Latin American: Conquest and Exchange

1
Latin American Conquest and Exchange
2
Latin American Unique qualities

• Unlike North America, Latin America did not have
  any unification.
• Partly because of geography
• Andes Mountains and Amazon Jungle.

3
Latin America

• This is the term used for South America, Central
  America, and parts of the Caribbean. People from
  this region are called Latinos. The term was
  created in the 1800s to celebrate and separate
  southern nations from Canada and the US.

4
The Aztecs, Montezuma, and Cortes

• The Aztecs were a powerful Native tribe in
  central Mexico, 1300-1520.
• They built enormous pyramids where they offered
  human and animal sacrifices to their gods.
• Their emperor, Montezuma, led them to expand
  their empire and conquer other Native People.
  They were expert farmers and skilled builders.
• The Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlan, was
  constructed on islands in a large lake at the
  center of the city was a huge temple pyramid used
  for sacrifices the population was 400,000.

5
Aztec City Scene
6
The Chinampa
7
Tenochtitlan
8
Hernan Cortez
Montezuma
9
The Aztecs, Montezuma, and Cortes cont

• In 1520, Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes sailed
  west from Cuba to conquer the Aztecs and claim
  their land for Spain. Montezuma welcomed Cortes
  Cortes had Montezuma captured and killed.
• Tenochtitlan was destroyed and the stone from the
  temple was used to build a Christian church in
  Cortess new colony, Mexico City.
• The language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, is still
  spoken by 1.2 million people. Chocolate and
  tomato are Nahuatl words.

10
The Incas, Atahualpa, and Pizarro

• The Incas ruled the Andes Mountains. Their
  excelled at road construction and metalwork.
• They mined gold and silver and created entire
  rooms of these precious metals. They wove cloth
  with complex patterns and built temples that
  stand today.
• The Incas worshipped their emperor as the child
  of the sun. They conquered other tribes and
  created an empire 2000 miles long.

11
Inca City Scene
12
The Inca Empire
13
The Incas, Atahualpa, and Pizarro

• During the reign of Atahualpa, in 1533, the
  Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro led 180 men to
  conquer the Inca army and capture Atahualpa.
• The Inca people brought 50,000 pounds of gold to
  buy his release. Pizarro took the gold and had
  Atahualpa killed.
• Without a leader, the Incas were easily conquered
  by the Spanish. Seven million people still speak
  Quechua, the language of the Incas.

14
Francisco Pizarro
Atahualpa
15
Columbian Exchange

• Christopher Columbus was the first European to
  meet people on the other side of the Atlantic
  Ocean.
• The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases
  across the Atlantic from 1492 to 1650 is called
  the Columbian Exchange.

16
Columbian Exchange

• Native People showed Europeans how to grow corn,
  squash, potatoes, and tomatoes. Native People
  introduced hot peppers to Europeans then
  Europeans introduced hot peppers to India.
  Native People grew tobacco and cocoa, introducing
  Europeans to smoking and chocolate.
• Europeans showed Native People how to grow wheat,
  oats, sugarcane, and oranges. Europeans
  introduced Native People to horses. Europeans
  taught Native People to ride and use horses for
  farm work. Europeans introduced other
  domesticated farm animals, such as cows, pigs,
  sheep, and chickens, to Native People in the New
  World.

17
Columbian Exchange

• Europeans had been exposed to many infectious
  diseases for centuries. Europeans had developed
  strong immune systems that could fight against
  diseases like smallpox and keep Europeans from
  getting too sick.
• Native People had never been exposed to European
  diseases. Their bodies had no resistance to
  these diseases.
• As soon as Europeans arrived, Native People
  caught new diseases from them, became very sick,
  and died. The main result of Columbian Exchange
  was this fact From 50 to 90 of Native People
  died from European diseases, 1492-1650.

18
1. What was the main result of the Columbian
Exchange?
19
Diseases!

• Many of the Aztecs, Incas and other native people
  of the New World were exposed to small pox and
  other disease during the Columbian Exchange.
• Europeans were exposed to diseases, but faired
  better than the natives. As a result, many Native
  civilizations were defeated and destroyed because
  they had low immunity.

20
Diseases

• Common Old World Diseases included
• Smallpox
• Measles
• Malaria
• Yellow fever
• Influenza
• Chicken Pox
• Common New World Diseases included
• Syphilis
• Polio
• Hepatitis
• Encephalitis