waving American flag

New Spain

The colonization of the Americas by the Spanish was begun in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.
On his trips to this new land he came into contact with many Natives. He quickly learned where he could find riches that he could take back to Spain to show the wealth he had found. He even took some Native Americans to show the king.
The handmade bow and arrows was no match for the guns of the Spanish.
Then the Spanish began trying to use the Natives as slaves to work the minds and later to harvest the crops but this did not work.
In 1513 Balboa Crossed the land of Mexico and was the first to see the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish explorers establish small settlements in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Mexico and the southwestern United States. .
These Spanish explorers were known as conquistadors. They were very cruel and brutal to the natives in which they came into contact with. The often went into villages on their path and plundered for anything they might trade or use.
Spanish also were interested in the three G’s but their religion was Catholic instead of protestant.
In South America the Spanish met the Incas and the Aztecs. These were civilizations that were already well established. They had gold and silver that were taken by the Spanish. The Spanish took control for a time of some of the French abandoned missions along the Mississippi River.
In 1513 Juan Ponce de León discovered and explored the area now known as Florida. Because of the swampy lands of the everglades, the settlements were small. It was very difficult for a settlement to survive due to the terrain and the frequent attacks from the natives. St. Augustine Florida was the first permanent colony in North America established by the Spanish in 1565. Many times these settlements were used as home bases for further exploration and colonization.
On the other side of the country Spanish were coming into the uncharted lands from Mexico and establishing missions along the Pacific coast of California. The encomienda was an important part of this western society. New settlements were also erected at Santa Fe New Mexico in 1609.