Settlement FAQs

what is the oldest spanish settlement in the american southwest

by Albert Bogan Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Even before Jamestown
Jamestown
Contents. On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River.
https://www.history.com › colonial-america › jamestown
or the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth (/ˈplɪməθ/ ( listen)) is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately 36 miles (58 km) south-west of Exeter and 193 miles (311 km) south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Plymouth
, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in St. Augustine, Florida.
Sep 29, 2020

Full Answer

What was the first permanent settlement in the southwest?

Santa Fe, the first permanent European settlement in the Southwest, was established in 1610. Few Spaniards relocated to the southwest due to the distance from Mexico City and the dry and hostile environment. Thus, the Spanish never achieved a commanding presence in the region. By 1680, only about 3,000 colonists called Spanish New Mexico home.

How did the Spanish settle in the southwest?

Early Settlement of the Southwest by Spain. Explorations by Sea. In 1542, when Hernando de Soto died and Coronado returned to Mexico, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed up the California coast, made the first maps of what the Spanish called Alta California, and may have made contact with the Archaic Chumash Indians living in the area.

When did the Spanish settle in North America?

Settlement in the Americas, ca. 1600. Although the crowns asserted sovereignty over great expanses of territory, this modern map shows the sparseness of actual European settlement in dark blue. Spanish historical presence, claimed territories, points of interest and expeditions in North America.

Who were the first settlers in Santa Fe?

In 1610 he was replaced as governor by Pedro de Peralta, who moved the settlers to Santa Fe, the third oldest permanent European settlement in the United States after Saint Augustine and Jamestown. By the 1630s there were 250 Spaniards, 750 Indians, and about two dozen Franciscan friars who serviced twenty-five missions.

Who settled the Southwest?

Who wrote the book The Spanish Frontier in North America?

Why did the Pueblos not have gold?

What was the conflict between the Acoma and the Spanish?

Who discovered the California coast?

Who were the two Franciscan friars who visited Pueblo?

What did the priests teach the Pueblos?

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What was the first Spanish settlement in America?

In 1493, during his second voyage, Columbus founded Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the New World, on Hispaniola.

When did the Spanish arrived in the American Southwest?

The Southwestern U.S. has undergone multiple waves of settlement since Europeans began arriving in North America in 1492. First on the scene were the Spanish conquistadors who arrived in present day Arizona and New Mexico by the mid 1500's.

Where was the first permanent Spanish settlement in South America?

Cumaná in Venezuela was the first permanent settlement founded by Europeans in the mainland Americas, in 1501 by Franciscan friars, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times, until Diego Hernández de Serpa's foundation in 1569.

What were the religious settlements that the Spaniards built in the Southwest called?

The settlement itself was called Los Adaes. These areas were close to the French. In 1718 the presidio of San Antonio de Béjar and mission of San Antonio de Valera were established.

Where was the first Spanish Continental settlement located?

Even before Jamestown or the Plymouth Colony, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in St. Augustine, Florida.

Who is the first permanent European settlement in the Southwest?

Santa Fe, the first permanent European settlement in the Southwest, was established in 1610. Few Spaniards relocated to the southwest due to the distance from Mexico City and the dry and hostile environment.

Why did the Spanish settle St. Augustine?

The city was to serve important functions for the Spanish Empire, defending the primary trade route to Europe along the Atlantic Ocean's main west to east current, called the Gulf Stream. As the territorial capital, St. Augustine would also defend the Spanish-claimed land against invasion.

Who were the first settlers in America?

Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.

When did the Spanish land in South America?

In May 1498, Columbus left Spain with six ships, three filled with colonists and three with provisions for the colony on Hispaniola. This time, he made landfall on Trinidad. He entered the Gulf of Paria in Venezuela and planted the Spanish flag in South America on August 1, 1498.

What was the first Spanish settlement in Texas?

The first Spanish-speaking settlers began to group around the San Antonio River in 1718 when the mission and presidio (fort) were established.

