Spanish colonization of the Americas

E14611

colonization component of the Spanish Empire historical process imperial expansion

The Spanish colonization of the Americas was the extensive imperial expansion by Spain from the late 15th century onward that conquered and settled vast territories in the Western Hemisphere, reshaping indigenous societies, economies, cultures, and demographics across the New World.

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Observed surface forms (11)

Surface form	Occurrences
Spanish conquest of the Americas	6
Spanish colonial era	5
Spanish colonial period	4
Spanish colonization	2
Consolidation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain	1
Spanish America	1
Spanish colonial rule in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata	1
Spanish colonization of Alta California	1
Spanish colonization of Mexico	1
Spanish colonization of the Caribbean	1
Spanish conquest	1

Statements (106)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	colonization ⓘ component of the Spanish Empire ⓘ historical process ⓘ imperial expansion ⓘ
appliesToJurisdiction	Americas ⓘ New World ⓘ
country	Crown of Castile ⓘ Kingdom of Spain ⓘ
endTime	19th century ⓘ
followed	pre-Columbian era in the Americas ⓘ
follows	voyages of Christopher Columbus ⓘ
hasCause	competition with Portugal ⓘ desire for gold and silver ⓘ dynastic and imperial ambitions of the Spanish monarchy ⓘ religious motives including Christian missionary zeal ⓘ search for new trade routes to Asia ⓘ
hasEffect	Christianization of large parts of the Americas ⓘ creation of a transatlantic trade network ⓘ creation of colonial administrative institutions ⓘ demographic collapse of many indigenous populations ⓘ destruction of some pre-Columbian civilizations ⓘ establishment of Spanish as a dominant language in much of the Americas ⓘ formation of mixed-race populations in Latin America ⓘ integration of American silver into global trade ⓘ introduction of European architectural styles in the Americas ⓘ introduction of European legal systems in the Americas ⓘ introduction of new crops to Europe ⓘ introduction of new crops to the Americas ⓘ long-term social stratification based on race and origin ⓘ restructuring of indigenous economies ⓘ spread of European diseases in the Americas ⓘ spread of Spanish cultural practices in the Americas ⓘ urbanization of many regions in the Americas ⓘ
hasPart	Christianization of indigenous peoples ⓘ Columbian Exchange ⓘ Spanish conquest of Chile ⓘ Spanish conquest of Florida ⓘ Spanish conquest of New Granada ⓘ Spanish conquest of Yucatán ⓘ Spanish conquest of the Caribbean ⓘ Spanish conquest of the Río de la Plata region ⓘ Spanish missions in California ⓘ surface form: Spanish missions in the Americas Latin American independence movements ⓘ surface form: Spanish–American wars of independence conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ conquest of the Inca Empire ⓘ encomienda system ⓘ establishment of viceroyalties ⓘ transatlantic slave trade ⓘ
location	Andes ⓘ Caribbean ⓘ Caribbean islands ⓘ Central America ⓘ Mesoamerica ⓘ Mexico ⓘ North America ⓘ Peru ⓘ Philippines ⓘ South America ⓘ
mainSubject	Atlantic slave trade ⓘ surface form: African slavery in Spanish America Atlantic world ⓘ Catholic Church in the Americas ⓘ Spanish Empire ⓘ caste system in colonial Latin America ⓘ cultural syncretism in Latin America ⓘ forced labor systems in the Americas ⓘ indigenous peoples of the Americas ⓘ indigenous resistance to colonial rule ⓘ mestizaje ⓘ plantation agriculture in the Caribbean ⓘ silver mining in Spanish America ⓘ spread of Roman Catholicism in the Americas ⓘ spread of the Spanish language in the Americas ⓘ transatlantic economy ⓘ
participant	Catholic religious orders ⓘ Spanish monarchy ⓘ surface form: Spanish Crown Spanish conquistadors ⓘ criollos ⓘ enslaved Africans ⓘ indigenous allies of Spain ⓘ indigenous peoples of the Americas ⓘ mestizos ⓘ peninsulares ⓘ
partOf	Age of Exploration ⓘ surface form: Age of Discovery European colonization of the Americas ⓘ
significantEvent	voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas ⓘ surface form: 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus Bourbon Reforms ⓘ New Laws of 1542 ⓘ Potosí ⓘ surface form: Potosí silver boom Latin American independence movements ⓘ surface form: Spanish American wars of independence Treaty of Tordesillas ⓘ Valladolid debate ⓘ Wars of the Spanish Succession impact in colonies ⓘ demographic collapse of indigenous populations ⓘ establishment of the Casa de Contratación ⓘ Viceroyalty of New Granada ⓘ surface form: establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Granada establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Spain ⓘ establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru ⓘ establishment of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ⓘ implementation of the encomienda system ⓘ implementation of the hacienda system ⓘ implementation of the repartimiento system ⓘ introduction of Christianity to many indigenous societies ⓘ introduction of horses to the Americas ⓘ spread of Old World diseases in the Americas ⓘ
startTime	1492 ⓘ late 15th century ⓘ

Referenced by (54)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas → result → Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish colonization of the Caribbean

Spanish conquistadors → resultedIn → Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ

Alexander von Humboldt → traveledTo → Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish America

Hacienda de San Juan, near present-day San Antonio, Texas → usedDuringPeriod → Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ

subject surface form: Hacienda de San Juan

this entity surface form: Spanish colonial period