Chapter 7South America: Shaped by its history

Section 1: The Chibcha People

VocabularyA Spanish legend about a place of great riches

(Disney movie The Road to El Dorado)

Corn

A grain that can be ground into flour

The small ruling group of a society who inherit their positions

A political unit

El Dorado

Maize

Quinoa

Nobles

District

The Legend of El DoradoIn the highlands of the Andes Mountains hundreds of years ago, a sacred ceremony took place. Gold dust was sprinkled over the body of a king. He was placed in a boat and rowed out to the center of a sacred lake. Objects made of gold surrounded him in the boat. He plunged into the water, washing the gold off into the lake. The gold objects were thrown into the water after him.

This ceremony was carried out by the Chibchas. They used this ceremony to offer gifts of gold to the gods. The Spanish, who came to South America in the 1500s, called this ceremony El Hombre Dorado. This means the “golden man”. The ceremony gave rise to the legend of El Dorado. For years, Spanish explorers searched for the land of the great riches. But, it was never found.

Who Were the Chibchas?Ancestors of this group migrated from North & Central AmericaLived primarily on Isthmus (?) of Panama and Northern South America1300—estab. a thriving civilization

Andes Highlands was ideal place to settleLand space & fertile soilTemperatures were moderate & plenty of

rainSettled in what is modern day Colombia

Still most populated part of the continent today

Where They Lived

Homeland was suited for farmingBeans, squash & potatoes grew wellAlso raised maizeCotton crops provided clothing

Mined for emeralds & saltUsed emeralds to trade for other goods

that are not available in the region

Farming & Mining

Life Among the ChibchasLived in small villages of just a few hundred peopleChief homes set apart from other villagersLived in circular homes

cone shaped roofs w/ clay floorsClothing was simple

men & women wore 2 pieces of white cloth, 1 wrapped around their upper body & 1 wrapped around their lower body

Chiefs painted red & black on their clothes

Wove cotton, made jewelry & other craftsTraded goods in the market for money

Wanted to specifically trade for gold

Village Life

Work & Trade

Ruled by a small # of noblesRight to rule passed down thru families

Warriors were a special groupNobles selected warriors from among the

common peopleHad more privileges then commoners did

Territory was divided into districts1 ruler governed each district & held all

powerRulers: demanded taxes, labor & goods wore lots of jewelry & expensive

clothes carried around on gold couches

Zipa: leader of most powerful district, ruled from a thrown of gold

Chibcha Society

Ruling the Chibchas

Worshipped things in natureConsidered lakes to be sacredSun & moon

Offered gifts to the godsEx. Gold & Cotton

Priests were chosen from the noblesMaintained temples to the GodsLed religious ceremonies

Religious Practices

What Happened to the Chibchas?1536: Spanish king sent Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada to work in South American coloniesQuesada headed into homeland of the ChibchasZipa led unsuccessful attacks on Quesada & his men

Zipa went into hiding & was killedGroups of Chibchas kept fighting the Spanish

efforts were not organized

In a few years, the Spanish had taken control of the land1538: turned Chibcha capitol into the Spanish

capitol of BogotaChibcha culture was completely changed by arrival of the Spanish

converted many to ChristianityChibcha language declined and Spanish became

the official 1

Today:People of mixed Chibcha & Spanish ancestry live

Section 2The Incas: People of the Sun

VocabularyCapitol of the Incan Empire

Emperor of the Incas, who expanded their empire

Official count of all the people in an area

Knotted strings on which the Incas recorded information

A pipe or channel that carries water from a distant source

Cuzco

Topa Inca

Census

Quipu

Aqueduct

The Rise of the Incas1200: Settled in CuzcoMost Incas were farmers

Grew maize & other cropsTake over the entire Cuzco Valley

Did this by conquest & wars

1438: Pachacuti became ruler of the IncasName—”he who shakes the Earth”Conquered the people of the AndesDemanded loyalty from the people he

conqueredHe would force them off land if not &

replace them with people who would be

Topa Inca took over (Pachacuti’s son)Expanded the empire

Incan CivilizationExcellent farmers, builders & managers

Cuzcocapitol & center of the gov’t Spanish compared it to an extravagant

Spanish city

Carefully organizedEmperor chose nobles to govern each province

Conducted a census so that people could be taxedOfficials collected crops as taxesVillagers had to work on gov’t building projectsGov’t took care of poor, sick & elderlyDidn’t have a written language

Quipus: had a main cord with several colored strings attached, each color represented a dif. Item

