The Hispanic EmpireA global empire

After the beginning of the conquest of America during the sixteenth century, the Spanish dominions grew into a great empire, the largest in the world at that time. After the death of the Catholic Kings, the king Carlos I of Spain managed to be Emperor of Germany as Carlos V. The Spanish Crown controlled much of Europe, including Austria, Hungary, now Belgium, southern Italy , other territories and several Mediterranean islands. Spain defeated the Turkish Empire and controlled much of the Mediterranean; occupied much of America; established colonies in Africa; and dominated the archipelago of the Philippines in Asia. It was the largest empire in the world.

Spanish America

In America, the early sixteenth century, the Spanish controlled Caribbean islands, with center in Cuba, and the _ island Española (now Dominican Republic and Haiti). Then, on the mainland, "they conquered Panama, Central America and Mexico, and came to Florida, Texas and California, in the United States today. In South America, they occupied from Venezuela and the Caribbean coast of Colombia today, to the Andean highlands, Chile and the Rio de la Plata (now Argentina).

To rule the vast American empire, the Spaniards divided into viceroys, each with a viceroy. In North and Central America the Viceroyalty of "New Spain" was established, with its capital in Mexico, and in South America the "Peru", with its capital in Lima. They also had the general captaincy, and audiences. In each of the regions was a governor. The cities had their council.

The Spaniards wanted gold and other precious metals from America. To get them, they organized their empire around the mining centers of Mexico and Upper Peru (now Bolivia), which coincided with the spaces of the viceroys. Other territories produced additionally foods, textiles and other goods.

Colonization

The Spanish colonization of America was not easy. After the violent wars of conquest, Aboriginal societies were controlled based on agreements with the chiefs, who kept power over their communities. The colonizers fought among themselves and with the authorities who came from Spain. The colonial system was organized on indigenous societies which already existed. For example, it is no coincidence that the centers of settlement were established in the territories of the greatest empires of the continent, the Aztecs and the Incas.

Many conflicts were given, but over time the councils were created, audiences and viceroys in the conquered territories. Along with the civil authorities, church settled, one of the strongest support bases of the colonial regime.

Destiny of The Empire

With the wealth of America, Spain consolidated its great empire, kept wars in

Europe, and consumed many resources. Spain confronted Portugal, which moved from Brazil, and other countries such as England and France, which occupied several Caribbean islands and territories in North America. At the end of his reign, Carlos V gave Germany to his brother. Spain, America and other possessions to his son Felipe II. The Hispanic Empire remained powerful, but in a few decades, in the seventeenth century, was already in decline.

What was a colony?

When a country conquered a territory, it became their colony. With this, the colonizer country, or metropolis, organized the colony to benefit from the exploitation of their resources and labor of its inhabitants. In a colony, a territory and its inhabitants were dominated by a powerful country that took advantage of it. The colony was ruled by authorities of the metropolis, which collected taxes to people, and carried part of the product of their work.

Over the centuries, many regions of the world were powerful colonies, especially European states. Nowadays, most countries are independent. There are very few colonies in the world. However, state intervention and exploitation still exist in many places.

Initial ColonizationCivil Wars

When the wars of conquest were over, fighting erupted between conquerors. Francisco Pizarro fought with his partner Diego de Almagro for the control of Cuzco and Peru. Almagro was defeated and executed. His son led a revolt, killed Pizarro and took power. The Spanish authorities sent a commissioner, but the young Almagro was not subjected and was defeated and executed.

In addition to internal rivalries among conquerors, there was a more fundamental conflict between them. Some tried to control the conquered lands independently, and the Spanish Crown wanted to subject the entire continent to its direct authority. For this, new laws which centralized political and economic control of the colonies in the hands of the Crown and established mechanisms for protection of indigenous were issued.

Gonzalo Pizarro grouped the colonists, defeated the viceroy Vaca de Castro in Quito, and executed him. The Crown sought support from newly arrived settlers. Pedro de la Gasca was sent by the king to form an army and, in 1548, in Jaquijaguana, near Cuzco, defeated Pizarro, who was executed with his lieutenants.

The charges

As we have seen, two processes were given at the beginning of colonization. On the one hand, domination and dispossession of indigenous people. On the other, the conflict of the colonizers who tried to retain the autonomous power, but they were defeated by the representatives of the Crown.

At first the Spaniards needed local caciques, who remained as authorities in their villages, but under control mechanisms established by the conquerors. To do this, they used the charge, which consisted of commission or "encomienda", that the Crown made to a Spanish colonist, the encomenderos, a group of indigenous people for a religious doctrinero (paid by the encomendero) teach them Christian doctrine.

The Indians paid tribute to the Crown through the encomendero, for the "benefit" of Christianization. They gave money to the encomendero or worked for him. Thus, the charge was an instrument of tax collection and also of "evangelization".

