The Spanish Empire in the Americas was divided into two provinces, New Spain and Peru, each ruled by a viceroy appointed by the King of Spain. The population consisted of Spanish people in positions of authority, Creoles who were Spanish born in the colonies, mixed-race Mestizos, Native Americans used for labor without rights, and African slaves brought by ship. Labor systems included the Encomienda granting Native American labor, haciendas that supplied food, and plantations growing cash crops like sugar, coffee, and tobacco for export.
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The Spanish Empire of the Americas
1. The Spanish Empire of the
Americas
Empire divided into
two provinces:
New Spain and Peru
Each province
ruled by a
Viceroy in the
name of the King
2. People in the Spanish Americas
Spanish- held all positions of authority
Creoles- Spanish people born in the colonies
Mestizos- people of mixed Spanish and Native
American ancestry
Native Americans- used for labor, no rights
Slaves- brought by ship from Africa
3. Labor in the Spanish Empire
Encomienda: Grant of Native
American Labor
Hacienda: Farm or ranch
that supplied food for the
colonies
Plantation: Large farm
that raised cash crops for
export, such as sugarcane,
coffee, cotton, tobacco
5. Reasons Africans were taken as slaves
by Europeans:
-Immune to most European
diseases
-No family or friends in
the Americas
-Permanent source of labor:
children born into slavery
-Many had worked on farms
in Africa