Knots of different sizes stood for #’s

Government & Records

Roads, Bridges & Aqueducts

Built more than 14,000 miles of roadsBuilt on some of the most mountainous

roads in the worldHelped Incas govern

Runners used roads to deliver messagesArmies used the roads for speedy travel

Needed bridges to cover the deep gorgesSwift rivers flow through the gorgesBuilt rope bridges to pass through the

obstacleBuilt canals & aqueducts to carry water to dry areas

Ex. 1 carried water from 500 miles awayAllowed Incans to irrigate land

Incan Buildings Masters of building w/ stoneConstructed cities, palaces, temples & fortresses (?) w/o modern toolsUsed hammers & chisels

Able to perfectly fit together stones w/o the help of cement

Even today a piece of paper cannot be fit b/w themMachu Picchu is still standing today

Buildings & stairs carved into a mountainside

Roads cut into bare rock

Religion Worshipped many GodsPracticed human sacrifice

Inti was the Sun God1 of most importantBelieved Inti was their parent & they

referred to themselves as “children of the sun”

Viracocha was the creator of all the people of the Andes according to Incan belief

The Quechua:Descendants of the Incas

Descendants of Inca live in present day PeruThey speak Quechua (Incan language)

Live in the high Andes MountainsMight be isolated from modern life but

they are heavily influenced by itEx. Religion combines Catholicism w/

traditional Incan practices

Grow enough food to feed only their familiesUse similar farming methods to those of

earlier IncansContinue weaving traditionsStill wear some traditional clothing as well

Section 3European Conquest

VocabularyConquistador who conquered the Incas

Italian explorer sponsored by Spain who landed in the West Indies in 1492

One of the conquerors who claimed & ruled land in the Americas for the Spanish government in the 1500s

Incan emperor in the early 1530s

Latin America, a person of mixed Spanish & Native American ancestry

A large farm or plantation

Fransisco Pizarro

Christopher Columbus

Conquistador

Atahualpa

Mestizo

Hacienda

Europeans Arrive in the Americas1400s—Spain & Portugal were searching for new trade routes to Asia

Asia contained spices & silks (could be traded for huge profit in Europe)

Columbus thought he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic

He asked Portugal to sponsor him, they said NO

Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to sponsor himSet sail in August of 1492

He reached land on October 12—he believed he had reached the East Indies in Asia

Called the people he met Indians

Columbus Reaches America

Columbus MakesHis Discovery

Spain & Portugal were now in a race to explore more of America

1494—2 nations signed Treaty of Tordesillas

Set an imaginary line (the Line of Demarcation)

Gave Spain right to settle & trade West of the line, Portugal could do the same East of the lineThis treaty is why the language of Brazil is Portuguese

Dividing a Continent

The Success of Conquistadors

Spanish rulers did not pay for expeditions to find riches in America

They gave the conquistadors the right to hunt for treasure & to settle the land they found

Conquistadors agreed to give the Spanish 1/5 of what they foundQuickly conquered some of largest civilizations in Latin America

Fransisco Pizarro went after the Incan Empire1531—brought 180 Spanish soldiers to conquer the

landAtahualpa didn’t pay much attention to his small

group b/c he was fighting a civil war against his brother1532—Pizarro invited Atahualpa & his people to a

feast

3000 Incans went to this feastPizarro tricked them & captured Atahualpa, Spanish

gunfire killed many of the Incans1534—the emperor was killed & Incan empire was conquered

Conquistadors Con’t…Leaders of America had no clue what the conquistadors were doing

Spanish had guns, cannons & horses which scared the Native AmericansEuropeans carried diseases such as smallpox

They were a huge threat to Native Americans who had never encountered these thingsDue to local rivalries Native Americans were willing to help the Spanish conquer their rivals in different tribes

Colonization1600s—Spain had claimed much of the Americas

Claimed land from southern South America into present-day US1667—France took control of Northern South America & Portugal claimed Brazil

European settlers came into South AmericaSome came as missionaries sent by the

Catholic Church to spread ChristianitySome came to look for gold & other

richesSome simply wanted to settle & farm

If Native Americans resisted then Europeans conquered them

European Settlers Arrive

Spain controlled largest portion of the AmericasKing of Spain divided the territory up into

provincesAppointed viceroys—representatives who

ruled the provinces in the king’s nameOther Spaniards helped the viceroys rule

Council in Spain that resided over the colonial rulers to make sure they didn’t become too powerful1 of most important provinces was Peru, capitol was Lima

Spanish social classes determined where people lived in Lima

Most powerful lived in center of the city (either Spanish or of Spanish descent)

Mestizos lived on the outskirts of the city (poor)

Native Americans con’t to live in countrysideSpanish forced Native Americans to work on haciendas

Spain Organize

s Its Empire

Settlers received encomiendasRights to demand taxes or labor from

Native AmericansWhen silver was discovered Native Americans were forced to mine as well

Many died from overwork, malnutrition & diseaseFirst 50 years of Spanish rule

Native American population declined from 25 million to 3 million

Spanish needed more workers so they imported slaves from Africa (millions were brought in)