Administrative Organization

To assert its presence in the occupied territories, the conquerors founded villages or cities in all regions where they settled. So, Quito (1534), Porto Viejo and Guayaquil (1535), Popayan and Cali (1536), Pasto (1539), Loja (1548), Zaruma and Zamora (1550), Cuenca (1557), Baeza (1559), Tena (1560), and Riobamba (1575) emerged. Each had its council formed by the colonizers. In Quito, a governor appointed by the King settled, who, along with the council, was in charge of distributing the land and organizing services.

ince the conquest, religious people arrived, they were dedicated to evangelization. Later the Diocese of Quito was founded, the center of religious administration in command of a bishop. The first was the bachelor Arias Díaz García, who took office in 1550.

For legal and political administration, in 1563 the Royal Audience of Quito was created as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, with a president of the Audiencia, who was the first authority. The first president was Hernando de Santillan, who took office in 1564. During the government of the viceroy of Peru, Francisco de Toledo (1569-1581), administrative and fiscal reforms that strengthened the colonial power in the whole Viceroyalty and the Real Audiencia de Quito were performed.

Rebellion of the Alcabalas

In 1592, an order from Spain demanded that alcabala started to be charged _ came to Quito, a tax of 2% on purchases and sales were made. The council protested, but the President wanted to impose the fee. He ordered take Alfonso Moreno Bellido prisoner, delegate council. So the people stood up, broke the gates of the prison and released Moreno.

The news that troops were coming from the south exalted the people, who kept the protest and did not pay the tax. Moreno was killed. At the end Quitenos accepted a mediator and began to pay the tax. The event was a symptom of a confrontation between the settlers and Creoles, who refused to pay taxes to the authorities representing the Crown. The situation was complicated when sometimes they protected the Indians. In the end, the Crown won this episode.

Rise of the colonial orderPeople’s occupations

Many workers were needed to keep the colonies. The Spaniards used the mita, which came from the time of the Incas, to get them. The mita was the obligation of indigenous adults had to work for the settlers. The authorities distributed this work time. Part of mitayos were reserved for public works; others were given to Spanish settlers requiring labor. The work was hard, but they needed a salary to pay tribute.

Mitayos were used in several activities: domestic house, utilities (such as water transport and care of roads), agriculture, and grazing sheep. The work was performed by twelve or fourteen hours a day.

Textile production

Between the late sixteenth century and early eighteenth century, that is over a hundred years, there was a boom period of the colonial relationship. The Spanish Crown to transformed America into a provider of precious metals, and organized regions of the empire by specialty in the production of goods to supply centers where metals were extracted. The Royal Audience of Quito was dedicated to produce food and, above all, fabrics that were sold in Potosi, a mining center in today's Bolivia, where a huge amount of gold was exploited, but especially silver, which was carrying to Spain.

Large numbers of sheep were bred, and the texile plants were established for the production of fabrics. Most mitayos worked there. There were many textile mills, especially in the northern and central Sierra. In 1681 there were two hundred, which employed nearly thirty thousand workers. The fabrics were transported to Potosi through Guayaquil and Lima, or overland through Loja, and the Peruvian Andes, to the south of present Bolivia. Economic power was concentrated in the hands of large producers and traders of textiles, who handled their own textile mills or rented them from the Crown. The wealth produced in Quito was partly for them and mainly to Spain. What we know today as Ecuador had since then relationship with the international economy.

Colonial Life

The seventeenth century was boom in textile production, and stability in the metrópolicolonia relationship. It began with the administration of President Miguel de Ibarra, who in 1606 ordered to found the city that takes its name. Ibarra and his successors encouraged the construction of monasteries and temples; expanded religious missions in the Amazon and promoted shipyards Guayaquil. In the middle of boom, there were constant fighting between civil and ecclesiastical powers, and fighting between religious Creoles and Spaniards for the control of religious orders. Between thirty and fifty were economic difficulties, and land grabbing was intensified by the Spaniards. Quito suffered droughts and pests, but some cultural boom occurred.

In the following decades, until the late seventies, Pichincha eruptions destroyed much of Quito and other cities. Then Mariana de Jesus, who was later declared a saint by the Catholic Church, stood out. Guayaquil was attacked by pirates. There was a drought and an earthquake that destroyed Latacunga in 1692, repeated in 1698 and also damaged Ambato and Riobamba. The economic crisis began to be felt, but the productive and commercial activities were still large. In Guayaquil, shipping was much more intense than at the beginning of the century, and large ships were built.

