THE COLONIAL PERIOD
The ColonyThe colony was between 1600-1800
The colony of Chile was controlled by Spain.
The colony sent things to Spain (wheat, corn, copper, wood)
Spain was a rich country because it had many colonies that sent nice things
The Colonial Society There were many different types of people
that lived in the colonies:
-people that came from Spain -people who had parents that came
from Spain, but they were born in Chile -natives -blacks from Africa -people that had one parent that was Spanish and one that was a native
Homework1) What is a “criollo?” 2) What is a “mestizo?”3) What types of people were in the upper class (La
aristocracia)? Write 2 facts about the upper class.
4) What types of people were in the middle class (el sector medio)? Write 2 facts about the middle class.
5) What type of people were in the lower class (nivel mas bajo)? Write 2 facts about the lower class.
www.icarito.cl Search “Sociedad colonial”
Part 1 Colony 2:30-3:40 9:00-9:45
Social Classes in the Colony White skin Spanish
Criollos
Mid color skin Poor Spanish
Mestizos
Dark skin Natives
Blacks
Class level Groups in this class
Description Jobs
Upper class SpanishCriollos
Middle Class MestizosPoor Spanish
Lower Class NativesBlacks
Upper Class-Spanish: born in Spain and came to live in Chile
-Criollos: born in Chile, but both of their parents were Spanish
-The Spanish had MORE power than criollos-This was the smallest class-They owned land and had power in government-They all had WHITE skin
Middle Class Mestizos: one parent was Spanish and
the other parent was a native.
They had jobs such as vendors, artesania, writers, etc.
Their skin color was darker.
Lower Class Natives: both parents were natives and had
always lived in Chile
Blacks: slaves brought from Africa to work in the hardest and most dangerous jobs
They worked on the farms of the encomenderos
They had no power or money They had DARK skin (or black skin)
If a person had white skin = upper class
If a person had skin color between white and dark = middle class
If a person had dark skin = lower class
Mestizo woman Spanish man
Their child will be______________
Native woman Spanish man
Their child will be ___________
Skin color was important in EVERY colony
Spain owned Chile…but the king was VERY far away.
How did the king of Spain have control over a colony so far away?
The Government of the Colony The king of Spain sent a Viceroy (Virrey)
to the colony to be in charge. The Viceroy was a Spanish man loyal to the king.
Spain made most of the laws for the colony to follow
Other institutions were created in Spain and Chile to control the colony
These men selected important authorities in the colony.
These men controlled the trade between Spain and the colony.
These were territories of Spain in America.
These were also territories of Spain, but they were not completely peaceful and dominated by the Spanish. A military leader was in charge of them.
These men were the judges in the colony. They decided justice.
These were made of men that lived in the colony. They made laws for the colony.
Part 1 Colonia 1:30-2:30
The Encomienda System The king of Spain gave land in Chile to the
men who helped in the conquest of Chile. This man was a “Encomendero”
-The governor gave natives to each encomendero
-The natives worked for NO money -The encomendero had to give food, clothing, religion, and housing to natives
Many natives died in the mines Many got infections and illnesses/viruses
Because so many natives died, the Spanish brought African slaves to work the land
What do you think of the encomienda system?
Was it necessary?
Was it abuse?
Was it slavery?
Could we use the encomienda system today?
What would YOU think if you were a native in the encomienda system?
Commercial Monopoly Chile made leather, wheat, dry fruit,
wine, copper, wood, and furniture.
Chile was ONLY allowed to trade with Spain and the other Spanish colonies
When a colony can ONLY trade with some places, it is called a MONOPOLY