The second talk in the Canning House - Instituto Cervantes joint history series that chronicles 'The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire' looks at the 'Demographic Impacts in Spain and America'. The talk will be given by Professor Linda Newson, Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies. Details below:
The development of the Spanish empire had demographic impacts in both Spain and the Americas. The opening of the New World offered new opportunities for impoverished Spaniards to improve their economic and social position. Emigration from Spain, which was controlled by the Crown, was essential for the establishment of the empire, but where Spaniards came from and where they settled varied regionally. Spanish arrival brought with it a dramatic decline in the Native American population. The extent of this decline has been debated, but it is generally recognised that Spanish colonial expansion brought significant losses through conquest, overwork, ill treatment, and disease, to the extent that African slaves sometimes had to be imported to solve labour shortages. The lecture will examine geographical variations in demographic change in the colonial period that were to have significant implications for the ethnic composition of Latin American countries today.
The price of each ticket is £5 for members and £10 for non-members. There will be a wine reception to follow.