Compare Christopher Columbus Perceptions Of The Tainos

Spain’s relations with Native Americans began when Christopher Columbus and his caravels, the Nina and Pinta, along with a larger ship, the Santa Maria, sailed west to in time, discover what he would then name, San Salvador. The islanders who lived on San Salvador called themselves Tainos. Columbus quickly realized they had beliefs that greatly differentiated from what he had seen in Europe. “Columbus’s landfall in the Caribbean initiated a thriving exchange between the people, ideas, cultures, and institutions of the Old and New Worlds that continues to this day.” “Columbus’s perceptions of the Tainos were shaped by European attitudes, ideas, and expectations, just as the Tainos’ perceptions of the Europeans were no doubt colored by their

Columbus was a very religious man who had a large desire to spread Christianity to lands far away. Columbus first thought that the Tainos “had no religion,” and expected them to effortlessly convert but “in reality they worshipped gods they called zemis, ancestral spirits who inhabited natural objects such as trees and stones.” Columbus and his fleet, being sent by Catholic monarchs from a predominately Christian Europe, weren’t used to such contradicting beliefs. Because of their large differences, Columbus struggled to understand the Tainos. Communication was confusing between them and made Columbus’s goal of converting them to Christianity a lot tougher than he expected. The Spaniards differences in religious beliefs caused confusion that greatly damaged interactions the Tainos down the

Spanish monarchs pushed to establish settlements to finalize their claims once Spain received rights to this land. The Spaniards still believed they had rule over this land because of the Native Americans religion. Once Spain had assuredly become the most dominant European power, they created New Spain to show that they could use the New World to help out the Old. The Spanish Monarchs then allowed the conquistadors to rule over the Indians living in already subdued towns in the New World, as long as any treasure found was sent back to the monarchs to distribute. This created the system of encomienda which “in theory, was supposed to guarantee order and justice, be responsible for the Indians’ material welfare, and encourage them to become