WHAT WAS THE HISPANIC PERIOD? - HISTORY - 2025

The Hispanic period refers to the stage that began at the end of the 15th century, with the discovery of the «New World», and culminated in the 19th century, with the independence movements in the Spanish colonies in America. In this sense, the Hispanic period is the history of the birth, development and fall of Spain as an empire.

The arrival of Europeans to the American continent changed the course of history: millions of Spaniards moved to the New World in search of new opportunities and wealth.

Seal of King Fernando the Catholic on the map of America

Colonies were established and a system was organized that allowed to exploit the land as well as the mineral wealth of America, in short, Spain became the largest European empire after the Roman Empire.

This period lasted just over three centuries and traditionally. It is divided into three stages: the discovery of America, the conquest and the colony.

Phases of the Hispanic period

The discovery of America

The discovery of America occurred in 1492 and marks not only the beginning of the Hispanic period, but also the beginning of the Renaissance, leaving the Medieval Era behind.

It is considered that the first time that Europeans reached the lands of the American continent was in 1492, when the expedition of Christopher Columbus reached the island of Guanahaní, which he named San Salvador.

Although Columbus was an Italian explorer, his expedition was sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabel de Castilla and Fernando de Aragón, which allowed Spain to expand more than any other empire in America.

Columbus made four expeditions to what was then known as the West Indies.

On his first trip he founded La Navidad, which would later be named Hispaniola (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

On his second voyage (1493), the construction of the city of Isabella began, after having decimated the Taínos, the island's aboriginal population. In 1496, his brother Bartolomeo founded Santo Domingo.

The conquest of America

In 1500, the Taínos were still resisting the Spanish invasion, refusing forced labor on the plantations.

In this same year, the first explorations in the continental territory took place; These explorations were followed by the first conquest initiatives within the continent.

In this sense, the city of Nueva Cádiz was founded on the island of Cubagua, Venezuela; shortly after, Alonso Ojeda founded the city of Santa Cruz (Guajira Peninsula, Venezuela).

Between 1519 and 1521, the Aztec Empire was conquered. This conquest was guided by Hernán Cortés, who took advantage of the rivalries between the Aztec peoples to separate the empire; This is why the capture of this territory was done in such a short time.

The fall of the Aztec Empire allowed the Spanish to take control of other neighboring territories, such as Guatemala and Yucatán. The latter, which was Mayan territory, was a much longer campaign and lasted from 1551 to 1697.

In 1536, a permanent colony was established in Buenos Aires; however, this colony would be abandoned in 1541 due to the attacks of the aborigines. In 1537, Asunción was founded, today Paraguay.

In 1532, Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca emperor, which represented the first step in the struggle for the conquest of Inca territory (today, Peru). Finally, in 1572, the Spanish put an end to the last resistance in said territory.

The colony

Once the Spanish conquered a territory, they established colonies in it. In 1535, King Carlos I of Spain authorized the creation of the first viceroyalty in the American territory, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, whose capital would be the current Mexico City.

Francisco Álvarez Toledo, Viceroy of Peru

In 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was established, with its capital in Lima. This viceroyalty was made up of the territory of Peru and the New Kingdom of Granada (Colombia and Venezuela).

However, in 1717, the New Kingdom of Granada separated from Peru and went on to form a separate viceroyalty: the Viceroyalty of New Granada, whose capital was Bogotá. In 1776, the last viceroyalty was created, that of Río de la Plata, with its capital in Buenos Aires.

Spanish Golden Age

By 1600, the Spanish had obtained great economic benefits thanks to the exploitation of the New World territory, which allowed the development of the capitalist economic system.

This period of economic boom is known as the Spanish Golden Age. At this time, the arts, such as literature, also flourished.

End of the Hispanic period

The Hispanic period culminates with the wars of independence in the Spanish colonies in America. The weakening of the Spanish Empire began with the influence of the ideas of freedom and equality promoted by the Enlightenment and by the French Revolution.

In 1809, independence was declared in two territories that currently belong to Bolivia: Sucre (May 25, 1809) and La Paz (July 16, 1809).

All the Spanish colonies, except Cuba and Puerto Rico, became independent from Spain in the 1820s. In 1898, the Spanish were defeated by the Americans in the Spanish-American War.

The colonies that Spain had at the time, the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico, came under the dominion of the United States, which marked the end of the Hispanic period.

References

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2. Spanish Colonization. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from shmoop.com.
3. Spanish Conquistadores and colonial empire. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from khanacademy.org.
4. Conquest and Colonization. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from dlc.dcccd.edu.
5. The Spanish Conquest and Colonization of Peru. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from peruinformation.org.
6. Spanish Discovery and Colonization. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from us-history.com.
7. Spanish Conquest and Colonization. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from contrystudies.us.
8. History of the Spanish Empire. Retrieved on May 17, 2017, from historyworld.net.