Atahualpa

In Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, Justo L. González invites the reader to read the Bible in fresh ways, and gain insight from the perspective of “those who claim their Hispanic identity as part of their hermeneutical baggage, and who also read the Scripture within the context of a commitment to the Latino struggle to become all that God wants us and all of the world to be—in other words, the struggle for salvation/liberation.” (González 1996, 28-29) Published hot on the heels of the quincentennial of Columbus’ voyage to the new world, and abreast of discussions taking place in the larger Hispanic community, González’s book is both timely and well researched.

In document A which is Francisco De Xeres’s account, Atahualpa did not put the Bible to his ear. Instead he could not figure out how to open it and threw it on the ground. This angered Xeres enough for Pizarro to draw his sword and dagger. Document B is Pedro Pizarro’s account of the events the day that Atahualpa did

Following the successes of Hernan Cortes with his conquest of the Mexica-Aztec Empire of Mexico and Francisco Pizzaro with his conquest of the Inka Empire in the Andean Region of South America, many other Conquistadors embarked upon expeditions to discover and conquer wealthy Native American civilizations. Among this new wave of conquistadors was Lope de Aguirre who accompanied an expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro, a brother of Francisco Pizarro, to find the lost city of gold known as El Dorado. The film Aguirre: The Wrath of God is a work of historical fiction that provides additional insight into the motives and behaviors of the Spanish and Aguirre during this expedition, Spanish-Native American Relations, Spanish-African slave relations, the status of role of women within colonial society, the role of the Catholic Church within Spanish society, and the nature of Spanish society within the context of Aguirre’s excursion. Aguirre: The Wrath of God provides insight into the desire for a wealth of gold and glory by the Spanish when undergoing these harsh expeditions, the abuse and subservience Native Americans were subjected to by the Spanish Conquistadors, the African slaves served the Spaniards and had to complete exhausting and humiliating work, the inferiority of women compared to Spanish men and how easily they were dismissed by Spanish men, the desire for not only conversion but gold and wealth for the Catholic Church by allowing the Conquistadors to commit atrocities in the New World, and the Spaniard belief in the righteousness of their conquests in the New World due to the successful Reconquest of Iberia from the Moors.

On November ninth Cabeza De Vaca and part of his crew who survived the trip reached a new land.”[This was Galveston Island.] He also said that the ground looked as if cattle had trampled it and therefore that this must be a country of Christians.” On this island they landed on, they encountered Native Americans. Their first thought was that they might be hostile, but contrary to their beliefs the natives were both hospitable and compassionate. The Native Americans are actually sympathetic and give the Europeans food. The Native Americans take De Vaca and his men. The Europeans are frightened because they think the natives are going to sacrifice them. But they accept the hospitality of the natives in hopes they might live. “All but 16 of them

By analyzing document 12.1, “The Aztecs and the Incas through Spanish Eyes,” it allows people today to have a better understanding and at

Throughout the Spanish conquest and exploration of Mesoamerica, religion became a focal point in Spanish observations of indigenous cultures. Influenced by European biases and colonial mindset, the Spanish criticized indigenous religion by condemning their

The book Ambivalent Conquests, by Inga Clendinnen, is very illuminating read for anyone wanting to know more about the events between the Spaniards and the Maya peoples of the Yucatan Peninsula. The book is separated into two separate parts: the Spaniard and the Indians. In the Spaniards section, Clendinnen wrote of the arrival of the Spanish in search of gold, and the attempts of the Christianization by missionaries. The second part, Indians, covered the way the Maya viewed the Spaniards arrival and following attempts of Christianization. The overall theme of the book was the continuing idolatry by the Mayans in the eyes of the Franciscans who tried to Christianize them and the actions taken by the Franciscans as a response.

Spanish exploration and settlement of the western hemisphere lasted from 1492 until 1898, from Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the loss of its last colonies in the Spanish-American war. As with all major seafaring European nations, they were in pursuit of the fabled Northwest Passage, a direct route to Asia. This was how Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the Americas, on his quest for this route. The Spanish were after more though, specifically gold and spread of the Christian faith. With this page we will discuss multiple historical figures, places, and ideas that emphasized what the Spanish found most important at the time, God and gold.

