Contents -- Part I. Old World Antecedents -- Chapter 1. The Matrix of Hispanic Societies: Reconquista and Repoblación -- The Nature of the Christian Reconquest -- Forms of Reconquest Warfare -- The Resettlement of Reconquered Lands -- The Rhythm of the Reconquest -- The Reconquest Heritage -- Hispania and Europe -- The Wellsprings of Hispanic Expansion -- Chapter 2. Reconquest Hispania -- Territorial Organization: Kingdoms and Countries -- The Quest for Hispanic Unity -- The Reconquest Municipality -- Territorial Organization of the Church -- Reconquest Economies -- The Ordering of Society: The Republic, Justice and the Law -- The Orders of the Republic -- Moors and Jews -- Social Mobility -- The Monarchy -- Social Cleavage and Social Cohesion -- Chapter 3. Hispanic Expansion in the Old World -- The Beginnings of European Expansion: Crusades and Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean -- Early Hispanic Enterprises: Africa, Italy, and the Atlantic -- Fourteenth-Century Interruptions: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -- A Century of Disorder in Castile (1369-1479) -- The Brief Portuguese Crisis and the Accession of the House of Avis (1383-85) -- The Resumption of European Expansion -- Juridical Problems of Expansion: Just Title and Just War -- The Problem of "Race" -- Lagging Castilian Overseas Enterprises -- The Recovery of Spain: The Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella -- The Conquest and Colonization of the Canaries -- Portugal on the Eve of the Columbian Voyages -- Prospects for Hispanic Expansion in 1492 -- Christopher Columbus and the Patent of Santa Fe -- Part II. The Establishment of Hispanic Dominion in America, 1492 to About 1570 -- Chapter 4. The Conditions of Conquest and Colonization: Geography and Peoples -- The Columbian Discovery -- The Papal Donation and the Line of Demarcation -- The Portuguese Discovery of Brazil.

Geographical Influences on Spanish Discovery and Colonization -- Spanish Claims and Aims -- The American Indian -- Africans in the Enterprise of the Indies -- Chapter 5: Mundus Novus: Discovery and Conquest -- The Meaning of "Discovery" and "Conquest" -- Rationalization: The Requerimiento -- Authorization: The Royal Patent -- The Identification of a New World -- The Caribbean Cycle of Exploration and Conquest -- The Great Mainland Conquests: Organizational Forms -- The Course of Conquest -- The End of the Conquest -- The Spanish Achievement: Explanations -- Patterns of Conquest: Regional Variations -- Chapter 6: Colonization: The Populators of the Indies -- The Meaning and Aims of Colonization -- The European Component -- The Indian Population -- The African Population -- Mixed Bloods -- The Population of the Indies around 1570: Summary Estimates -- Chapter 7. Instruments of Colonization: The Castilian Municipio -- The Purposes of Municipalities -- The Siting and Layout of Towns -- The Founding of Towns: The "Act of Foundation" -- The Establishment of Municipal Governments -- The Founding of Parishes -- Territorial Jurisdiction of Municipalities -- Municipal Grants of Lots, Lands, and Indians -- The Construction of Towns -- The Course of Town Founding -- Classification of Towns by Function, Size, and Status -- Urban Planning -- Principal Characteristics of Urbanization during the Conquest -- Chapter 8. Colonization: Efforts to Incorporate the Indians -- The Rationality of the Indian: Spanish Perceptions -- Early Spanish Indian Policy -- The Birth of the American Encomienda -- The Evolution of the Encomienda -- Controversial Features of the Encomienda -- The "Spiritual Conquest": The Apostolic Model and the Mendicant Orders -- The Evangelization of Mexico -- The Spread of Evangelization -- Seventy Years of Spanish Indian Policy: An Assessment.

