AM214 THE IBERIAN ATLANTIC

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• AM214 THE IBERIAN ATLANTIC

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Plan of Lecture

• Creation of a Spanish Atlantic World
• Spanish America, 1600, 1700, 1800
• Creoles vs. Peninsulars
• New Granada in the eighteenth century A Case
  Study of Spanish America in the Atlantic World

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Creation of a Spanish Atlantic World

• First great wave of expansion across the Atlantic
• Spanish America by 1600
• Neither European, nor American nor African
• A defined and peaceful place after 1550

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Spanish administration

• Cabildos, audencias, viceroys
• Limited role in government for Creoles as opposed
  to peninsulars
• Role of church after 1493 cession by Pope of full
  and perpetual dominion of Americas to Spain in
  return for conversion of Indians
• Importance of silver to Spanish crown

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Spanish America by 1600

• Reduction in complexity of Indian society
• Growth of mestizo society
• Potosi and silver
• Carrera de Indias fleet

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Seventeenth century decline

• Over involvement in European affairs by Spanish
  crown
• Increasingly self-confident Creole elites
• Pereleros from Lima and Creole self-sufficiency
• Decline of Spanish monarchy under Charles II and
  War of Spanish Succession 1700-1713

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Eighteenth century growth

• Population increase to 12.6 million 1800
• Rapid growth in mestizo population
• Economic growth but lack of economic
  diversification
• A constrained economy that concentrated more on
  self-sufficiency than on production for limited
  European market

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Spain and the Seven Years War

• Dismal performance of Spain and new threat of
  British America
• Charles III and imperial reforms
• Government visitations of New Spain by José de
  Gálvez 1765-1771
• a bigot in an age of absolutism

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Creoles vs. Peninsulars

• Gálvez on Creoles of a quick humour and
  understanding, but superficial and unreliable in
  judgement, even though remarkably presumptuous
  They are of little spirit, being timid and
  submissive.
• 1751-1810 63 of 266 appointments to High Courts
  went to Creoles
• Spanish intention to centralise authority through
  new executive structures and new office of
  intendant

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Unrest

• 1692 tumulto in Mexico City
• 1780-81 Tupac Amarus revolt in Peru and
  northern Bolivia
• Paradox of late eighteenth century more unrest
  but general contentment with Spanish rule

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New Granada in the Eighteenth Century

• Anthony Macfarlane, Colombia Before Independence
• Distinctive but not well-integrated mixed economy
• Largely mestizo population (46 mestizo, 26
  white, 20 Indian, 8 African) mestizage
  driving force
• Comunero revolt 1781

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• Mollien travelling down the Magdalena River, 1823
  it was frightful because its fertile margins,
  which ought to be covered with cacao plantations,
  sugar cane, coffee and tobacco these banks are
  bristling with weeds, lianas, and thorns under
  towering palms of coconut and date.

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New Granada and Spain

• Problems of New Granada often the problems of
  Spain, as in early eighteenth century when the
  political collapse of Spain was matched by the
  virtual collapse of the Atlantic commercial
  economy
• Growth of smuggling over eighteenth century
• Failure of imperial reform

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Comunero Revolt 1781

• Issue about who had the right to levy new fiscal
  taxations
• More in common with sixteenth century revolts in
  Castile than with Atlantic rebellions
• Creole politicians wanted local autonomy within
  an existing Spanish monarchy
• No republicanism
• Results limited

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Conclusion Spanish America and its historians

• Spanish Atlantic system more diverse than
  Braudels Mediterranean but had unifying networks
• Perspective important for viewing Spanish
  Atlantic world
• Evangelisation of millions of Catholics

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