AT THE FRONTIERS OF EMPIRE

I. Introduction

A. How did the process of conquest differ in areas that had not been centers of indigenous empires?
B. Map of expeditions
C. Clips from the start and finish of the film Aguirre Wrath of God (Dir. Werner Herzog, 1972)

Note: The film takes fictional liberties, including combining elements of the 1541 Pizarro/Orellana expedition with the Ursua/Aguirre expedition (1559-61)

II. Frontier as Backwater: Yucatan

For more on the conquest of the Yucatan, refer to Matthew Restall, "Gaspar Antonio Chi: Bridging the Conquest of Yucatan" in The Human Tradition in Colonial Latin America, pp. 6-21.

A. Initial Spanish Forays, 1527-1534

1. Terrain: dense forests and difficult to locate fresh water
2. Maya political organization: no clear allies and no one key city
3. Intelligence: shipwrecked Spaniard among Maya

B. Spaniards leave, 1535-1540

1. Famine, disease, by 1545 population was only 1/3
2. Warfare broke out between different Maya groups

C. War of Attrition, 1540-47

1. Determined group of Spaniards, losers from other areas
2. Can find some allies because of recent wars
3. Scorched earth strategy: burned crops, villages

D. Colonialism in a backwater frontier

1. Modest living for Spanish settlers
2. Cultural Survival Maya
3. Independent Kingdom of Itza until 1697 (For more on Itza, see Grant D. Jones, "AhChan: The Conquest of the Itza Maya Kingdom," in The Human Tradition in Colonial Latin America, 164-88.)

III. Frontier as Magnet: Zacatecas (Finished on Oct. 8, 2009)

A. No major cities, but discovery of Silver, 1546-50
B . “Chichimeca” resistance: attacked Spanish caravans and mining camps

1. Decentralization/mobility
2. No clear enemies/allies
3. Time to adapt: tactics, weapons, ambushes

C. “War by Fire and Blood”, 1550-85

1. Enslavement of captives under "just war" doctrine

2. gave incentive for some Spaniards to keep fighting

3. Chichimecas surviving on looting

D . “Peace by Purchase,” 1585-1600

1. Prospectors need peace

2. Crown willing to fund because would get one fifth of silver

3. Some indigenous peoples tired of effects of war

4. Spain offers aid (farming supplies and training)

E . Those indigenous who do not accept treatires, move farther north

IV. Conclusions: Balance of Forces

A. Degree of centralization
B. No clear divisions among indigenous groups
C. Time to adapt

Question:

How did the process of conquest differ in areas that had not been centers of indigenous empires?

I.D. Terms:

Yucatan
Zacatecas

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