The Conquest Social Order -- Chapter 9. The Royal Señorío in the Indies -- The Legal and Moral Bases of Spanish Dominion -- Colonial Challenges to the Royal Señorío: Captains of Conquest, Municipalities, and Encomenderos -- The Instruments of the King's Señorio -- Colonial Capitulations and Rebellions -- King and Church: The Royal Patronage in the Indies -- The Governance of the Indians -- The Defense of the Indies -- Royal Government in the Indies: Powers and Limitations -- Chapter 10. The Fruits of the Land -- The Factors of Production -- The Agricultural Sector -- Forest Products -- Industry -- Chapter 11. The Commerce of the Indies -- Local Commerce -- Regional and Interregional Trade -- Systems of Trans-Atlantic Commerce -- Transportation -- Money and Credit -- Weights and Measures -- Governmental Regulation and Taxation -- Commercial Monopolies -- Prices and Wages -- Conquest Economies: An Overview -- Chapter 12. The Conquest of Brazil -- The Portuguese Approach to Brazil -- The Portuguese Old World Empire -- The Course of Conquest in Brazil -- Portuguese and Spanish New World Conquests: Comparative Features -- Chapter 13. The Colonization of Brazil to About 1570 -- The Brazilian Município -- The Role of the Indians -- The Economics of Colonization -- The Commerce of Brazil -- Brazilian Populations -- The Governance of Brazil -- Social Organization -- Brazil and the Empire -- Part III. Hispanic American Empires from About 1570 to About 1700 -- Chapter 14. The Imperial Context: The Hispanic World in the Age of the Habsburg Kings -- The Reign of Philip II (1556-98) -- King Sebastian of Portugal, El Ksar-el-Kebir, and the Union of the Hispanic Crowns -- The Decline of Spain -- The Vicissitudes of Portugal -- Spanish America in the Age of Philip II -- Years of Transition in Brazil.

Chapter 15. Territorial Changes in the Hispanic New World: Contractions, Expansions, Adjustments -- Territorial Contraction -- The Conditions of Territorial Expansion -- Spanish Expansion: Legal Principles -- Territorial Expansion in the Viceroyalty of New Spain -- Territorial Expansion in the Viceroyalty of Peru -- Territorial Expansion in Brazil -- Territorial Changes: A Summary Assessment -- American Roots of Hispanic Imperial Expansion -- Chapter 16. Post-Conquest Populations: Components, Numbers, Movements, Distribution -- Spanish America -- The Population of Brazil -- The Population of Hispanic America at Mid-Seventeenth Century -- The Territorial Organization of Spanish American Populations -- Urbanization and Ruralization in Brazil -- Population and Territory: An Overview -- Chapter 17. Post-Conquest Economies -- Spanish America: General Trends -- The Factors of Production -- Government Regulation and Taxation -- Economic Sectors -- The "Seventeenth-Century Depression": Theses and Countertheses -- Structural Changes -- The Post-Conquest Brazilian Economy -- Structures of Dependency -- Chapter 18. American Societies and American Identities -- The Republic of Spaniards and Its Ordering -- The Republic of Indians: Status and Ordering -- The "Third Order" of Society: Mixed Bloods and Free Blacks -- The Status of Slaves -- Social Boundaries and Social Mobility -- Spanish American Identities -- Social Cleavage and Social Cohesion in the Spanish Indies -- Regional Diversities -- Colonial Brazilian Society: The Sugar Regions -- Backland Society -- Brazilian Identities -- Social Cohesion in Brazil -- Race, Color, and Class -- Chapter 19. Imperial Systems -- New Territorial Jurisdictions in Spanish America: Civil and Ecclesiastical -- Expanding Functions and Powers of Royal Government in the Spanish Indies.

Ecclesiastical Government: The Royal Patronage and the Royal Vicariate -- The Holy Office of the Inquisition -- The Defense of the Indies -- The Size and the Costs of Government -- The Legal and Theoretical Foundations of the State in the Indies -- The Spanish State in the Indies toward the End of the Habsburg Era -- Royal Government in Post-Conquest Brazil -- Territorial Organization of the Church in Brazil -- The Growth of the Powers of the State in Brazil -- Metropolitan Agencies of Colonial Government -- The Governance of Brazil toward the End of the Seventeenth Century -- Hispanic American Empires: Imperial Control and Imperial Survival -- Chapter 20. Epilogue: European Reactions to Hispanic Expansion in America -- Information about the New World: Accumulation, Dissemination, and Assimilation -- The Intellectual Influence of the New World -- European Perceptions of Race: Noble and Ignoble Savages -- The Economic Impact of the Hispanic New World on Europe -- Malevolent Transfers: The Case of Syphilis -- Hispanic America and European Political Systems -- Hispanic American Colonies and Their Mother Countries -- Notes -- Bibliographical Essay -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.