Spain conquered most of the lands in the
Americas (while Portugal conquered Brazil0.
• It divided its empire into provinces.
• The two most important provinces were New
Spain and Peru.
• Spain set up a class system; Native Americans
were the lowest.
• The Native Americans were the least powerful class.
• They were forced to work on plantations
(haciendas) for European settlers.
• They also worked in mines after silver was
discovered (extremely dangerous).
• Many died from overwork, malnutrition, or
diseases.
• The population decreased from 25 million in 1519 to
less than 2 million in the late 1500s.
• European diseases decimated Native American
population.
• European settlers still needed workers for
plantations.
• Colonists began importing African slaves to
supplement Native American labor.
• Aspects of Native American & African culture
(languages, customs, beliefs, traditions) survived &
blended together.
• Mestizos: people of mixed Native American and
European ancestry
• Criollo: had Spanish-born parents, but was born in
Latin America
• Mulattoes: people of mixed African and European
ancestry
• Ships leaving Europe first stopped in Africa; they
traded European goods for captives taken in tribal
wars or raids.
• Ships then traveled to America; slaves were
exchanged for sugar & other island products.
• Ships returned home loaded with products from the
Americas that grew very popular with Europeans.
• An estimated 8-15 million Africans reached the
Americas from the 16th to the 19th century.
• The African slave population quickly began to
outnumber the Europeans & the Native
Americans.
• Slave rebellions were common.
• He was a former slave in Haiti (freed in 1777).
• In 1791, he led a huge slave revolt against the French in
Hispaniola.
• France was also fight
• In 1801, L’Ouverture led a huge army into a Spanish
colony & freed all slaves there.
o Six months later, he became “governor general of
Haiti for life.”
• In 1802, a large French army lands in Haiti.
• They wanted to restore old French government & regain
control of sugar trade.
• L’Ouverture’s army fought the French & lost.
• French arrested L’Ouverture and sent him to prison in
France.
• L’Ouverture died while in prison.
• L’Ouverture’s army was outraged; it took up arms again
against France.
• In November 1803, they defeated the last of the
French forces.
• In 1804, they declared Haiti independent of French rule.
• Haiti became the 1st country in Latin America to break
free of European imperialism.
• Bolivar was a wealthy Venezuelan Criollo who spent
many years traveling Europe.
• While in Italy, he discovered his life’s purpose: to liberate
his homeland from European control.
• In 1810, Bolivar’s army kicks Spanish governor out of
Venezuela
• In 1811, a new constitution proclaimed Venezuela
independent of Spanish rule.
• Soon after, Spanish royalists defeated the new country’s
army & Bolivar was forced to flee to New Granada
(Colombia).
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Bolivar organized a bigger army and marched
back into Venezuela.
• In 1813, Bolivar’s army won & took control of
Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.
• Bolivar was nicknamed El Libertador.
• Over the next few years, Bolivar liberated New
Granada (now Colombia), Ecuador, Panama,
Peru, & Upper Peru (now Bolivia).
• Hidalgo was a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores.
• He began the struggle for Mexico’s independence in
1810.
• September 16th, 1810: “Cry of Dolores” was his call
for revolution.
• He rang church bells and shouted, “Long live our Lady
of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the
Spaniards!”.
• An army of mestizos & Native Americans rallied behind
Hidalgo.
• Over 80,000 people joined the fight, but the army
was soon defeated by the Spanish.
• Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811.
• Mexicans continued to fight for independence over
the next decade.
• In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain.
• Mexico celebrates September 16th as it’s
Independence Day.
• The president rings a bell in Mexico city and
repeats Hidalgo’s “Cry of Dolores.”
