The Rizal Memorial Colleges, Inc.

RMC Buildings, Purok 5, Lopez Jaena& F. Torres Streets,

Barangay 8-A Poblacion District, Davao City

NAME: MALINGIN, RONIBE B TIME/DAY: TTH (5:00-6:30)

YEAR/COURSE: 2nd Year- BSED SOC-STUD SUBJECT: SSM 110

1.Create a reflection on “Spain Builds an Empire” and “European Nations Settle

in North America.”

Spain Builds an Empire

In this first subtopic of the report,, I have a lot of insights. One of these is that the
true purpose of Spaniards is to achieve their 3Gs: gold, God, and glory. The Spaniards
had a lot of territories that they colonized to achieve their 3Gs. One of these is that the
Spanish conquered two great American empires, which were the Aztec and the Inca
Empire.
Conquistador Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire was made possible
because it had a rich and reliable source of gold and silver, with which they were
impressed. They also wanted to convert the Aztecs to Christianity. The people of the
Aztec Empire didn’t die because of fighting; they died because of smallpox and other
diseases brought by the Spanish, who quickly brought about the fall of the Aztec
Empire. In the conquest of the Inca Empire, Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca Empire
because the Inca Empire had no weapons to match the conquistadors’ swords and
guns. The diseases killed the Inca populations brought by the Europeans.
Furthermore, when Spanish explorers claimed a huge empire in the Americas,
Spain’s American colonies helped make the country very wealthy. They persuaded
Native Americans to become Christians, and most of the Spanish treated Native
Americans as slaves, who were forced to work in terrible conditions. Also, when De
Vaca wrote about his experiences in the first European book devoted exclusively to
North America. The book increased Spanish interest in the New World, and his writings
fueled rumors that riches could be found in North America.
Therefore, I realized Spain claimed many new lands for their crown. They are
eager to achieve their 3Gs: gold, God, and glory. Some of Spain’s conquered lands
prospered; others were converted to Christianity, and others suffered at the hands of
the Spaniards. Also, it’s the same that our country also experienced the reign of the
Spaniards during its colonization.

European Nations Settle in North America

In this second subtopic, it is clear that there are a lot of happenings in the land of
North America, such as the European nations of England, France, and the Netherlands,
soon becoming interested in obtaining their valuable colonies. There is the Treaty of
Tordesillas, signed in 1494, which divided the newly discovered lands between Spain
and Portugal. However, other European countries ignored the treaty. They set out to
build their empires in the Americas. This resulted in European nations settling in North
America.
The French were the first European settlers to arrive in North America. The
French explorer, Samuel de Champlain, sailed up St. Lawrence with about 32 colonists.
They founded Quebec, which became the base of France’s colonial empire in North
America, known as New France. Then the French penetrated the North American
continent. The French were less interested in occupying territories than they were in
making money off the land.
The English was the second European settlers to arrive in North America. They
named the settlement Jamestown in honor of their king. Jamestown became England’s
first permanent settlement in North America. The settlers were more interested in
finding gold than in planting crops. Following the English and French into North America
were the Dutch. Henry Hudson was searching for a northwest sea route to Asia, but he
did not find a route. However, three waterways were later named for him: the Hudson
River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait. The Dutch claimed the region along these
waterways. The Dutch holdings in North America became known as “New Netherland.”
They established a fur trade with the Iroquois Indians.
As they expanded their settlements in North America, the nations of France,
England, and the Netherlands battled each other for colonial supremacy. The English
ousted the Dutch. The Dutch were defeated and the English colonized the Atlantic
Coast of North America. Also, England battles France. The English became hungry for
more land for their colonial population and French were defeated.
Also, the English settlers and Native Americans led to warfare. As early as 1622,
the Powhatan tribe attacked colonial villages around Jamestown and destroyed them,
killing about 350 settlers. During the next few years, the colonists struck back and
massacred hundreds of Powhatans. More destructive than the Europeans’ weapons
were their diseases. Like the Spanish in Central and South America, the Europeans
who settled in North America brought with them several diseases. The disease
devastated the native populations of North America.
Therefore, we can see that North America experienced a lot of colonization by
the nations of England, France, and the Netherlands. Some of these nations were eager
to expand their land by battling other nations, and some of these nations also wanted to
become wealthy. Europeans also brought diseases that devastated the native peoples
of North America.

3.What are the differences between Aztec, Inca, and Maya Empires?
The three most dominant and advanced civilizations that developed in the
Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans were the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca.
The differences between these empires are the following:

