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Detailed Map of Spanish
colonization history
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article About
the Author Bibliography/Sources
Below is one of our exclusive
and detailed maps of the Spanish Colonial Empire from the
establishment of the first colonies in the 16th century until
the eventual dissolution borne of Napoleonic hellfire. The
15th-19th centuries were a race of exploration and domination
between the maritime British, Dutch, Portuguese, German, Belgian,
and French empires. The Spanish empire was among the most
influential, eventually seizing nearly all of the New World
before waning in the face of British superiority. The Treaty
of Tordesillas, marked here in a green vertical line
and a yellow line for its subsequent revision, designated
that Portugal could only seize territories eastward, whilst
Spain had free access to everything to the west of the line
of agreement. Naturally, this line adjusted and was altogether
ignored quite hastily. The conquest of Spain in the Napoleonic
Wars of the early 19th century by Napoleon's First French
Empire cut the empires from their global influence, leading
to a rippling effect of independence movements that in under
two decades saw the independence of nearly all of the indigenous
American nations and, with them, the fall of the global Spanish
empire.
This EHL map shows the dates
of colonial rule, the provincial administration structure
(such as the division of the New World into New Spain and
New Granada), and each province's ultimate fate (transfer
to another power, independence, etc.). Disparate trading settlements
are not shown; only full colonial possessions are marked.
My photo of Columbus tomb in Seville, Spain. He is commemorated
as a hero of Spain by Castilians and a hero of Andalusia by
the population of that southern autonomous region (CLICK TO
ENLARGE)
Click the below map
for the full-size version! Click on the map again to zoom.
If an error has been made,
please notify the EHL Staff.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
The image used as the basis
for the map is widely redistributed and is not protected.
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