What were the three large groups that first settled the Southwest?

Thousands of years ago, ancient people first settled in the deep canyons of present-day New Mexico. The members of these ancient civilizations—the Pueblo (PWEB-loh), the Mogollon (moh-guh-YOHN), and the Hohokam (huh-HOH-kum)—built cities carved into the cliffs and created complex canals to water crops in the desert.

Why did the Spanish establish settlements in Texas?

The Spanish Colonial era in Texas began with a system of missions and presidios, designed to spread Christianity and to establish control over the region.

Why did Spain explore and colonize the American Southwest?

Motivations for colonization: Spain's colonization goals were to extract gold and silver from the Americas, to stimulate the Spanish economy and make Spain a more powerful country. Spain also aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Who explored southwestern America for Spain?

Francisco Vázquez de CoronadoFrancisco Vázquez de Coronado, (born c. 1510, Salamanca, Spain—died September 22, 1554, Mexico), Spanish explorer of the North American Southwest whose expeditions resulted in the discovery of many physical landmarks, including the Grand Canyon, but who failed to find the treasure-laden cities he sought.

Who colonized the Southwest?

the SpanishThe first explorers and settlers of the Southwest were American Indians; they gave the vast area much of its distinctive culture and learned how to live in its climate and geography. Some of the earliest and most expansive attempts at colonizing were made by the Spanish.

When did Spain claim Arizona?

The earliest documented Spanish activity in southern Arizona is the 1539 expedition headed by Fray Marcos de Niza, in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola.

List of Sites - Spanish Missions/Misiones Españolas (U.S. National ...

Jesuit missionaries from the first contact made by Father Kino and the O'odham Indians in 1691 until the Jesuit Expulsion ordered by King Carlos III in 1767.

Spanish in the Southwest | Encyclopedia.com

Spanish in the Southwest. Sources. Explorations. When the Spanish found the great empire of the Aztec in Mexico in 1519 and understood both its immediate riches and its potential to generate wealth into the future, they naturally sought out other great empires.

What was the name of the Spanish settlement in Texas?

Missionary-presidio complexes marked the path the Spanish took in East Texas. In 1716, in response to the French in Louisiana, some 80 persons, including 11 Franciscans, 25 soldiers, and 40 men, women, and children, were sent to establish missions and the presidio of San Juan. The settlement itself was called Los Adaes.

When did the Spaniards find Mexico City?

In 1536, eight years later, they finally found other Spaniards and made their way to Mexico City. They told of large cities with great populations. The Spaniards hoped these would be Cibola, the famed Seven Cities of Gold.

How many whites fled to El Paso del Norte?

They killed 21 of 33 Franciscans and 401 settlers. The remaining 1,946 whites fled to El Paso del Norte, now Ciudad Juarez across the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas. The Spaniards gradually retook control of the pueblos and in 1693 set about resettling Santa Fe, making it a presidio (fort) with 100 soldiers.

Why was the Spanish push to establish Indian towns counterproductive?

The Spanish push to establish Indian towns was counterproductive since these towns were easy targets for Apache raiders. The Sapnish finally settled in Arizona in 1752 when they built a presidio at Tubac. They built only one at Tucson in 1776 near what had been one of Father Kino ’ s missions.

What was the third and final period of Spanish colonization?

Some historians consider this the third and final period of Spanish colonization: conversion and settlement.

How did the Spanish respond to the Spanish?

The Spanish responded by strengthening their forts. Early settlements in East Texas included an outpost at San Francisco de los Neches. In 1691, 6 missionaries and 16 soldiers were posted there, but the settlement was abandoned by 1693. Missionary-presidio complexes marked the path the Spanish took in East Texas.

What were the forces of labor in the Spanish-Indian relationship?

Forced labor included herding, farm labor, blacksmithing, silverworking, and domestic labor. Spanish-Indian relationships were thus built upon exploitation, which led to resentment. In 1680 the Pueblo Indians formed a confederation and drove out the Spanish in what is known as the Pueblo Revolt.