AZTEC EMPIRE

The Aztecs, who probably originated as a nomadic tribe in northern Mexico,

arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13 th century. The capital city of the
Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan. This city was founded in 1325 on an island in Lake
Texcoco. At the height of its power, the city likely had a population of 200,000 people.
At the center of the city was a large temple complex with pyramids and a palace for the
king. The Aztecs called their ruler the “Tlatoani.”
Moreover, the Aztec civilization was also highly developed socially, intellectually,
and artistically. It was a highly structured society with a strict caste system; at the top
were nobles, while at the bottom were serfs, indentured servants, and enslaved
workers. The Aztecs spoke Nahuatl, a language that continues to be used by one and a
half million people today. Also, the Aztecs created a large empire across Mexico
through tribute and trade. They built many pyramids, some of which still stand today.
Furthermore, Hernando Cortés was the Spanish conquistador who arrived in the
Aztec empire. When they arrived, King Montezuma and his people greeted them as
honored guests. However, Cortés overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured
Tenochtitlan, the capital city, and smallpox broke out in 1520–21 and played a vital role
in the fall of the city, with between 10% and 50% of the population succumbing to the
disease. It brings an end to Mesoamerica’s last great native civilization.
Are there any Aztecs still around?
Today, the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than
one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of
rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work. Most Nahuas
worship in the local church and take part in church festivities. The Nahua are just one of
nearly 60 indigenous peoples still living in Mexico. The language and elements of Aztec
culture are most definitely still very much alive. Also, the ruins of Tenochtitlan are in the
historic center of the Mexican capital. The World Heritage Site of Xochimilco contains
what remains of the geography (water, boats, floating gardens) of the Mexica capital.

INCA EMPIRE
The Inca Empire (called Tawantinsuyu in modern spelling, Aymara and Quechua,
or Tahuantinsuyu in old spelling, Quechua) was centered in Peru and ruled over much
of the west coast of South America from the 1400s to the time of the Spanish arrival in
1532. This wide-ranging empire did not have a wheel, iron tools, or a writing system, but
its complex government and system of roads created a society where everyone had a
job, a home, and something to eat.
The emperor of the Incas was known as the Sapa Inca. The first Sapa Inca was
Manco Capac. He founded the Kingdom of Cuzco around 1200 AD. The city of Cuzco
would remain the capital of the empire as it expanded in the coming years. The Inca
expanded into a great empire under the reign of Pachacuti. Pachacuti created the Inca
Empire, which the Inca called the Tawantinsuyu. At its height, the Inca Empire had an
estimated population of over 10 million people. The Inca religion centered on a
pantheon of gods that included Inti, a creator god named Viracocha, and Apu Illapu, the
rain god. The empire was divided into four provinces (suyu), whose corners met at the
empire’s capital, Cusco (Qosqo). Tawantin means “a group of four,” so the Quechua
name for the empire, Tawantinsuyu, means “the four provinces.”
The Inca were conquered by the Spanish and conquistador Francisco Pizarro in
1533. On the orders of the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Atahualpa, the last Sapa
Inca, was killed. The Spanish rulers brutally repressed the people and their traditions.
Many aspects of the Inca culture were systematically destroyed, including their
sophisticated farming system. The Spanish used the Inca Mita (mandatory public
service) system to work the people to death. One member of each family was forced to
work in the gold and silver mines, the foremost of which was the titanic silver mine at
Potos. When one family member died, which would usually happen within a year or two,
the family would be required to send a replacement. As elsewhere in the Americas,
many died from the diseases brought by the Spanish.
Are there any Inca still around?
Today, the descendants of these Inca still live in the Andes. Many still speak the
Inca language, and they still remember the names of their great kings. Also, many of the
traditions the Inca carried out live on in the Andes. Textile making is still popular, the
foods they ate are consumed around the world, and archaeological sites like Machu
Picchu are popular tourist attractions. 

MAYA EMPIRE
The term “Maya” refers to both a modern-day group of people who live across
the globe and their ancestors who built an ancient civilization that stretched across
much of Central America. Maya civilization began as early as 2000 BC and continued to
have a strong presence in Mesoamerica for over 3000 years until the Spanish arrived in
1519 AD. The Maya were organized into powerful city-states. Throughout Maya history,
different city-states came into power such as El Mirador, Tikal, Uxmal, Caracol, and
Chichen Itza.
The Maya were located in Central America in a region that is today made up of
southern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize, and northern El Salvador.
They built hundreds of cities filled with large stone structures. The Maya are perhaps
best known today for their many pyramids. They built pyramids for their gods that
towered hundreds of feet above the jungle.
Moreover, the Maya were the only American civilization to develop an advanced
written language. They also excelled in mathematics, art, architecture, and astronomy.
The golden age of the Maya civilization occurred during what is called the Classic
Period, from 250 AD to 900 AD.Also, this empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of
what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth
century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-
making, and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive
architecture and symbolic artwork. 
Furthermore, the Maya were deeply religious and worshiped various gods related
to nature, including the sun, the moon, rain, and corn. From the late eighteenth through
the end of the ninth century, something unknown happened to shake the Maya
civilization to its foundations. One by one, the classic cities in the southern lowlands
were abandoned, and by A.D. 900, the Maya civilization in that region had collapsed.
The reason for this mysterious decline is unknown, though scholars have developed
several competing theories.Some believe that by the ninth century, the Maya had
exhausted the environment around them to the point that it could no longer sustain a
very large population. Other Maya scholars argue that constant warfare among
competing city-states led the complicated military, family (by marriage), and trade
alliances between them to break down, along with the traditional system of dynastic
power. As the stature of the holy lords diminished, their complex traditions of rituals and
ceremonies dissolved into chaos. 
Do the Maya still around?
Descendants of the Maya still live in Central America in modern-day Belize,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico. The majority of them live in
Guatemala, which is home to Tikal National Park, the site of the ruins of the ancient city
of Tikal. Approximately 40% of Guatemalans are of Mayan descent.