Spain and Portugal in the Americas

In colonial Latin America, the main purpose of the encomienda system was to

• insure that the Indians were humanely treated

• provide a steady labor supply for early colonists

• build and maintain forts to repel foreign invaders

In many Latin American nations, a major effect of colonial rule has been the

• equal distribution of wealth among social classes

• concentration of power in a small group of landowners

• economic control held by the Indian population

In Latin America during the early period of Spanish colonialism, the deaths of large numbers of the native people led to

• a decline in Spanish immigration to the Americas

• the removal of most Spanish troops from the Americas

• the importation of slaves from Africa

Which statement best describes a result of the scarcity of native Indian labor in Latin America during the colonial period?

• many people from Spain and Portugal immigrated to the region

• Native American Indians from the British colonies went south to work

• Large numbers of African slaves were imported

The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

• provided for self-government by the native people

• declared that in these areas monarchs rule by divine right

• divided the newly-discovered lands outside Europe between the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Empire

What was one effect of the Columbian exchange on European society?

• Migration to the Americas declined.

• Horses were acquired for the first time

• The population increased with the introduction of new foods.

Which social class controlled most of the political, economic, and social power in colonial Latin America?

• Peninsulares

• Mestizos

• Creoles

One result of the European conquest of Latin America was that in Latin America

• Spanish became the major spoken language

• the Aztec religion spread

• Native American cultures flourished

The purpose of the encomienda system in Latin America was to

• control overpopulation in urban centers

• obtain labor and taxes from the native peoples in the Spanish colonies

• convert native peoples to Protestantism