What was the Spanish colony of the Americas?

e. The Spanish colonization of the Americas began under the Crown of Castile, and was spearheaded by the Spanish conquistadors. The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions in South America and the Caribbean. The crown created civil and religious structures ...

When did the Spanish settle Chile?

The Spanish did establish the settlement of Chile in 1541, founded by Pedro de Valdivia. Southward colonization by the Spanish in Chile halted after the conquest of Chiloé Archipelago in 1567.

What was the Spanish expansion?

The Spanish expansion has sometimes been succinctly summed up as "gold, glory, God." The search for material wealth, the enhancement of the conquerors' and the crown's position, and the expansion of Christianity. In the extension of Spanish sovereignty to its overseas territories, authority for expeditions ( entradas) of discovery, conquest, and settlement resided in the monarchy. Expeditions required authorization by the crown, which laid out the terms of such expedition. Virtually all expeditions after the Columbus voyages, which were funded by the crown of Castile, were done at the expense of the leader of the expedition and its participants. Although often the participants, conquistadors, are now termed “soldiers”, they were not paid soldiers in ranks of an army, but rather soldiers of fortune, who joined an expedition with the expectation of profiting from it. The leader of an expedition, the adelantado was a senior with material wealth and standing who could persuade the crown to issue him a license for an expedition. He also had to attract participants to the expedition who staked their own lives and meager fortunes on the expectation of the expedition’s success. The leader of the expedition pledged the larger share of capital to the enterprise, which in many ways functioned as a commercial firm. Upon the success of the expedition, the spoils of war were divvied up in proportion to the amount a participant initially staked, with the leader receiving the largest share. Participants supplied their own armor and weapons, and those who had a horse received two shares, one for himself, the second recognizing the value of the horse as a machine of war. For the conquest era, two names of Spaniards are generally known because they led the conquests of high indigenous civilizations, Hernán Cortés, leader of the expedition that conquered the Aztecs of Central Mexico, and Francisco Pizarro, leader of the conquest of the Inca in Peru.

What was the result of the Spanish American wars of independence?

In the early 19th century, the Spanish American wars of independence resulted in the secession and subsequent division of most Spanish territories in the Americas, except for Cuba and Puerto Rico, which were lost to the United States in 1898, following the Spanish–American War.

What was the Spanish empire's territory?

Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and gaining control over more territory for over three centuries, the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, most of Central America and much of North America.

Where was the debate held in the Spanish colony of Valladolid?

Held in the Colegio de San Gregorio, in the Spanish city of Valladolid, it was a moral and theological debate about the colonization of the Americas, its justification for the conversion to Catholicism and more specifically about the relations between the European settlers and the natives of the New World.

When was Venezuela first visited?

Venezuela. Venezuela was first visited by Europeans during the 1490s, when Columbus was in control of the region, and the region as a source for indigenous slaves for Spaniards in Cuba and Hispaniola, since the Spanish destruction of the local indigenous population.

Who was the first Spanish colonist?

The first colonization of the area was by Don Juan de Oñate, who mounted an expedition northward from New Mexico to look for mines and to Christianize the Indians. He brought with him 400 colonists, 10 Franciscan missionaries, 7,000 head of cattle, sheep, and horses, and founded the first Spanish colony in New Mexico. Oñate treated the Indians brutally, setting up courts and cutting off the legs and arms of people who did not obey him. As a consequence, a Spanish court was convened to try him and to hear the complaints of his own soldiers.

Who explored the Pueblos?

After the initial explorations, two important additional expeditions occurred, the first by Francisco Sanchez Chamuscado in 1581 and the second by Don Antonio de Espejo in 1582, both of whom recorded their impressions in diaries. The Chamuscado-Rodriguez party explored the territory northward, to the Tiwa pueblos, where they left two friars, who were subsequently killed by Indians. Espejo followed two years later with fourteen soldiers and Franciscan priests. He explored many of the pueblos, including the Zuni, the Hopi, the Acoma, the Tiwa, and the Keres pueblos, and then returned by way of the Pecos River in New Mexico to avenge the death of the Franciscan friars.

