Spain Interactive Map

The Spanish Colombian Exchange

Jack Herrmann, Brooke Barton, Chloe Wallace, Athul Alapati, David Trejo, Tarun Balasubramaniam

Spain was a world superpower, having discovered the ameriacs they had loads of wealth and a navy to counter the british

Spain had power and land in many places, including the african slave coast, and the Americas.

Spanish affairs in Africa

Maroon Societies: Freed slaves in Jamaica, Panama, and other Spanish-conquered lands called Maroons created cultures based off of both African and European influences. Their power grew in this time period, and in both Panama and Jamaica, the Maroons allied themselves with the British to drive the Spanish out. Many freed slaves joined the Maroon societies in Jamaica once the Spanish had been forced out of Jamaica with the help of the British.

Spain established sugar plantations in the New World, so they adopted the African plantation model. As these plantations grew, demand for African slave labor grew.

Spanish affairs in Europe

In spain they used Encomiendas.The encomienda was a large labor system used in both Spain and the Americas as a form of enslavement. The Spanish making Natives faithful Christians gave the encomienda a moral imperative to excuse the abuse on them. They were considered to be free, but they were forced to labor in farming and mining for the good of the commonwealth and this was all in exchange for wages determined by the government which decimated the native population.

Intolerant - the Inquisition largely enforced Catholicism in Spain. The idea of “spiritual purity”, where Spain had no Muslims or Jews, was very prominent after the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel. They had promised to rid Spain of all its Muslims, which they did by waging war against the kingdom of Granada. In the end, Granada surrendered and captured Muslims were kept as slaves, forced to convert to Christianity, and forbidden from speaking Arabic. In 1502, Muslims were given the choice of baptism or expulsion. Jews were not treated well either. The Inquisition had burned about 700 conversos (Jews that converted to Christianity) alive and 500 more were imprisoned for live. In 1492, about 100,000 Jews had fled Spain.

Castilian kings through the ages traditionally gathered with the clergy & the nobility for advice on important matters, these meetings were known as the Cortes, they met once a year & consulted on matters such as foreign policy & royal marriages, the import & export of goods, the protection of agriculture, & many other concerns. First estate were the abbots, bishops, & archbishops ops, they automatically held positions in the cortes. Second state was mainly the most influential dukes & nobles. By the third century a third estate was added which consisted of deputies from important towns, who represented the citizens. Top of castilian social hierarchy were the few great families that comprised the “second estate”.

Spanish affairs in the Americas

The Spanish were the first to descover the americas, and that made them the most wealthy country in Europe. They brought their trade to the americas, and expanded it by also trading with the Native Americans. Spain also established sugar plantations in the New World, so they adopted the African plantation model. As these plantations grew, demand for African slave labor grew.

Forced labor was also used by the spanish in the Americas The form of this system was created when Columbus needed to feed Spanish settlers and maximize tribute from the Natives. He decided to assign some Natives to labor for select settlers which was known as repartimiento. This system was later formalized in order to get unwilling Native Americans working for incoming Spanish settlers.

Spain's main reasons for finding the ameriacas were God, Gold, and Glory. They used Astronomical Charts, Compasses, Astrolabes, Lateen Sails , and Cartography. To find it and get back to it.

Spanish affairs in Latin America

The original Mita system made by the Incas was used for enormous constructions of highways and structures and working in the fields and mines. In this system, everyone worked for the government and it was free to the government. It was like public service since the government would take care of their family while they were working. It worked well for the Incas because it led to very fast progress in farming and building.

A hacienda is a large agricultural estate in Latin America. The hacienda work force is usually made up of indigenous peasants who were working for money. However, they were usually bound to the land they worked on leaving the peasants in debt.