silver, with prospects of more from the mines of Peru and Bolivia. But the conquest took years to complete the Pizarros had to crush a formidable native rising and to defeat their erstwhile associate, Diego de Almagro, who felt cheated of his fair share of the spoils. Finding the huge realm divided by a recent civil war over the throne, they captured and executed the incumbent usurper, Atahualpa. Meanwhile, the Pizarro brothers- Francisco Pizarro and his half-brothers Gonzalo and Hernando-entered the Inca Empire from Panama in 1531 and proceeded with its conquest. These brought geographical knowledge but nothing of value to the Spaniards, who for years thereafter ignored the northern regions. Expeditions explored northern Mexico and the southern part of what is now the United States-notably the expedition of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo by sea along what are now the California and Oregon coasts and the expeditions of Hernando de Soto and Francisco Vázquez Coronado through the southeastern and southwestern U.S. None of this existed, but it seemed real when a northern wanderer, Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, in 1536 brought to Mexico an exciting but fanciful report of the fabulous lands. Mexico yielded much gold and silver, and the conquerors imagined still greater wealth and wonders to the north. The conquest of Aztec Mexico led directly to that of Guatemala and about half of Yucatán, whose geography and warlike inhabitants slowed Spanish progress. The Spaniards used firearms effectively but did most of their fighting with pikes and blades, aided by numerous Indian allies who hated the dominant Aztecs. Hernán Cortés entered Mexico from Cuba in 1519 and spent two years overthrowing the Aztec confederation, which dominated Mexico’s civilized heartland. Balboa was succeeded (and judicially murdered) by Pedrarias Dávila, who turned his attention to Central America and founded Nicaragua.Įxpeditions sent by Diego Velázquez, governor of Cuba, made contact with the decayed Mayan civilization of Yucatán and brought news of the cities and precious metals of Aztec Mexico. On the Isthmus the Spaniards heard garbled reports of the wealth and splendour of Inca Peru. In 1508 an expedition did leave Hispaniola to colonize the mainland, and, after hardship and decimation, the remnant settled at Darién on the Isthmus of Panama, from which in 1513 Vasco Núñez de Balboa made his famous march to the Pacific. Thus far they had found lands nearly empty of treasure, populated by naked natives who died off rapidly on contact with Europeans. They had completed the occupation of the larger West Indian islands by 1512, though they largely ignored the smaller ones, to their ultimate regret. Only gradually did the Spaniards realize the possibilities of America. This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.