What did the Franciscans do to the natives?

The Franciscans established churches, transforming the religion of the native peoples from the worship of corn mothers to the worship of the male Christian God and the Virgin Mary.

Why did the Spanish never settle in the Southwest?

Thus, the Spanish never achieved a commanding presence in the region. By 1680, only about 3,000 colonists called Spanish New Mexico home. There, they traded with and exploited the local Puebloan peoples. The region’s Puebloan population had plummeted from as many as 60,000 in 1600 to about 17,000 in 1680.

What did the Spanish do to Florida?

In 1586 English privateer Sir Francis Drake burned the wooden settlement of St. Augustine. At the dawn of the seventeenth century, Spain’s reach in Florida extended from the mouth of the St. Johns River south to the environs of St. Augustine—an area of roughly 1,000 square miles. The Spaniards attempted to duplicate methods for establishing control used previously in Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Andes . The Crown granted missionaries the right to live among Timucua and Guale villagers in the late 1500s and early 1600s and encouraged settlement through the encomienda system (grants of Indian labor).

How many colonists were there in 1680?

By 1680, only about 3,000 colonists called Spanish New Mexico home. There, they traded with and exploited the local Puebloan peoples. The region’s Puebloan population had plummeted from as many as 60,000 in 1600 to about 17,000 in 1680.

Why did Spain expand its reach in the Americas?

Spain extended its reach in the Americas after reaping the benefits of its colonies in Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Expeditions slowly began combing the continent and bringing Europeans into the modern-day United States in the hopes of establishing religious and economic dominance in a new territory.

Where did Spain control Florida?

At the dawn of the seventeenth century, Spain’s reach in Florida extended from the mouth of the St. Johns River south to the environs of St. Augustine —an area of roughly 1,000 square miles. The Spaniards attempted to duplicate methods for establishing control used previously in Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Andes.

Who led the Spanish to New Mexico?

Further west, Juan de Oñate led 400 settlers, soldiers, and missionaries from Mexico into New Mexico in 1598. The Spanish Southwest had brutal beginnings. When Oñate sacked the Pueblo city of Acoma, the “sky city,” the Spaniards slaughtered nearly half of its roughly 1,500 inhabitants, including women and children.

Who found the Native Americans in Florida?

Juan Ponce de Leon arrived in the area named “La Florida” in 1513. He found between 150,000 and 300,000 Native Americans. But then two-and-a-half centuries of contact with European and African peoples–whether through war, slave raids, or, most dramtically, foreign disease–decimated Florida’s indigenous population.

How long has the Southwest been inhabited?

Human settlement in the Southwest dates back over 12,000 years and is preserved today by the rock art, cliff dwellings, and other archaeological remains found throughout the region.

Who was the Spanish explorer who explored the American Southwest?

Coronado’s Expedition by Frederic Remington. Spanish explorers of the American Southwest, beginning with Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s 1540-42 expedition, encountered both settled communities and deserted ruins. The Spanish remained a dominant military force for nearly 300 years. The Spanish, in making the American Southwest an outpost ...

What are the names of the Southwest states?

Acoma, Santa Fe, Kit Carson House, El Santuario de Chimayo, and Taos, in New Mexico; Hovenweep and Mesa Verde in Colorado; and San Xavier del Bac, Fort Apache, Hubbell Trading Post, Barrio Libre, Fort Bowie, Tuzigoot, in Arizona; the names of the American Southwest evoke a starkly beautiful land of deserts, mountains and fertile valleys which is both very old and very new. Arizona and New Mexico, admitted to the Union in 1912, are two of the youngest states in the nation; yet Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado contain venerable adobe communities and ancient, long-abandoned prehistoric ruins collectively representing thousands of years of human habitation.

What did the Spanish do to the Southwest?

