Native American-Spanish Conquistadors

The moment when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas was the beginning of the interactions between American Indians and European colonists. These very first interactions were mostly positive due to the the generosity of the Indians but turned violent when the Europeans began to mistreat, kidnap, enslave, and kill the American Indians. Actions taken by the American Indians and European Colonists, especially actions of violence, during the 1600s caused the relationship between the two parties to be negative and conflicting in New England and Chesapeake.

After the fall of the Aztec and Incan Empires, the natives had to live with the Spanish in order to survive. Doing this was a difficult task, especially since the Spanish had managed to obtain control of the mestizos and the natives. After being put through tedious slave labor for countless years, the Spanish and native culture blended through syncretism. Syncretism, or the blending of 2 or more different cultures, mixed Spanish Catholicism and Aztec beliefs into an unnamed religion followed by both the Spanish and the natives.

After the readings and discussions this week on Native Americans, the information conflicts with my previous knowledge.

The Conquest of Mexico and the conversion of the peoples of New Spain can and should be included among the histories of the world, not only because it was well done but because it was very great. . . . Long live, then, the name and memory of him [Cortés] who conquered so vast a land, converted such a multitude of men, cast down so many men, cast down so many men, cast down so many idols, and put an end to so much sacrifice and the eating of human flesh! —Francisco López de Gómara (1552)

Religion in this period began to be forced on South Americans during the time of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) came in to this region, but failed in converting many people to the monotheistic religion of Christianity. Before the Jesuits, South Americans believed in a polytheistic faith, such of that of the Inca “Sun God” and “Thunder God”. Jesuits, originating in French Canada or Spain, worked hard to convert those to Christianity by mastering native languages, along with creating boarding schools for young boys and girls, along with setting up model agricultural communities for converted Americans. They established churches throughout the region such as in in Huron and Algonquin territories. While the culture never really adapted to that of the Christian faith but instead continued to have faith in their deity’s. Due to the lack of acceptance, the church in the end redirected its missions and resources to different countries such as French settlements, founding schools, hospitals and churches.

#1:The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards • Pre-Columbian North America o Native North Americans ♣ Population • About 2-10 million ♣ Didn’t metalwork, had no gunpowder ♣ Networks • social, political, trade ♣ No classical civilizations, monuments, architecture • 1200 CE-developed civilizations o collapsed from environmental degradation such as drought ♣ Zuni-Southwest ♣ Hopi-Southwest ♣ Organized as confederacy made by tribes • Tribes were matrilineal • Iroquois o Great League of Peace • Different lifestyles by region o West coast ♣ Fished, hunted sea mammals o Great Plains ♣ Hunted buffalo • European discovery of North America o

-1A COMPARISON OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS ENCOUNTERED BY COULUMBUS ON THE ISLANDS OF THE CARIBBEAN WITH THE ENCOUNTERED BY CORTES IN THE MESO-AMERICA.

For more than 300 years, since the days of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Government, an attempt of genocide of the Native American Indian has existed. From mass brutal murders and destruction by Spanish and American armies, to self-annihilation through suicide, homicide, and alcohol induced deaths brought about because of failed internal colonialism and white racial framing. Early Explores used Indigenous inhabitants upon first arriving to the America’s to survive the New World and once they adapted, internal colonialism began with attempts to convert the Indians to Christianity, repressing their values and way of life, forcing them into slavery, and nearly exterminating an entire culture from existence.

As a new and mysterious world awaits to be discovered, daring conquistadors leave their home country of Spain in a journey of exploration. Two men by the name of Narvaez and Cabeza de Vaca set sail to thwart the untrustworthy Cortez who, behind the backs of Narvaez and Cabeza de Vaca, sailed to the New World with half of Narvaez’s crew in search of treasures. However, the journey would prove to be treacherous as the conquistadors would have to encounter hostile Native Americans and strange terrain they have never seen before. Throughout the expedition, future encounters between the Native Americans and conquistadors were heavily influenced by the personalities of the individuals and past experiences the Native Americans faced.

The Black Legend and White Legend: Relationship Between the Spanish and Indians in the New World

The events that occurred between the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors have many sides and opportunities for debate. One of the most debated topics being; Who was more savage and who was more Civil? Both the Aztecs and Spanish had powerful and thriving empires. These empires displayed their dominance through their advanced technology and flourishing military. Though it may seem that the Spanish were more advanced than the Aztecs, the Aztecs and Spanish were actually quite close to being equal in technological advancements.

As briefly mentioned in Theme 1, Ethnic and racial identities were developed over time with increase interaction with the rest of the world via economics and commerce with other ethnic and racial groups. In Chapter 13, Module 12, you see the particular race relations of the Americas with the ‘civilized’ western world. The fall of the Aztec and Incan Empires were largely due to the introduction of Spanish conquistadors from this ‘civilized’ western world (Levack 13.2.3). While the Aztecs followed their own religious and cultural ideals, to the new ethnic group their culture was an affront to their religious and own cultural ideals. Hernán Cortés was a large supporter of westernizing the natives by whatever means necessary so, as a result, much

Both excerpts have very different ideas. The author's note is a much more summarized version of the story. However, they story by Diana Burns is much more detailed and has a much different viewpoint. The actual excerpt seems to take place through the eyes of an actual settler. Whereas, the author's note seems like a vague summary of what really happened and all the facts may not be factual. The author's note gives more backstory and straightforward facts.

Exploration of the New World began when Leif Erikson, a viking of Iceland, came to America in 1000 AD. Europeans began venturing to the Americas in 1492 when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean by boat assuming he had reached the Indies. This excursion set off a chain of events involving many other Spanish Conquistadors journeying to a foreign land called America in search of the three G’s. Gold and glory clouded these Spaniard’s sense of humanity as they began to forget the third G, god. Conquistadors began to take an economic view of the Natives they crossed paths with instead of a religious view. Native’s lives were vastly subject to change because of the way the Spaniards treated them.

Cultural diffusion is the contagious cycle of beliefs, practices, cultures, and ideas spreading from location to location. Europeans led voyages to expand Christianity throughout other countries. An example of this would be Jesuits see to convert others as a serving to god, and helping those without God at their side. Trade resulted in new products being transported to various countries within the Columbian exchange. Countries continuously set out to conquer more land, during the age of exploration Hernando Cortes set out to defeat the Aztecs and obtain their land. THESIS; Cultural diffusion impacted society because it was responsible for the ample amount of knowledge, innovation, product and diversity being spread from country to country.