Before Columbus sailed across the ocean in 1492, religion had already been a pre-existing thing that was being practiced throughout great Indian empires. As well as each empire’s grand scale of rich natural resources such as gold and silver, however with the arrival of the Spanish the Indians hierarchy drastically changed with the introduction of the Caste system.
In the coming years, the Spanish began spreading Catholicism throughout the Americas in order to “civilize” the “savage” Indians. However, before the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas the Aztec empire had their many gods such as the famous god Quetzalcoatl “who promised to return,”. Nevertheless, Nicolás de Ovando created the idea that each encomendero that had Indians in turn
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Soon after, encomenderos and conquistadors began finding ways around the restrictions and regulations in order to enslave the Natives and having them work in the gold fields. Not only did the Spanish force the Natives to work for them, but “instead of keeping the Indians in the mines for only six months, they compelled them to stay longer.” (Reséndez, Andrés. "Caribbean Debacle." 37. Print.). Eventually the gold lust that every Conquistador felt strongly invaded their every need leading the Spanish to the town of Parral in what is now southern Chihuahua, Mexico. Parral was not a grand place when it came down to the silver boom in Mexico, but nor was it a small place either. Known for La Negrita, a hillside that was considered as being “the discovery of a lifetime.” (Reséndez, Andrés. "The Pull of Silver." 106. Print.) as well as becoming a hill made up of silver. During this time Parral with its silver boom also became a center of large slave trade. Throughout the large silver boom all throughout Mexico the Natives faced large waves of mistreatments while working down in the mines as they faced serious health problems. Along with the Native slaves in Parral, there was also the addition of African slaves, Asian slaves, and now due to the caste system Mulattos. As a result of an African and
Culture is the overall moral belief, customs, language, and attitudes a person is brought and raised into. Daily, we are exposed to diverse and different cultures everyday which allow us to learn the different values and traditions each culture possess. The importance of observing and learning different customs is beneficial because it can help us better adapt and prevent misunderstandings when we communicate and interact with others. Hispanics and Americans are two huge cultures that have been sharing the same living space for years but are an example of two different civilizations. While both, Hispanics and Americans, share many similarities they both differ in recognition of religion, language,
The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the “god” that included a human
Before the 15th century, the Indians in the Americas were not connected with the world and would remain that way until Columbus's exploration. In the beginning of 15th century, the Aztecs were the dominant group in Mesoamerica leaded by Montezuma, the last leader, before the Spanish conquest. In 1519, Hernan Cortez led the Spanish mission to explore and conquer the New World. This paper will compare three primary sources about this event. First, an informing letter sent from Cortez to King Charles V, the king of Spain. Second, the Broken Spears which is an Indian recollection about the conquest of Mexico. Lastly, Bernal Diaz’s (one of Cortez’s men) account was written by him to share his experience with Aztec
The Aztec people felt very strong about their beliefs in gods and superstitions. Montecuhzoma the independent ruler of the Aztec empire swayed his people to believe in the power of gods and idols and live a spiritual life. This ultimately was a turning point for the Aztecs and is where the Spanish once again gained advantage over the Aztecs. While the Aztecs were faithful to their beliefs it made them powerless an easy take down. Superstitions played a huge factor in the Aztecs first encounter with the Spanish people. In 1519 when the Aztec people saw sight of something coming from a distance in the water, they believed it was Quetzalcoatl (Leon-Portilla, 18). Quetzalcoatl was a legend to them that promised to come back. Montecuhzoma misread the situation and sent messages and gifts in hopes that it sent a gesture to welcome the gods onto their land. This was a big mistake that Motecuhzoma made by opening his arms to the Spanish people upon their first encounter together (Leon-Portilla, 63). This is just one case where the Aztec people poorly used their judgement. However, Motecuhzoma did come to realize the behavior of the Spaniards or “Gods”. When the Spaniards held the gold given by the Aztecs their greed became noticed in the eyes of the Aztecs. The Natives described them as monkeys. They soon caught on that the Spaniards were not gods and heroes and more so barbarians
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.
