Browse Items (35 total)

This primary source from 1569 shows the advice that an Aztec father gives to his sons. The source was written by a Spanish friar who was fluent in the Aztec language. At this time, the Aztecs had been taken over by the Spanish. The father tells his…

The buccaneers arrived at Lake Maracaibo, where they found everything as they had left it before. But they received news there were three Spanish "men-of-war" in the lake, lying in wait for him, and the fort had again been well equipped. The boat…

This section of "Oxford Big Ideas Humanities" provides a timeline of the events that led to the journey across the Atlantic and Spain's desires to conquer South America. The source also provides detailed descriptions of the three major civilizations…

During the age of Spanish exploration and colonization, treasure fleets regularly made trips to the Americas to deliver and collect treasures, including the many precious metals South America had to offer. In late summer these ships would join the…

The mountains of Jamaica, the jungles of Suriname, and the swamps of Carolina were dangerous. These places terrified the escaped slaves as they would terrify anyone. However, they embraced the danger in desperation, preferring them to the dangers and…

This resource provides images and maps of how the Spanish structured the colonial administration, as well as what areas the administration governed. While the leaders of the administration were typically in Spain, viceroyalties were in charge of the…

Fransisco de Xeres, secretary of Fransisco Pizarro, writes about how Pizarro and the Spanish military were able to capture Atahualpa, the king of the Incas. After being addressed by a Pizarro and a monk, Atahualpa was taken into custody. This led to…

In this letter from Hernando Pizarro, he provides on update on Peru and how well the Spanish are succeeding in the conquest. During the time that this letter was written, Pizarro and his men had just arrived in Cajamarca, which is the main city of…

Sugar production was crucial in the Americas. Molasses and rum were sugar products with lucrative trades, and these products found their way across the world. Alcohol was often the only ready supply of clean drinks, and rum in particular was…

The Caravel was an innovative new ship design that was extremely maneuverable and enabled the ship to sail into the wind, greatly increasing the potential for long voyages at sea. The caravel was critical in early Portuguese exploration of Africa as…