Student Question
Discuss the Spanish colonization of North America.
Quick answer:
The Spanish colonization of North America followed the military conquest of the Aztec Empire, facilitated by Spanish technological superiority and alliances with local tribes. Unlike the British, the Spanish created a "frontier of inclusion," integrating Native Americans and mestizos into their society due to a lack of Spanish settlers. However, Spanish colonies lacked democratic institutions, reflecting Spain's non-democratic nature and societal inequalities, resulting in a hierarchical society dominated by European-descended elites.
This is a very vague question because there are many things that could be said about the Spanish colonization of North America.
One thing that can be said about the Spanish colonization is that it came on the back of the military conquest of the Aztec Empire. This conquest was possible in part because of the technological advantage that the Spanish had and in part because of the fact that the Spanish were able to find many native allies who hated the Aztecs.
The next thing that is important to say about the Spanish colonization is that it created what some historians call a “frontier of inclusion.” What this means is that the Spanish typically incorporated the Native Americans into their society. There were not really enough Spaniards coming over to colonize and so they could not form societies that were made up only of Spaniards. Instead, they included the...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
natives, in many cases intermarrying with them. The natives and the mestizos (mixed-race people) were not seen as equal to the Spaniards, but they were included in Spanish society.
Finally, we can say that Spanish colonization did not manage to lead to democratization. The Spanish did not set up democratic institutions. This was in part because Spain was not democratic and in part because of the inequalities between Spaniards and non-Spaniards in the colonies.
These are some of the important aspects of the Spanish colonization of North America.
Describe the nature of Spanish colonization in North America.
This is rather a broad question, as there can be several aspect of the “nature” of Spanish colonization. Let us look at a few of the important aspects of this colonization.
First, this colonization was undertaken by a relatively few Spaniards. In contrast to the British to the north, the Spanish did not come to the New World in large numbers. Instead, there was a rather small group of elites of European descent at the top of Spanish colonial society.
Second, Spanish colonies were a “frontier of inclusion.” Since so few Spaniards came over, Spanish colonies had large numbers of native peoples. They soon came also to have large numbers of mixed race mestizos. This was in stark contrast to the British colonies in which there was little mixing with the native peoples and natives were typically driven away rather than becoming part of white society.
Finally, Spanish colonies were much less democratic and egalitarian than the British colonies. The Spanish colonies were centered around Spanish owners of huge estates. These people became something of an aristocracy. This led to a society that was very different than the society of middle class whites in the British colonies.
These are some of the most important aspects of the nature of Spanish colonization in North America.