The Spanish Atlantic System

The overseas enterprises of Spain expanded dramatically following the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Even before this historic Atlantic crossing, Spaniards had begun the conquest of the Canary Islands (between 1478 and 1493), which served as a base and proving ground for the invasion and conquest of Spanish America, known as the Indies. After 1492 Spain’s possessions spread from a few isolated Caribbean outposts to include Mexico, as the army of Fernando Cortés and his Amerindian allies overthrew the Aztec (Mexica) Empire and later moved southward to annex the Maya domains in southern Mexico and Central America. Within a decade the equally spectacular victories of Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro brought down the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu), giving the Spaniards control over extensive human and mineral resources in South America. Over the course of the sixteenth century the conquistadors, followed by Crown bureaucrats and Catholic clergymen, slowly but firmly consolidated control over the central regions of Mexico and Peru. These possessions collectively served as the foundation of the Spanish Atlantic system. By 1600 the Spaniards claimed control over a vast region extending from the current southwest of the United States to the southern tip of South America. It was a massive domain that brought unimaginable wealth to the kingdoms of Spain for over 300 years.

Ancient history · Archaeology · CONQUEST · Empire · Ethnology · Geography · Historical Studies in Latin America · Historical Studies on Spain · History

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