Linked from
The 185 pages that link to Spanish colonization of the Americas, each with the reason it gives.
Treaty of TordesillasBroader topic: The treaty underpinned Spain’s claims to much of the Americas west of its line.
Christopher ColumbusNarrower topic: Columbus's Caribbean foothold became an early base for this broader imperial expansion.
Spanish conquest of the Aztec EmpireNarrower topic: The conquest formed an early, decisive expansion of Spain's American empire.
New SpainNarrower topic: New Spain became one of the largest components of this wider colonial project.
EncomiendaNarrower topic: Encomiendas became a major means of organizing labor and tribute during Spanish expansion.
French colonization of the AmericasCompared with: Its large settler populations and extraction systems differed from many French trading outposts.
Spanish languageRelated: Colonial expansion established Spanish across much of the Americas.
Spanish conquest of the Inca EmpireNarrower topic: The Inca campaign was one episode in Spain’s wider expansion across the Americas.
Portuguese colonization of the AmericasCompared with: Its institutions and territorial reach developed alongside, and often competed with, Portuguese America.
Hernán CortésNarrower topic: Cortés’s expedition extended Spain’s colonial power from the Caribbean into mainland Mexico.
South AmericaRelated: Spanish rule reshaped South American states, economies, languages, and populations.
Spanish Golden AgeRelated: American territories and extraction of wealth transformed Spain’s resources and global reach.
IndigenismoNarrower topic: Colonial rule created hierarchies and institutions that later indigenistas sought to challenge or reform.
Bartolomé de las CasasNarrower topic: Las Casas's career unfolded within, and increasingly opposed, this imperial project.
Black LegendRelated: Its varied record complicates depictions of colonial rule as uniformly cruel or benevolent.
Isabella I of CastileBroader topic: Royal sponsorship of Columbus opened the way to Spain’s overseas empire.
JamaicaRelated: Spain claimed Jamaica after Christopher Columbus reached the island in 1494.
VenezuelaNarrower topic: Spanish rule established colonial institutions and social hierarchies in the territory that became Venezuela.
Francisco PizarroNarrower topic: Pizarro’s conquest extended Spain’s colonial project into the Andes.
Puerto RicoNarrower topic: Puerto Rico became a Spanish colony within this wider imperial expansion.
CubaNarrower topic: Spanish rule made Cuba a colonial possession and reshaped its population, economy, and institutions.
Crown of CastileBroader topic: Castilian expansion reshaped Indigenous societies and created enduring Atlantic political ties.
Dominican RepublicNarrower topic: Spanish colonization established Santo Domingo as an early colonial center on Hispaniola.
English colonization of the AmericasCompared with: Spanish conquest preceded English settlement and shaped the imperial rivalry for American territory.
MestizajeRelated: Spanish conquest established colonial institutions that classified and governed populations through ancestry.
Moctezuma IINarrower topic: Moctezuma’s reign became an early turning point in Spain’s colonial expansion in the Americas.
Russian AmericaCompared with: Spanish claims farther south formed part of the imperial rivalry along the Pacific coast.
Alhambra DecreeRelated: The decree and the first Atlantic voyages occurred in the same year, amid Spain’s expanding imperial ambitions.
HavanaNarrower topic: Spanish settlement established Havana as a colonial city and imperial port.
Mit’aNarrower topic: Spanish rulers appropriated and reshaped Andean labor institutions after conquest.
Ancestral PuebloansNarrower topic: Colonization transformed the societies and homelands of Pueblo descendants.
British colonization of the AmericasCompared with: Spanish possessions preceded English settlement and shaped the imperial rivalry that framed British expansion.
Latin American literatureRelated: Colonial rule established Spanish as a major literary language and produced contested chronicles of conquest.
CevicheRelated: Citrus fruits arrived in the Americas through colonial-era exchange and became central to modern ceviche.
Guaraní peopleRelated: Colonial rule reshaped Guaraní landholding, labor, religion, and political relations.
Pueblo peoplesNarrower topic: Spanish colonial rule profoundly affected Pueblo lands, religion, labor, and political life.
ParaguayNarrower topic: Spanish colonial institutions governed the territory that became Paraguay.
QuitoRelated: Spanish rule shaped Quito’s colonial institutions, architecture, and urban layout.
University of SalamancaRelated: The university became a forum for arguments about the legitimacy and limits of Spanish imperial power.
BogotáNarrower topic: Bogotá grew as a colonial administrative center within Spain’s American empire.
ColombiaNarrower topic: Spanish rule established colonial institutions and language in the territory that became Colombia.
Commercial RevolutionRelated: American silver and colonial goods entered European markets through Spanish imperial networks.
Dutch colonization of the AmericasCompared with: Dutch expansion challenged Spanish claims and targeted parts of the Spanish imperial trade system.
Francis DrakeNarrower topic: Drake’s voyages attacked Spanish ports and routes across this imperial network.
HaciendaNarrower topic: Spanish colonial rule reshaped landholding and labor systems across much of Latin America.
Indigenous languages of the AmericasRelated: Spanish rule altered language ecologies through missionization, administration, and demographic upheaval.
Jesuit reductionsNarrower topic: Spanish colonial expansion created the political setting for the reductions.
Latin AmericaRelated: Spanish rule established the language and colonial institutions that define much of the region.
CumbiaRelated: Colonial society brought European instruments and dances into the cultural mix from which cumbia emerged.
Latin musicRelated: Spanish language, instruments, and institutions became part of many regional musical traditions.