The Spanish, in making the American Southwest an outpost of their far-flung empire, brought change as religious orders, soldiers and colonists built missions, presidios ( forts ), and towns with distinctive central plazas and churches; Santa Fe was founded in about 1610, Albuquerque began in 1706, Las Trampas in 1751, and Taos between 1780 and 1800.

What is Santa Fe Palace of Governo?

Santa Fe Palace of Governo. The American Southwest with its distinctive building traditions, languages, religions, and foods, reflects the vitality of the Spanish, Mexican, Indian and Anglo cultures which formed its history and the Southwest we see today. Here, you will be introduced to prehistoric and historic sites, buildings, structures, ...

What was the Anglo influence in the Southwest?

After the Southwest was brought into the orbit of the expansionist American nation, the Anglo influence was imprinted on the land in forts, trading posts, mining centers of silver, gold, and copper, cattle ranches, railroads, and dams. Santa Fe Palace of Governo.

What did the Southwest people do?

While hunting and gathering activities predominated in the Great Basin and California, and bison hunting dominated the Great Plains, the peoples of the American Southwest established early agricultural communities and grew maize, beans, and squash. They constantly experimented with a variety of irrigation techniques to overcome the hot dry climate. Changes in rainfall patterns led to their constructing complex communities which would eventually be abandoned when rainfall could not support the population.

What states are in the Southwest?

Nevada. Utah. Oklahoma (mainly western) Texas (mainly western) The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.

Who was the first European to enter Colorado?

In 1610, Santa Fe was founded, making it the oldest capital in United States. In 1664 Juan Archuleta led an expedition into what is now Colorado, becoming the first European to enter. A second Spanish expedition was led into Colorado by Juan Ulibarrí in 1706, during which he claimed the Colorado territory for Spain.

Where is the Chihuahuan Desert?

The Chihuahuan Desert spreads across the southeastern portion of the region, covering from southeastern Arizona, across southern New Mexico, and the portion of western Texas included in the Southwest. While it is the second largest desert in the United States, only a third of the desert is within the United States, with the rest in Mexico. El Paso and Albuquerque are the major US cities in this desert, with other smaller cities being Las Cruces and Roswell in New Mexico and Willcox in Arizona.

Where is the Sonoran Desert located?

The Sonoran Desert makes up the southwestern portion of the Southwest; most of the desert lies in Mexico, but its United States component lies on the southeastern border of California, and the western 2/3 of southern Arizona.

Where is the Mojave Desert?

One such definition is from the Mojave Desert in California in the west (117° west longitude) to Carlsbad, New Mexico in the east (104° west longitude), another says that it extends from the Mexico–United States border in the south to the southern areas of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada in the north (39° north latitude).

When did the United States acquire the area of Mexico?

Much of area had been a part of New Spain and Mexico until the United States acquired the area through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and the smaller Gadsden Purchase in 1854. While the region's boundaries are not officially defined, there have been attempts to do so.

Which city is the fifth most populous in the United States?

The area also contains many of the nation's largest cities and metropolitan areas, despite relatively low population density in rural areas. Phoenix is the fifth most populous city in the country, and Albuquerque and Las Vegas were some of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

Who settled the Southwest?

Early Settlement of the Southwest by Spain. Sources. Explorations by Land. Persistent rumors of rich silver lodes north of Mexico set in motion the Spanish exploration of the American West. In 1539 Fray Marcos de Niza set out to search the region, and he heard stories of seven cities of gold and silver, named C í bola.

Who wrote the book The Spanish Frontier in North America?

David J. Weber, The Spanish Frontier in North America ( New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992).

Why did the Pueblos not have gold?

The Pueblos ’ lack of gold and silver, however, may have saved them from further depredations because Coronado retreated into Mexico and reported to his superiors that the region did not possess enough wealth to justify its colonization. For missionaries in search of souls rather than ores, however, the West remained an enticing destination.

What was the conflict between the Acoma and the Spanish?