Colony of PortugalMost settlers remained near coastThey took land from Native Americans for sugar plantations & cattle ranchesDependent on forced labor from enslaved Africans as well

The Effect of European Rule

Brazil

Section 4Independence

VocabularyOverthrow of a government, with another taking its place

A person with Spanish parents who was born in South America

South American revolutionary leader

South American revolutionary leader

Military officer who rules a country very strictly

Revolution

Criollo

Simon Bolivar

Jose de San Martin

Caudillo

The Seeds of Revolution1825—most of the continent was independent

No longer ruled by EuropeansBecame inspired by 2 revolutions

1.) American Revolution which led to the establishment of the US

2.) French Revolution in 1789 to overthrow current gov’tCriollos paid attention to these events

Best educated & wealthiest in Spanish colonies but had little power

Liked the idea that people could govern themselvesOnly people born in Spain could hold gov’t positionsPeople were frightened by idea of revolution1791—slave revolt in Haiti

Slavery ended & formerly enslaved ppl governed themselves

Criollos didn’t want this, they wanted independence but power for themselves

South American Independence

Simon Bolivar

Bolivar the Liberator

Born in Venezuela in 1783Was a criollo

Family was 1 of richest & most importantStudied in Europe

Became committed to independence in South America

1807—joined the fight for Venezuelan independence1813—became leader of independence movement1814—forced into exile when Spanish retook Venezuela

spent his time planning gov’ts for future independent countries

August1819—returned to South Americaled an attack against Spanish in New

Granada1822—Bolivar’s troops had freed a large area from Spanish rule

Criollo as wellStepped in to help when Argentina begin it’s fight for freedomTook great care of his troops

He suffered when they suffered kind of thing1817—Martin & his troops passed over Andes Mtns into Chile

Bold action took Spanish by surpriseDefeated Spain in a matter of monthsDeclared the independence of Chile

Planned a surprise attack on Peru from the seaSpanish was not prepared & were

defenselessJuly 1821—San Martin seized the capitol of Peru

San Martin Fights for Freedom

San Martin and Bolivar met to discuss the fight for independence

Historians don’t know what happened at the meeting but afterwards San Martin gave up his command

Bolivar was left to fight aloneBolivar drove the remaining Spanish forces out & seized power1825—he was president of Gran Colombia & dictator of Peru

Became independent w/o fighting a warEarly 1800s there was a war in Europe

French armies invaded Spain & PortugalPortugal’s royal family fled to Brazil

1821—king returned to Portugal & left his son in chargeDom Pedro took more power then king expected

Declared Brazil independent in 1822Quietly, 3 yrs later, Portugal admitted

they were

An Important Meeting

Brazil Takes a Different

Route

Even though independence was achieved there was still many challenges

Set up new governments & constitutionsEconomic difficultiesParts of countries needed to be rebuilt

Bolivar dreamed of uniting South America like the US

Dream was impossible due to layout of landBolivar retired in 1830

Set the standard for South American leaders

Independence Brings

Challenges

Section 5: From Past to Present

VocabularyA ruler with complete power

To send products from one country to be sold in another

To bring products into one country from another

Money owed by one country to other countries

A particular administration or government

Dictator

Export

Import

Foreign Debt

Regime

A Troubled PastMany problems w/ roots in colonial past still remain today

Criollos gained power after independenceMost mestizos & Natives remained poor

Slaves did not have much opportunity to better their livesCaudillos ruled many South American countries

ignored the constitutionsbecame dictators

Life changed little for ordinary peopleExports & Imports became important to South America in past and present

Export: farm products, mineralsImport: manufactured goods

Colonial Legacy

Foreign companies begin to invest in South America

built seaports & railroads to export products

were interested in taking resources 1903—US wanted to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama

benefit American trade & NavyColombia refused permissionPresident Roosevelt backed a revolt by the

people of Panama against Colombia (US now allowed to build it)1904—Roosevelt claimed US had right to keep law and order there

Said US could force South America to pay their debtsUS intervened for next 20 years in South America

Foreign Involvement

The Struggle ContinuesGroups wanted to improve conditions for the poor

1930s & 40s—reformers wanted to divide land more equally & diversify the economies1960s & 70s—military regimes seized power

ruled harshly—censored press, outlawed political parties, imprisoned or killed those who opposed1980s—elected governments replaced harsh regimes

some elected leaders still abused their powerStill facing problems today

Countries had borrowed money to improve economies

spent money but were not bringing in as muchTo make up difference they borrowed money from wealthy countriesWorld Bank & International Monetary Fund

offered money under strict conditions (many unfair)

The Beginnings

of Reform

Foreign Debt

South American countries are trying to improve their economies through trade

Organization of American States (OAS) supports free trade agreements to make it easier to trade b/w North & South AmericaEfforts to improve economy continues today

Looking Toward the

Future