Spanish California
Next were the criollos: Spaniards who had been
born in New Spain. Next were the mestizos: people who had mixed
Spanish and native parentage. At the bottom were the indigenous peoples.
From Madrid's point of view, New Spain was important as a source of
valuable resources, primarily silver, from which the crown took its "royal
fifth." The individual soldiers that conquered New Spain sought personal
gain initially in the form of plunder and later in the form of encomiendas.
An encomiendero was a person who was granted authority over a tract of
land and all of the people living on it. The encomiendero was responsible
for the welfare of the people under his charge and, in return, the people in
the encomienda were required to provide him with tribute and free labor.
The encomienderos, akin to feudal lords, quickly became an important
element in the political life of New Spain.
Spain's northwestern most colony was California, claimed first by Juan
Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542
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