“The moment I understood her hatred, my family had not been personally hurt by Trujillo just as before losing my baby. Jesus had not taken anything away from me. There was the Perozos, not a man left in that family and Martinez Reyna and his wife murdered in their bed and thousands of Haitians murdered at the border. Making the river they say still red. I had heard but not believed. How could our all loving father let us suffer? I looked up challenging him and the two faces merged” (Alvarez 53).

Before being convicted, Guaman Poma was serving and protecting the Church as an interpreter of a visitador or inspector named Cristobal de Albornoz. He helped to identify and capture practitioners of native religion during the first campaigns to stop idolatry. He gives proof of this fact, by picturing Albornoz supervising the punishment of a native Andean (Figure 1). The Andean has an image, of himself playing with the devil, on top of his head, which represents idolization. He shows his fear towards the Spaniards by being in a state of shock and crying as if he is innocent. The other Andean that is getting instructions from the priest is a member of the inspection team. He seems very determined and supportive of the Church and feels no sorrow for punishing the native. Guaman Poma approved the fight against idolatry because in his drawings, the Andean inspectors always fight against their own tradition and religion by protecting the Church. Another important issue that Guaman Poma supported is evangelization of the Andean people. His vivid drawings and issues suggest that he pressed on the need of evangelization (Figure 2). For example in this figure, an Andean woman is terrified by these animals and forced to become a Christian. Her fear is

He also says that they were not confrontational and did not hold grudges. He explains that they were faithful and obedient to their Native Lords and to the Spaniards. The indigenous people were also pure in mind and were open to learning about Christianity. The Spaniards in the Americas were cruel to the indigenous people. De las Casas explained that the Christians murdered on such a vast scale and would kill anyone in their way largely due to greed. He also said that the ones who were captured as slaves were treated brutally and worse than animals. De las Casas was hoping that the king would recognize this and put a stop to the violence. De las Casas wanted to shed light on the fact that the indigenous people were not violent with the Spaniards and were very open to them, while the Spaniards retaliated with violence and

Document 1 states that going against the almighty God would bring them war against them. Disobedience will result the taking of their “wives and your children.” They would enslave them and eventually murder them, but it would be viewed as “your fault,” your meaning the Indian’s. This comes to show how much the Spanish stressed the Christian conversion. They so dearly want to preach to them. In accordance to them, their decline would leave them wishing “to be converted.” In document 2, it is said that Cortez wished to “follow” the Holy Cross with faith and Indian

Back in chapter one it states that Spain was one of the first European countries to ever encounter Native Americans. Spain was also well equipped to take on whatever the new world had to throw at them. So in 1519 Herna Cortes and 600 soldiers landed on the coast of Mexico and encountered the Aztec Indians. The Aztecs large in number, but not in technology, could not stop the Spanish Flint lock and Horses with the technology Cortes had killed over 200,000 Aztecs compared to a 2,400 mortality rate on his end After the battle of Tenochtitlan the current leader Cuauhtémoc of the Aztecs decided to surrender so from this they lost everything to Spain by 1521. Spain was really cruel to the Indians when they wanted to be nice by given them gifts of gold, fur, and feathers, but instead of being nice in return they took them for everything they had. But not all Europeans come off like this the French were quite the

How does Pizarro’s capture of Atahuallpa explain why Europeans colonized the New World instead of Native Americans colonizing Europe?

Victors and Vanquished, through excerpts of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, The True History of the Conquest of New Spain, and indigenous testimonies from the Florentine Codex, shows the exchange of religious ideas between the Spanish and Nahuatl religions. During the Spanish conquest and exploration of Mesoamerica, religion became a focal point in Spanish observations of Nahuatl religions. Influenced by European biases and a colonial mindset, the Spanish criticized indigenous religion by condemning their practices and idols. Natives, on the other hand, hybridized elements of Christianity into their respective indigenous religions.