the legacy of marco polo through columbus spanish settlements

T H E L E G A C Y O F M A R C O P O L O T H R O U G H C O L U M B U S

SPANISH SETTLEMENTS

MARCO POLO’S LEGACY

POLO’S EXPLORATION IN THE 13TH CENTURY

MARCO POLO’S LEGACY

• During the Renaissance:• Books and reading spread rapidly after Western Europe

was introduced to the Printing Press in 1440

As a result of more books and more reading, Polo’s book on his adventures in China was widely read and inspired a new generation of explorers

MARCO POLO’S LEGACY

• Governments wanted to find safer and faster trading routes to and from China

• Why?

MARCO POLO’S LEGACY

MARCO POLO’S LEGACY

• Most explorers tried to go south around the African peninsula

• One man traveled West for the route• Columbus was heavily inspired by Polo’s writing

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

• Columbus, an Italian, was able to convince Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to sponsor the voyage

• Why would the Spanish government want to sponsor an Italian’s exploration?

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

• Aug 1492-• Columbus set sail

After more than a month at sea, they finally spotted land!

The crew landed at San Salvador Island in the Caribbean Islands

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

• In total, Columbus made four trips to and from Spain

• Every time, he discovered more land and would claim it for Spain

• When he died, Columbus believed that he discovered the west Indies

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

• The Columbian Exchange- The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

• Europeans Brought:• Wheat • Rice• Domesticated animals (horses, cows, pigs, sheep)• Diseases (by accident)

• Europeans Took Back:• Corn • Potatoes• Squash

This greatly benefited the European diet

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

The Europeans used Native Americans for work.• How and why?

As the native population decreased (diseases wiped out about 90% of native populations), Europeans began to bring African slaves for cheap labor

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

• Over the next 300 years, millions of Africans would be carried across the Atlantic and sold into slavery• African Lords would sell their people • Europeans would conquer a land and people, and sell the

people

Journey lasted from weeks to months on a crowded, disease ridden, smelly boat and many died along the way

CORTEZ

• Conquistadors- Spanish soldier-explorers. Mainly relates to those who conquered the native peoples of Mexico and Peru

• Their mission?

CORTEZ

• Hernan Cortez (Cortes`)• Arrived in Mexico in 1519 with

500 soldiers

• Aztec capital- Tenochtitlan• Some soldiers believed they were

dreaming at seeing the beauty of the city

CORTEZ

• Put yourself in the Aztec’s position.• You see an army of people like you have never seen

before with shiny clothes.

• What do you do?

CORTEZ

• Some mistook Cortez for an Aztec god and welcomed him as a hero

CORTEZ

• With help from the spread of smallpox and a number of Indians who hated their ruler, Cortez conquered the capital city

• The Spaniards ripped down the city and used it’s old stones to build Mexico City• Became the capital city of a new Spanish empire called

New Spain

PIZARRO

• Francisco Pizarro- 1532• Led attack on powerful Inca Empire (present day Peru)• Smallpox killed thousands before soldiers arrived

• Pizarro captures Incan ruler, holds him for ransom. The Incas pay with three FULL rooms of gold and silver.

• Pizarro kills the ruler, takes the money, and takes the Empire

• This led to the eventual conquering of the rest of the Incan Empire

THE SPANISH BORDERLANDS

• After discovering gold and silver in Mexico and Peru, the Spanish pushed north into what is now the southwest United States

• After learning about Native Indian culture, resources, and regions last week, what do you think the Spaniards found?

FLORIDA

• Juan Ponce de Leon• Sailed with Columbus and made

fortune by discovering gold in Puerto Rico

• Fascinated by the “Fountain of Youth” myth

• Landed in Florida in 1513 to search for the Fountain

FLORIDA

• Ponce de Leon returned in 1521 with 200 men to establish a Spanish colony• Colony- a new settlement or territory established and

governed by a country in another land

• Instead of finding the Fountain, Ponce de Leon found a poison arrow in his gut

THE SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA

• Seven Cities of Cipola- so rich that street and houses were decorated with gold and jewels

• Spanish became convinced the cities were somewhere in North America- • Led to the exploration of what is now the American

Southwest• Search began in Florida, then Texas

THE SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA

• The Coronado Expedition – 1540• Led by Francisco Vasquez and de Coronado • A famous conquistador

• Traveled more than 7,000 miles north of Mexico City

THE CORONADO EXPEDITION

THE CORONADO EXPEDITION

• Found pueblos• A village of apartment-like buildings made of stone and

adobe rising four-five stories high

• Continued north through the Great Plains before heading back to Mexico City

• They found NOTHING

SETTLING THE BORDERLANDS

• By 1600, the Spanish borderlands extended from Florida across present day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California

• Rival European nations began to show interest in the lands, conquistadors would go to protect the land

• Presidios- walled forts the Spanish soldiers lived in to protect Spanish claims

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Non-Native-American-Nations-Territorial-Claims-over-NAFTA-countries-1750-2008.gif

SETTLING THE BORDERLANDS

• Catholic Missionaries• Missionaries- people who travel to a territory or community

in order to make converts to their religion• Built settlements where they taught natives new skills and

preached Christian faith

• Catholic priests order the whipping of native religious leaders who continued to practice their own faith

• Lead to an uprising/revolt that would drive the Spanish out• They would later return

NEW FRANCE

• As Spain sent ship loads of gold back to Europe:• Spain seemed to grow wealthier and more powerful• Other European nations became jealous

• No other nation could challenge Spain’s claims in America so they began to search for new lands to settle

NEW FRANCE

• Jacques Cartier- 1534• Frenchmen who explored the Atlantic coast of North

America • Wanted to find am all-water passage through North

America to the Pacific Ocean

• Is there such a passage?

NEW FRANCE

• Jacques Cartier• Never found passage, but did

claim land for France (what is now Canada

• Did discover beaver fur (made hats for Europeans)

NEW FRANCE

• Samuel de Champlain – 1608 • Founded first Canadian settlement, a trading post called

Quebec • Would be a base for the French for the next 150 years

• Coureurs de bois- French fur trappers who learned many skills from the American Indians with whom they worked and lived

NEW FRANCE

• Harsh climate of New France failed to attract a large number of settlers • Much like the Spanish borderlands • The best farming land would be given to French nobility

who then rented out to farmers • Farmers who rented would eventually leave to find their own

land so they did not have to pay rent

NEW FRANCE

• The French focused more on fur trade than farming • Harsh climate • Did not try to conquer the Indians or put them to work

• The French and Indians became business partners • Fur traders married into the Huron Tribe • Learned how to survive in the wilderness for months

NEW FRANCE

• Claiming Louisiana – 1673• Father Marquette and Louis Joliet explored down the

Mississippi River• Followed the river to the Gulf of Mexico hoping it would

lead to the Pacific Ocean

• 1682- Robert de La Salle Claimed West of the Mississippi River for France- Louisiana

JAMESTOWN- THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY

• John Cabot- Sought his own route to Asia• Set sail in 1497 and landed in Newfoundland (off the

coast of Canada• Mistakenly believed he landed in Asia

THE LOST COLONY OF ROANOKE

• Sir Walter Raleigh wanted to start a colony off the coast of North Carolina