The paths to the sea

The main port of the Audience of Quito was Guayaquil. But getting there was difficult and dangerous. Tropical diseases proliferated; The port was located far south to Panama and the journey was very long. So they tried to enable other ports on the coast. Don Antonio de Morga, president of the Royal Court between 1615 and 1636, planned a road from Quito via Ibarra, to Pailón, in northern Esmeraldas, which was the shortest way to reach Panama. But the Crown did not sponsor it. Morga built a road from Quito to Bahia de

Caráquez, shortest to traders Guayaquil sea.The traders from Guayaquil achieved, thanks to the Viceroy, an order of removal. Morga tried to create the Viceroyalty of Quito, but it was unsuccessful. Anyway, he was a very important ruler. He managed to improve a lot the production of textiles, which became the most important activity of the Royal Audience of Quito.

The Crisis

An empire in decline

In the middle of decadence, the beginning of the eighteenth century was for Spain and its colonial empire the beginning of a new era. Carlos II, the last king of the Asturias' family, died without children and a war broke out in Europe for the Spanish throne. A prince from the Borbon's family won, who reigned as Felipe V.. Kings Bourbons, especially Carlos III, tried to change the traditional administration of Spanish economy and prompted a modernization project that tended to turn Spain into an industrial power. For this purpose the "Bourbon reforms," which brought a number of imitations to trade in the colonies were introduced.

Plagues and Disasters

In the first decades of the eighteenth century, a new period of colonization began in the Royal Court, which went characterized by a major crisis. With nearly two centuries of overexploitation, indigenous decreased in number. They died for the work and many diseases. Plagues killed entire populations. In addition, natural disasters hit the country. Several of the strongest earthquakes in history occurred, which meant not only human losses and destruction of cities, but disorganization in production and deteriorating roads.

Fall of textiles

The internal calamities were aggravated by a fall of the entire colonial economy. The metals, which were the center of activity of the American Empire, began to run out. The Peruvian mines suffered a serious crisis, which also impacted in supplier areas such as the Royal Audience of Quito. The Quito textiles quickly lost its traditional markets in Potosi. The similar European products of better quality and competitive price, arriving for contraband, gradually replaced the products of Quito.

The demand for textiles fell, and prices also declined. Many mills closed and the remaining ones reduced production.

Suppression of the Hearing

A confluence of external and internal causes, exacerbated by the implementation of the Bourbon reforms, caused the "crisis of the thousand

seven hundred. "But while the crisis was long and hard, the Bourbon reforms did not achieve their goal, especially that Spain was transformed into an industrial power. The eighteenth century began in Quito with the news of the change of dynasty in Spain, and with serious clashes between colonial officials.

These events influenced the decision of the Crown to suppress the Audiencia of Quito in 1717. That was when it was created the new Viceroyalty of Santa Fe de Bogotá, which were attached to the Quito constituencies. This decision was made with the intention of saving, reform and administrative centralization. In a few years the new viceroyalty was abolished and the jurisdiction of Quito were again assigned to Lima, and his hearing was restored in 1720. Later, the Viceroyalty of Santa Fe was finally restored, and the Audiencia of Quito became its jurisdiction.

Diseases and medicines

From 1634-1650, Quito suffered plagues, droughts and storms. The council again brought the Virgen del Quinche for prayers in the Cathedral. The healing methods consisted of bloodletting, with cuts in the skin to remove the contaminated blood. Or they were given a laxative to cleanse the stomach. The most common remedies was the wine, rock salt, myrrh and saffron. The councils authorized to barbers for "bleeding, heal wounds, fractures and dislocations and pulling teeth.

The most common illnesses were malaria, typhus (typhoid fever), mouse (measles or smallpox), croup (diphtheria), tertians (fever), flow belly (dysentery). An epidemic of measles in Quito killed 2,400 people. Many women died in childbirth, and most of the children did not reach six years old.

The sick people were cured at home. Hospitals were maintained through donations and alms. The Guayaquil was "Santa Catalina Virgen y Martir"; the one of Quito, the "Misericordia", changed its name to "San Juan de Dios" when religious took over its administration.

Major Agricultural ChangesStrengthening the Hacienda

With the decline of textile production, farming became important and the land ownership acquired value. Land concentration in the hands of wealthy white accelerated. Indigenous communities lost their lands by forced sales or actions of dispossession. The haciendas (farms) were areas of land where agricultural

products were cultivated, they raised cattle and sometimes, "panela" or sweet, and rum was produced. They belonged to the landlords, which means owners of the land.

As they ran out and had to pay land taxes and religious obligations, the Indians had to work as laborers on farms. To ensure that the laborers did not abandon, the landlords gave them advances on payments. With the debt they were tied to the estates. At mid-eighteenth century, the farms were the center of the economy in

the Sierra. They supplied local and regional markets. The obrajes that were joined to the estates. The sale of textiles in local markets and in the Cauca Valley continued.

