Military Conquest In Mesoamerica

The Huichol Indians are an indigenous group that lives “in the Sierra Madre Mountains of northwestern Mexico” (Woolcott). The Huichol religion is an animistic religion. According to Dr. Pamela Lindell, animistic religions are “religions that believe that all of nature – humans, animals, plants, rocks, the ocean, etc. - is animated by spirits and souls” (“Professor’s Notes 2” 3). To better understand the Huichol Indians and their religion, this paper examines Huichol myth, symbolism, rituals, religious specialists, and deities from various anthropological perspectives.

The spread of culture from the old world to the new world is what helped create the present world now. In Bernal Diaz’s book, “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain”, Diaz demonstrates how the Spanish brought their own culture to the Indians. In the passage, Diaz explained how the Spanish taught the Indians their way of life in the old world. The Indians learned how to read, write, and farm with plants and animals that were brought over from Spain (Doc 1). Another example of this cultural exchange would be when Hernan Cortes shared his religion, Christianity, with the Aztecs. In an excerpt of a letter addressed to the Holy

Ramon Gutierrez’s When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away is an exploration of the merging of Spanish, Franciscan and Pueblo Indian cultures throughout Spain's “frontier” in its colonial American empire before Anglo contact. Gutierrez builds a foundation for his analysis by discussing Pueblo Indian life prior to outside contact, Franciscan theology, and the class structure of Spanish communities in each of its respective book sections. He examines meanings of the cultural interactions of gift exchange, ownership, trade, sexual rights, labor, kinship, social status, religious beliefs, and honor among many others using marriage as a window. His interpretation of the complex cultural meanings of marriage illustrates the ways in which the

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.

Elialde author of The Sacred and the Profane introduces a new model of the sacred and the profane. Elialde’s model is meant to be universal, therefore meant to be appropriate for any recognized religion. David Carrasco author of Religions of Mesoamerica and Kay Almere Read and Jason J. González authors of Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America, discuss their interpretation of the Mesoamerican religion although their views on the Mesoamerican religion differs in some aspects when compared to Eliade’s model of the sacred and the profane there are a few noticeable similarities between both views.

Associated with their attention to the spiritual needs of conversion, the priests endeavored to eliminate ‘heathen’ practices among those Indians that they baptized.[x] The non-Christian people of the Americas were not simply to be converted; they were to be civilized, taught, humanized, purified and reformed. The Indians to be converted were strangers speaking in many unfamiliar tongues. In most cases, when the Friars first encountered them, they had been only recently conquered and subjugated, and even if not actively hostile they were likely to retain covert antagonisms. In their experience all Spaniards were exploitative.

An important aspect of Todorov's thesis is his well-supported claim that it was precisely the claim to European racial superiority that Christianity strongly reinforced and provided justification for the actions of the Spanish, even in its most severe manifestation. In fact, Todorov invokes the unimaginably horrible image of Catholic priests bashing Indian baby's heads against rocks, allegedly to save them from damnation to hell, which their "savage" culture would have otherwise consigned them to. The logic of this deed and others like them illustrates the destructive influence of Christianity in the Colonial project, which lies at the root of the hegemonic self-image of Western experience--first defined from the perspective of Columbus and Cortes.

Ramon Gutierrez, the author of book When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away reveals through research and evidence what occurred in New Mexico during 1500-1846. The Spaniards had difficulty submitting the Pueblo Indians, living in New Mexico however it was not an easy task. In addition, the Pueblo Indians are faced with another intruder the Franciscans who claim will save the natives’ souls. This book shows the native perspective and their social lives before and after the Spaniards intrusion into New Mexico. These intruders, the Spaniards and Franciscans, forcibly alter the natives’ culture, marriage, and sexuality, claiming to civilize these savages. These events are easily comprehensible due to the structure of the book. Ramon Gutierrez’ book categorizes the information into three parts making it simpler for people to understand what transpired. The three categories are as follows: the sixteenth century, the seventeenth century, and the eighteenth century.

When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away gives an in-depth history of the Pueblo Indians before and after the Spanish conquest. It describes the forced changes the Spanish brought to the Indians, and also the changes brought to the Spaniards who came to “civilize” the Indians. The author's thesis is that the Pueblo Indians and other Indians were treated cruelly by the Spanish, who justified their crime by claiming they were civilizing an

Transform iv. Spanish writers = natives could become comparable to EUR 1. Changes in natives’ political, econ., religious lives g. Piety and Profit (PG. 31-32) i. Spanish  natives: freedom vs. deaths 1. Freedom = Christianity (conversion) 2.

In the 16th century Spaniards Herman Cortes and Christopher Columbus set out on endeavoring journeys in search of new worlds. Christopher Columbus encountered, in the Caribbean islands, a group of extremely simplistic Native Americans. Herman Cortes however encountered a much more advanced Native American group in Meso America; we formally know this area to be Mexico. In my essay I will be comparing and contrasting several aspects between both of these Native American Civilizations including sophistication, technology, housing, weapons, religion and their reaction to the Spaniards. Letters written by Columbus and Cortes will be used to make these comparisons.

The Mexica people were known for being great warriors, but also harsh and cruel overlords. The Mexica sacrificed captives by the thousands in yearly rituals and would display their skulls on racks for all to see. “The Mexica believed that the gods, especially the sun god, required “precious water,” or Human blood to nourish them” (Schwartz 2000, 11). The Mexica also neglected and treated any conquered tribe as second class citizens, not allowing them to be fully incorporated into their empire or rise up in the social hierarchy. This caused much repulsion towards the Mexica overlords, and contributed greatly to the indigenous alliance with the Spaniards. “Bernal Diaz

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.

In order to keep their cultural and religious heritages existent new adaptations of religions begin to form after the invasion of the Europeans. The