Conflict. Within the first year of colonization the Acoma pueblo revolted and killed several Spanish soldiers. In retaliation O ñ ate dispatched a small party of soldiers who made their way atop the mesa and into Acoma. In three days they destroyed the pueblo and executed nearly eight hundred men, women, and children. They also captured nearly six hundred people who were tried and found guilty of murder. O ñ ate sentenced all captives between the ages of twelve and twenty-five to twenty-five years of servitude, and he ordered his soldiers to sever one foot of each man older than twenty-five years. The brutal tactics temporarily repressed native discontent, but the puny Spanish force was never able to cower entirely the other Pueblo Indians.

Who discovered the California coast?

Explorations by Sea. In 1542, when Hernando de Soto died and Coronado returned to Mexico, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed up the California coast, made the first maps of what the Spanish called Alta California, and may have made contact with the Archaic Chumash Indians living in the area.

Who were the two Franciscan friars who visited Pueblo?

In the early 1580s two Franciscan friars, Agust í n Rodr í guez and Antonio Espejo, visited Pueblo country to lay the groundwork for later missionary efforts. The favorable reports. they circulated upon their return to Mexico revived official interest in settling the Southwest. Explorations by Sea. In 1542, when Hernando de Soto died ...

What did the priests teach the Pueblos?

With the priests ’ help the Pueblos learned how to raise sheep and how to cultivate new crops such as wheat, peach trees, and watermelon. Priests also challenged the powers of native healers and shamans and managed to persuade many Pueblos that they and not the indigenous spiritualists had access to the wondrous powers of the heavens.

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Overview

Imperial expansion

The expansion of Spain’s territory took place under the Catholic Monarchs Isabella of Castile, Queen of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand, King of Aragon, whose marriage marked the beginning of Spanish power beyond the Iberian peninsula. They pursued a policy of joint rule of their kingdoms and created the initial stage of a single Spanish monarchy, completed under the eig…

Civil governance

The empire in the Indies was a newly established dependency of the kingdom of Castile alone, so crown power was not impeded by any existing cortes (i.e. parliament), administrative or ecclesiastical institution, or seigneurial group. The crown sought to establish and maintain control over its overseas possessions through a complex, hierarchical bureaucracy, which in many ways was decentr…

Catholic Church organization

During the early colonial period, the crown authorized friars of Catholic religious orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians) to function as priests during the conversion of indigenous populations. During the early Age of Discovery, the diocesan clergy in Spain was poorly educated and considered of a low moral standing, and the Catholic Monarchs were reluctant to allow them to spearhea…

Society

It has been estimated that over 1.86 million Spaniards emigrated to Latin America in the period between 1492 and 1824, with millions more continuing to immigrate following independence.
Native populations declined significantly during the period of Spanish expansion. In Hispaniola, the indigenous Taíno pre-contact population before t…

Economy

In areas of dense, stratified indigenous populations, especially Mesoamerica and the Andean region, Spanish conquerors awarded perpetual private grants of labor and tribute to particular indigenous settlements, in encomienda they were in a privileged position to accumulate private wealth. Spaniards had some knowledge of the existing indigenous practices of labor and tribute, so that lea…

19th century

During the Napoleonic Peninsular War in Europe between France and Spain, assemblies called juntas were established to rule in the name of Ferdinand VII of Spain. The Libertadores (Spanish and Portuguese for "Liberators") were the principal leaders of the Spanish American wars of independence. They were predominantly criollos (Americas-born people of European ancestry, mostly Spanish or Portuguese), bourgeois and influenced by liberalism and in some cases with mi…

In popular culture

In the twentieth century, there have been a number of films depicting the life of Christopher Columbus. One in 1949 stars Frederic March as Columbus. With the 1992 commemoration (and critique) of Columbus, more cinematic and television depictions of the era appeared, including a TV miniseries with Gabriel Byrne as Columbus. Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) has Georges Corroface as Columbus with Marlon Brando as Tomás de Torquemada and Tom Selleck a…

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