Missions became the engine of colonization in North America. Missionaries, most of whom were members of the Franciscan religious order, provided Spain with an advance guard in North America. Catholicism had always justified Spanish conquest, and colonization always carried religious imperatives.

conquistadores

In order to control its new empire, Spain created a formal system of government to rule its colonies. todemand labor or taxes from Native Americans. The Spanish forced Native Americans to work in the gold and silver mines.

• Superior Weapons. Spanish weaponry was far superior to anything used by the Aztecs or Incas.
• Alliances and Experience. The invading Spanish forces also took advantage of internal divisions within the Aztec and Inca empires.
• The Power of Horses.
• Deadly Disease.

The Aztecs no longer trusted Montezuma, they were short on food, and the smallpox epidemic was under way. More than 3 million Aztecs died from smallpox, and with such a severely weakened population, it was easy for the Spanish to take Tenochtitlán.

What factors enabled the Spaniards to conquer the Aztec? The Spaniards’ superior weapons, the diseases that accompanied them, and the support of other native peoples.

The Pueblo people, Native Americans living in what is now New Mexico, rose up against Spanish conquistadores in the wake of religious persecution, violence, and drought. The uprising aimed to reclaim Pueblo religious practices, culture, and land, which had been stripped away by Spanish conquistadores.

Why is the encomienda system so important? The encomienda system allowed for a vast accumulation of wealth by the conquistadors and the Spanish crown. They benefited from the discovery of gold and silver in the New World, and the mining of those metals by their laborers.

3) Why did some Spanish priests demand and end to the encomienda system? They were fighting for human rights, and though it was inhumane.

The encomienda system was generally replaced by the crown-managed repartimiento system throughout Spanish America after mid-sixteenth century.

How did the Spanish and French differ in their treatment of American Indians? The Spanish forced American Indians to convert to Christianity while the French built relationships with them. Both the French and the British wanted control of the Ohio River Valley.

What was the most significant result of the Spanish colonization of Central and South America? Spain became rich by stealing the wealth of the American colonies. Paying tribute included giving gold or human sacrifice victims to a larger, more powerful empire.