The first category presents the Indians way of culture before the Spanish influence. The book goes into the mindset of the natives, letting the reader see the Indians in a different angle than what other presents them. Usually, the Indians are portrayed as unintelligent, uncivilized Indians without a structured society in biased books, however this book gives a more unbiased view. The beginning several pages of the first section reveals how their religion came about and how the Acoma Indians
The world’s history had a turning point in the fifteenth century. The oceans were no longer an obstacle as previously seen to reach beyond. The Europeans felt inferior to the power and wealth of the Islamic world and saw the possibility to claim power and richness by conquering the oceans. During the 15th century and the 16th century Europeans established colonies in the Americas, the so called “New World”. When Europeans arrived in the Americas, most did not even consider that the peoples they encountered had cultural and religious traditions that were different from their own; most believed indigenous communities had no culture or religion at all.
The Post-Classical Period encompassed both a return to the legacies of classical civilizations as well the beginning of new empires. However, what was most significant about this period was the increase in trade and the spread of religion between civilizations. Two continuities in the development of religion in the Americas during the Post-Classical period were religion’s political impact and cultural influence. One change in the development of trade in the Americas during the Post-Classical period was the increased economic interaction due to the emergence of empires.
Being born into a small town in Texas where a heavy influence on Mexican culture applies to almost everyone. It makes me realized that food really plays a major part in identifying myself as a Mexican. Because the food, makes our culture unique. In addition, learning to make my very first ever batch of tamales made me realized that it was a memorable experience.
Religion and spirituality have been complex issues in the United States of America. This is especially true when it comes to Native Americans. Since the 16th century, contact between Native Americans and Europeans has been filled with both good and bad. In this paper, the issue of religion and spirituality and how they figure into the story of Indian-European contact between the 16th and 21st centuries will be discussed.
The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the "god" that included a human sacrifice, which was seen by the Spanish as a
The success of the Spaniards' colonization of the Americas was partly a result of the condition of the natives. Columbus referred to the natives as "timorous creatures" without any weapons, so " the men who remain there alone sufficient to destroy all that land". In addition to this, the Aztec belief in the return of Quetzalcoat also played a significant role in the submission of the natives to the Spaniards. As the Spaniards were coming from the sea with their ships, the natives believed that they were the agents of the God and thus they showed their respect. Columbus recounted that "they all believe that power and goodness are in the sky, and they believed very firmly that I, with these ships and crew, came from the sky; and in such opinion they recevied me at every place where I landed..." Another, yet not the last, factor in the success of the Spaniards was their use of Indian tribes such
The history of the colonies focuses primarily around the struggle between the global superpowers during that time period, Spain and Britain, to win control of North America. Prior to 1763, these entities battled over territory on the continent, eventually leading the Britain’s dominance. The economic, social, and political differences between the Spanish and British colonization efforts created the opportunity to Britain to overtake North America.
In 2011 the Pew Research Center produced a survey which claimed that approximately 37.6 million people living in the United States spoke Spanish in their homes(Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). While that may not seem like much keep in my mind the fact that, this number reflects around 10% of the total American population; and the number of Spanish speakers coming to this country is ever-increasing. All of this being said some people, in the government or elsewhere, would see the Spanish language marginalized or even totally forgotten in our national identity. I’m here to say that we shouldn’t forget something that has helped shape the diverse fabric of our nation for hundreds of years. Instead of simply denying the fact that Spanish is
Several differences could be identified. In South America, locals adopted Portuguese and Spanish cultures. Their religion, trade and language was significantly affected by this interaction. Formation of societies followed the ideas they had borrowed from the colonists. To ease the process of colonization, the locals were bundled into villages where they were supposed to work for their masters. Sedentary and semi sedentary groups were also present in South America. Sedentary groups involved those people who shared with Europeans in agriculture and other activities. The Inca Empire is a good example. Under the Spanish rule, native culture and religion was seriously repressed. The system promoted exploitation. The locals therefore adopted Spanish culture and language even after the selected period. The British colonies in North America were slightly different. Though the white settlers were highly capitalistic, they did not interfere with local structures until mid-17th century and 18th century when colonization had spread its roots. During this period, local structures were outlawed with the locals being forced to adopt British religion, form of government and tax system.