Coast Growth

In the early eighteenth century, the Coast was a region with very few inhabitants, limited production and very small towns. But it started a huge growth thanks to the increase in exports of cacao, the fruit from which chocolate is made. In the province of Guayaquil, the cacao plantations of landowners port grew. There, browns (Sambo and mulattos), and other coastal indigenous mestizos coming from the Sierra worked. Alongside the haciendas there were small farmers properties, producing tobacco, bananas and other foods. Guayaquil intensified trade with Peru and, above all, New Spain (now Mexico).

Boom of the southern Sierra

In the Sierra, there was a growing population and economy. In regions of Cuenca and Loja, haciendas were medium and there were many small properties. Cattle was raised, and cotton, fruits, grains and sugar cane was also produced. In the southern Sierra, textiles were made with the work of families, and cascarillas or quinine ,which was used for fevers of malaria, were collected. A group of traders allied to the Crown did exports.

A difficult century

The crisis brought poverty and social discontent as well as conflicts between ecclesiastical and struggles with civil government. The Church, the bishops and religious communities increased their wealth and influence over people. Between 1728 and 1736, the president of the Audiencia, and Alcedo Dionisio Herrera, a Bourbon official, made efforts to reform the administration and controlling the private power and the Church. In 1734, the Geodesic Mission arrived, it had a lot of cultural and scientific influence.

After mid-century, the power of large landowners, and the church grew. The State made an effort to centralize, and this definitely established tobacconist, a monopoly of trade in liquor. There was a strong urban rebellion, but tobacconists remained. The second half of the eighteenth century was shaken by indigenous uprisings, caused by taxes and abuses by the authorities and settlers. They were strongly repressed by the authorities and the white Creoles, who feared that they would become as large movements as the ones in Peru and Upper Peru, led by Tupac Amaru and Tupac Jatari.

In 1766, President José Diguja executed the order of Carlos III. This order consisted of expelling the Society of Jesus. This religious order had been able to accumulate huge wealth which came to royal power. Then, the crown sold them to other people and reinforced the power of the Creole landowners.

Colonial Culture

Culture and Domination

To dominate the conquered peoples, Spanish colonizers not only used force. As we have seen, they also turned to the teaching of Christian doctrine, "evangelization". With that, customs and beliefs that prevailed in the European vision developed, but with a strong Indian influence. The inequalities of colonial society were reflected in the

culture. White, Spaniards and Creoles controlled education and culture. Only they could enter and run educational institutions. The black, poor mestizos, and Indians worked to keep them, but they could not join them.

Education

In early colonial times, the Franciscan religious established schools for children of Indian chiefs, where Christian doctrine, reading, writing and arts were taught. Then other schools were created in convents; there only white people could go. Schools prepared aspirings to become member of the Catholic clergy. These institutions also

received a lay, or rather, people who were not members of the clergy.

Religious people founded schools. Among them, San Fernando, of the Dominican fathers and the San Luis, parents of the Jesuits emphasized. They also founded schools in Cuenca, Riobamba and other cities. In schools Arithmetic,

Grammar and Literature or some "Rhetoric" were taught.

Fifty-two years after the foundation of Quito, the Augustinians established the University of San Fulgencio. Then, the Jesuits founded the University of San Gregorio Magno, and Dominicans founded the University of St. Thomas Aquinas. In universities, philosophy, theology and law were taught. Later in the Colonial Era, Medicine studies were

established. Universities formed their own teachers, church leaders, lawyers and doctors. Mestizos could not access

formal education. They learned crafts in workshops or did farm work. Women did not go to primary or secondary schools, they were taught household chores. Only a few women from high social position learned how to read, write, and manual labor in monasteries Fray Jodoco Ricke baptizing females.

Sciences

Scientific knowledge was very limited. But colleges and universities taught recent scientific advances in Europe. In 1736, the Geodesic Mission arrived in Quito, sent by the French Academy, to measure a meridian, directed by Carlos Maria de la Condamine. Academics accompanied by Spanish Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, remained several years in these lands. There were people from Quito that stood out in scientific studies. Notable exception was the wise riobambeño Pedro Vicente Maldonado, who drew the first map of the Audiencia of Quito, accompanied the geodesics and was a member of the scientific academies of Paris and London.

The Printing Press

The first printing press arrived in the Audiencia of Quito in 1755. It was installed in Ambato by the Jesuits, whom then moved to Quito. There, religious books and official writings of the Audience were printed. In the nineties, the country's first newspaper was printed.

Popular Culture

Although they did not receive formal education, popular groups had strong cultural traits. Indigenous communities preserved their practices, traditions, and assimilated Christianity. The festivals and customs were the center of

community life, and allowed them to keep their identity. In the last colonial century, a strong presence of mestizo

society was consolidated. Mixed culture and identity were very important in our history.