Cultural Clash Of Native Americans

Since their initial encounter with the Europeans in the late fifteenth century, Native Americans have lost a tremendous amount of their beliefs, values, and tribal practices. This loss in social cohesion has been the outcome of the cultural clash, or conflict between cultures, with the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans. The social distinction between the members of indigenous populations and the Spaniards resulted in the formation of new races and religion, which is accounted to be part of the reason for the diversity of culture in the Americas today. Articles such as: “Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico,” “Body and Soul Among the Maya,” “Indigenous Eroticism and Colonial Morality in Mexico,” and “Art and Society in Highland

One of the most prominent factors of the cultural clash that led to the successful conquest on behalf the Europeans was the different perspectives from which each group viewed one another. At first the Indians did not see any kind of peril; due to the fact that Europeans never attempted to hurt the members of the Pre-Columbian era, the indigenous people viewed them as harmless individuals. The Indians believed they had little to fear from these odd-looking people with their strange ways. Additionally, Indians were very tolerant to foreign cultures and their practices; for example, they were very flexible and accepted the introduction of European cultural elements. They saw no reason why they couldn't worship both their gods and those of the Spaniards at the same time. In contrast, Europeans only believed in one god and the worship of any other was a sin. Although Indians welcomed change, English people were opposed to integration, and those who were caught doing it were sanctioned. As a case in point, consider how Hernan Cortes took over Mexica. “The Aztecs thought the strangers were [gods] returning from over the sea, while Spaniards –despite their amazement at the splendors of Tenochtitlan- considered the Aztecs barbarians and thought only of seizing their riches and of forcing them to become

In exchange for their religious teachings on Catholicism and new technology to produce, the Europeans were given riches from the Native Americans to trade with other parts of the world. The different manners with which each group viewed one another, the distinction between their perspectives regarding the importance of property, and the contrasting ideas of life procreation and its religious symbolism were part of the many factors that caused this regional clash. The cultural collision of the Europeans and the Natives also resulted in the formation of new races and religion that are followed by today’s society. The extermination of tribal rituals and eradication of anyone who followed them caused a massive destruction of the elements of the ancient Pre-Columbian era, giving researchers the right and justification to claim that the Conquest almost resulted in a catastrophic