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Race and Hierarchy in Spanish Colonial America

Race and Hierarchy in Spanish Colonial America . HIST 1004 1/23/13. Mughals and European Merchants. Booming economy based on cotton. U sed European merchants. D id not develop merchant fleet themselves . Sir Thomas Roe (1581-1644). English diplomat

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Race and Hierarchy in Spanish Colonial America

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  1. Race and Hierarchy in Spanish Colonial America HIST 1004 1/23/13

  2. Mughals and European Merchants • Booming economy based on cotton. • Used European merchants. • Did not develop merchant fleet themselves.

  3. Sir Thomas Roe (1581-1644) • English diplomat • Member of Parliament (1614-1644) • Ambassador to Mughal Court (1615-1618) • Seek protection for British factories in Surat. • Close friend and drinking companion of Jahangir (r. 1605- 1627) • How does Roe see the Mughal court?

  4. Fall of the Safavids and Fall of the Mughals • Destabilization after collapse of Safavids. • 1739: Nadir Shah, warlord who seized power in Iran and Afghanistan, raids Mughal territory. • Carries off “peacock throne” and Koh-iNur diamond, symbols of Mughal kingship. • Continued raids from Afghanistan and European expansion encourages various regions to break off.

  5. What is Colonialism? • What’s a colony? • How is colonialism different from other forms of conquest and domination? • Are there different forms of colonialism?

  6. Spain and Portugal in South America - Exploration • 1492: Columbus reaches Caribbean • 1492-1500: Spanish conquer Hispaniola • 1498: Columbus reaches mainland South America (third voyage) • 1500: Cabral reaches Brazil • 1513: Ponce de León explores Florida Oscar Pereira da Silva, Landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in Porto Seguro, in 1500, 1902

  7. Spain and Portugal in South America - Conquest • Conquistadors: Conquerors, often voluntary militias • Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) • Born into minor nobility. • Sought fortune in the New World • 1519-1521: Conquest of the Aztec Empire • What do you notice about this picture? Lienzo Tlaxcala, ca. 1585 Showing La Malinche and Hernán Cortés

  8. Conquistadors, ctd. • Francisco Pizarro (ca. 1478-1541) • Illegitimate son of a Spanish soldier • Soldier in Spain until legal problems • May have stowed away on a ship to reach New World • 1531-1533: Conquest of Inca Empire

  9. How do these conquistadorsconquer such large empires?

  10. The Spanish, the Aztecs, and the Incas… • Do the Aztec and Inca Empires have a lasting impact on Spanish New World colonies?

  11. But first, how did the Spanish rule? • Problem of independent power of conquistadors • Problem of distance, 200 days round trip from Spain to Mexico. • Viceroys of New Spain and Peru held ultimate authority. • Originally sent from Spain, but later creoles (white Europeans born in the Americas). • American resources (gold, silver, and sugar) finance colonial bureaucracy.

  12. Viceroyalties • Viceroyalty of New Spain • Viceroyalty of New Granada • Viceroyalty of Peru • Viceroyalty of La Plata

  13. Spoils of Empire • Silver mines in Peru and Mexico • Sugar plantations in Brazil • Cattle ranching in rural areas. • Sudden influx of wealth feeds development of European capitalism and expansion of colonialism. Spanish silver reale minted in Mexico.

  14. Spoils of Empire, Labor • Encomienda: system by which indigenous populations are forced to provide labor for European settlers • Amerindians divided among settlers who force them to provide labor or goods • Bartolomé de Las Casas (1474-1566) • Catholic priest • Troubled by deaths of Amerindians due to epidemics and poor working conditions. • 1542: New Laws: outlaws enslavement of Amerindians, encomienda, and reforms other labor practices.

  15. After 1542… • Wage labor for silver mining • Epidemics had shrunk labor pool. • Still dangerous and abusive work. • Mita • Adult male Amerindian population forced to work for 1 year every seven years in mines, farms, and textile factories. • Many Amerindians move permanently to mines and colonial cities, destroying agricultural communities.

  16. How is this different from the Aztecs and Incas? • Structurally, its not… • Both had developed… • centralized imperial authorities • systems of forced labor and taxation • Mita is actually an Incan system of forced labor! • What changed? • New rulers are outsiders • Wealth created in Americas sent to Europe • Labor expected outside of local community

  17. Who colonized New Spain? • Very few come from Europe to South America (in comparison to Amerindian and African slave populations that is) • Hidalgos: lesser nobility, lack of opportunity in Europe • Merchants, artisans, miners, priests, and lawyers: see opportunity in New World • Almost entirely men, few bring families. 16th century French drawing of a New World Hidalgo

  18. Multi-Ethnic Americas • European colonizers… • Amerindian residents… • African slaves… • What happens when people of different classes, races, ethnicities, and cultures from numerous different societies are forced into the same cities and must co-exist?

  19. Spain, the Reconquista, and Race • 711-1492 – Muslim rule in Iberian Peninsula • 1492 – Alhambra Decree – expels Jews and later Muslims who don’t convert • Conversos – Jewish converts • Moriscos – Muslim converts • 1480-1840 – Spanish Inquisition • “Pure Blood”

  20. Castas • Caste structure used in Spanish and Portuguese colonies • Based on race (and the myriad combinations) • Determined place in society • Peninsular: Born in Spain or Portugal • Creole: White European born in Americas • Amerindians • Africans

  21. Intermarriage and Mixed Race • Mullato: African and Spaniard • Mestizo: Amerindian and Spaniard • Zambo: African and Amerindian • Then it gets tricky…

  22. Coyotes and more… Why such a complex system?

  23. Casta and social identity • Created physical boundaries within the city • Determined education, clothing options, career opportunities, and romantic opportunities • Why did Spaniards want to keep Indians and Africans away from one another???

  24. How did casta function in the New World? • Social, political, and economic implications • Flexible in practice • Intermarriage • Gracias al sacar – four generations with at least one white ancestor, can become legally white • Cultural depictions

  25. Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa • Spanish naval officers • 1735: tour the Pacific coast as part of a scientific mission • What do they seem to think about the white elites of the colonies? • How do they make sense of the casta system?

  26. Casta Paintings • Fascination with race • Colonial Pride • Exotic souvenirs • Before 1760: Promoting • wealth • After 1760: Demonstrating • Stratification • How can we use images • to interpret the past?

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