In this week’s reading, “Spanish Conquest” by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloe Sayer discuss the subjugation, ethnocide, and struggle the indigenous population of Mexico endured during the Spanish conquest. The Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez, enslave and forced the Aztecs to believe that Christianity was the one true religion. Therefore, the indigenous people were forced to convert their faith through the Spanish missionaries to lose their indigenous roots. Later, the authors explain the many difficulties and conflicts Spanish priest underwent to teach the Christian faith to the Aztecs. The Spanish friar first taught the indigenous people Christianity in Nahuatl.
They wanted to convert the native peoples to Christianity.¨ (World Civilizations 799) So multiple people took the opportunity to try to change their religion. Christopher Columbus was a main enforcer of this. Osu.edu says, “Columbus forced the natives to convert to christianity and begin practicing this new religion against their desires.” (Myles Hudson) Christopher Columbus was not the best guy.
The Europeans who were also trying to convert the Aztecs to Christianity burned as many Aztec books they could find and destroyed many artifacts.(Aztec
I will also use the term “New World” to reference the places that the Spaniards travelled to. Though in a similar setting with the same religion, each text maintains a different view on the matters of Spanish conquests, which makes for an interesting discussion when comparing similarities all three. Despite a difference of opinion of how to convert, these three texts A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies, The Letter of Columbus to Luis de Sant Angel Announcing His Discovery, and Democrates Alter, Or, on the Just Causes for War Against the Indians similarly posit justification for violent acts and conversion of the indigenous peoples based on religious beliefs. To defend my argument, I will first explain the similar aspects between the three texts regarding the acknowledgement of the cruel actions against the natives to gain more knowledge of the land and its people. I will then discuss the similar opinion of each author that argues a Christian duty to convert the natives after having gained information about the New World.
It also led to the exchange of ideas, such as European Christianity spreading to the Americas and Native American spiritual beliefs influencing
The conquistadors had many factors that had helped them conquer the large Native American civilizations that had already inhabited the Americas, but the greatest factors working in their favor were disease, technological advances, and tactics they used against the Native Americans. When the Europeans arrived to the Americas, they were set on their conquest to explore and to hopefully gain more wealth from conquering the Native American civilizations. The overall arrival of the Europeans would change the course of history and lead to devastating effects for the Native Americans. One of the first things that the Native Americans were affected by was the diseases that the conquistadors brought over from Europe.
Freedom to Prosecute Religion Colonial America is often thought of as a safe haven from religious persecution. Future colonists had been persecuted for not accepting their countries ' religious doctrine and were willing to travel long distances in search of religious freedom. Religious freedom would still be far from grasp as Puritans would continue their homelands traditions of persecution for many more years. Puritans, unlike the Pilgrims (who sought to completely separate from the Church of England), wanted to purify the Church.
In The Requerimiento by Juan López de Palacios Rubios, natives in the new world were told, “We ask that … you acknowledge the Christian church as the ruler and superior of the whole world, and as superiors that you agree to let the Christian priests preach to you … (The Priests) shall not compel you to become Christians unless you yourself wish to be converted. But if you do not do this … we shall forcefully enter into your country and make war against you.” The Spanish conquistadors allowed natives to choose whether or not they wanted to convert to Christianity, However if they did not, then the Spanish turned them into slaves. The True History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillo openly stated that a reason for Spanish exploration was, “To serve God and his majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness.” The Spanish viewed non-Christians as unintelligent people because they believed in a different God.
In October of 1492, Christopher Columbus and Europeans arrived in the Americas after a long and hopeless journey. Europeans and Spaniards raided and ruined Native American culture, when they arrived in the New Land. Christopher Columbus was determined to gain fame and find gold, when he arrived in the New Land. Therefore, the Europeans and/or Spanish conquistadors mad Native Americans suffer through ways of sickness, population, and physical abuse/torture. Native Americans suffered through sickness gained from Europeans and Spaniards.
Europeans sought to change American Indian beliefs and world views by breaking up the diversity of economic, social, and political structures that had bound the American Indian culture for centuries. This allowed American Indians to experience an agricultural revolution. “The enormous diversity of economic, social, and political structures among the North American Indians makes large generalizations about their cultures difficult.” Europeans attacked American Indian regions where tribes were developing more sources of food, clothing and shelter and spreading, “religions with many gods who were associated with crops,game, forests, and rivers.” Europeans, generally members of The Roman Catholic Church, chose to change the narrative of multi-religious
As more settlers came to the new world from Europe, they brought Christianity with them, and Christianity’s popularity from Europe continued on in the new world. European contact with Native Americans deteriorated the Natives’ religions while strengthening the Europeans’
The goal of the Spanish conquerors and colonizers in the beginning was not to provide a Native American economic life, but to enrich the Spanish metropolis with riches brought from the America’s. The first goal was the exploitation for the Spanish Crown. The conquerors had not come to America to work or settle in distant lands and start a new life. Most conquerors wanted to find enough gold and riches to be able to live like a gentleman. Living the wealthy life would became impossible without creating some productive economy in the New World.
During the exchange, religion and cultural practices were spread from the Old World to the New World. This spread developed new customs that changed the way we perceive each other and the ways we interact with each other. The two major religions that spread were Christianity and Roman Catholicism. Christianity first came to the Americas with the Europeans. Unlike today, there was no official separation between the church and state, “and politics and religion were very much mixed.
Spanish claims to Latin America were based on the Christianizing mission. When Christopher Columbus arrived at the ‘New World’ in 1492 he quickly and forcibly took advantage of the wealth of the Indian tribes; those who refused to hand over their gold and jewels faced brutal punishment of all sorts. In return, Columbus and other Spaniards bestowed the Indians with Catholicism by baptizing them and teaching them the rituals of the religion. Hence, the colonization of Latin America was justified under the guise of spreading Christianity.
Europeans came to the New World with three intentions: gold, glory, and God. The spread Christianity to the Native Americans, but in turn, they did not adapt the Native American’s customs. It helped make Christianity a global religion. Because it was almost forced into the New World, Christianity overruled Islam as well as other religions.
