How did Spain establish their colonies?
In 1493, during his second voyage, Columbus founded Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the New World, on Hispaniola. After finding gold in recoverable quantities nearby, the Spanish quickly overran the island and spread to Puerto Rico in 1508, to Jamaica in 1509, and to Cuba in 1511.
Why did Spain establish colonies in the Americas?
Spain saw the potential in North America after the voyage of Columbus. Spain founded colonies in Florida, the Caribbean, and South America in search of resources. High on that list were precious metals, like gold. France established colonies in North America as a way to aid their trading with the Native Americans.
How did Spain govern its colonies in the Americas?
Under Spanish rule, Indians were enslaved and forced to labor on encomiendas, large Spanish-owned plantations. Also, how did Spain govern its empire in the Americas? In order to control its new empire, Spain created a formal system of government to rule its colonies.
Who was responsible for the expansion of the Spanish Empire?
The overseas expansion under the Crown of Castile was initiated under the royal authority and first accomplished by the Spanish conquistadors. The Americas were incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, Canada, the eastern United States and several other small countries in South America and The Caribbean.
How did the Spanish colonize the New World?
Spain was fast and effective in claiming its huge empire in the Americas. Its conquest of American natives happened within a few decades. Spanish conquistadors, or conquerors, destroyed the two most powerful civilizations of the New World, the Aztecs in present-day Mexico in 1521 and the Incas in Peru in 1535.
How many people were in the Spanish colonies?
By 1550, there were about 100,000 Spanish colonists spread across the Americas. To the south of New Spain, Portugal formed the colony of Brazil. Both Spain and Portugal needed many workers to grow crops and to mine gold and silver.