Spanish Conquest Of The Americas Essay

On the surface, it is easy to get the impression that the Spaniards’ goal for going to new lands focused on only gold. If it is only looked at in that aspect, it makes them look greedy. Often times in high school history classes, they focus on the voyages themselves rather than the culture of the Spanish society. They were very religious, as were many other empires. Despite a major concentration on the riches of the New World, the conquest of the Americas is best understood through the evangelism and theology of both the indigenous people and Spanish voyagers. The differences in their culture and religion brought forth many issues for both sides and ultimately affected the relationship and social aspects between the indigenous people and the Spaniards. First and foremost, it should be pointed out that religion in the Americas was a completely foreign concept to voyagers like Columbus. These indigenous people believed in multiple Gods and would perform human sacrifices to please the Gods. Because of this difference from their Christian society, many voyagers saw them as savages. Bernal Diaz even compares European society with Mexican society and says that they are completely different (Diaz del Castillo.) They did not understand why they did the things they did, they did not understand why

If someone were to tell another person that their belief system is wrong, of course they would most likely be reluctant to agree with that statement. The hostility of the Natives is best understood through their resistance against the Spaniards. The original inhabitants were reluctant to agree with all that the Spanish. But their weaponry was no match for the Spaniards’ advanced technology. The Nahua people and other indigenous people were not strong enough to battle these conquerors. They even went as far as building small chapels in an effort to spread Christianity