The text directly relates to the test item, “otherness and ethnocentrism”, “western notions of the attributes of an organized society”, and also “Spaniards response to linguistic barriers with Native American peoples.” Villagrá construes the Spaniards actions to gain the approval of the king, yet the truth lies within the lines of poetry he writes. Throughout Villagrá’s violent recount of the founding of New Mexico, he uses comparisons and conflicting language when it comes to the depiction of Natives and the attacks that were brought forth upon them. In the canto III, Villagrá details the vast and beautiful land which is New Mexico.…
5. What is Zinns basic criticism of historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s book Christopher Columbus? * Zinns basic criticism of the book is that Morison praises Columbus too much, he goes overboard. According to Zinn, Columbus was a bad guy.…
According to de Las Casas, the key characteristics of the Indians are simplest, obedient, faithful, humble, patient, peaceful and calm. In the article, he writes that, “God has created all these numberless people to be quite the simplest, without malice or duplicity, most obedient, most faithful to their natural Lords, and to the Christians, whom they serve; the most humble, most patient, most peaceful and calm, without strife nor tumults; not wrangling, nor querulous, as free from uproar, hate and desire of revenge as any in the world” (Cobbs. 8-9). He thinks that Indians are nonviolent people and they are faithful to their natural Lords as well as the Christians. For example, de Las Casas uses “gentle sheep” (Cobbs.…
Camilla Townsend’s Malintzin’s Choices depicts the ways in which one young Indian woman’s bold decision impacted the outcome of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The master narrative is commonly told through the perspective of the conquistadors themselves, rendering the history largely biased and lacking the views of the indigenous communities that were conquered. The inclusion of indigenous experiences challenges white male authority by shedding light on the inaccuracies of the major accounts and proving that a significant portion of history is based on the outlook of the person who writes it. Malintzin’s story deconstructs the widely-accepted Eurocentric narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico while simultaneously demonstrating the importance…
During the age of the conquistadors it was a race to see who could find and collect all of the land they could. Gaining new parts of the new world was did not only affect the people already living on the land it affected the people who were conquering the land. European colonization of the americas shaped global economies and societies by creating a drastic decline in the native population, generating new goods for overseas trade, and by creating new mixed cultures. When the spanish found the new lands they were determined to conquer the lands. They would stop for nothing.…
Bonfil Batalla’s book, Mexican Profundo: Reclaiming a Lost Civilization, highlights the struggles of the Mesoamerican culture in the past and present. The author provides an insightful look at two different civilizations that have occupied Mexico throughout the centuries. Batalla named these two civilizations the Mexico Profundo and the imaginary Mexico. He explains how these civilizations have major differences that restrict their ability to coexist peacefully together. This book provides a detailed perspective of the differences and effects of the Mexico Profundo and the imaginary Mexico, the colonization of Mexico, Mexico after the colonial period, and the modern resistances of the Mexico Profundo.…
1. What was Native American society like before European contact? What similarities and difference existed? The indigenous peoples of what is now the United States were split into countess tribes, practiced a variety of religions and traditions, and developed different ways of life in different environments across North America.…
Cook, David Born to Die: Disease and New World Conquest, 1492-1650. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998. In this book, David Cook attempts to synthesize all available information about the spread of disease in the new world in one volume. Cook’s main argument is that the traditional historiography on the subject, most notably that written by Bartolome de Las Casas, over-emphasizes the cruelty of the Spanish as the reason behind the massive deaths experienced in Amerindian populations.…
Native Americans Imagine aliens from another planet landing on earth. Imagine if the people of the land accepted them and taught them how to survive on earth, only for the aliens to take away the land. In “Native Americans: Contact and Conflict,” Native Americans wrote down their experiences, letting the reader get a different perspective on events and occurrences that the reader would not get from reading white colonist papers. The writings provide the viewer with understanding and knowledge of Indian beliefs, culture, and feelings towards the white immigrants. At the beginning Indians welcomed the English with hospitality.…
QUESTIONS: A. Prologue: What is Yali ’s question? Restate the question in Professor Diamond’s words or your own words. Yali’s question is “Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?”…
And the Pueblos not only had tension with the Spanish colonist, but they also had tension with the other Indian tribes. These secondary tensions may have equally led to both the Pueblo, and poor farmer’s…
New Mexico is a breathtaking place, with the vibrant colors and the heart-stopping landscapes, it is portrayed essentially as the Land of Enchantment. The state is known for its rich history and luscious cultures that inhale residents from other states, along with bundles of foreigners from around the world. Although, to the world’s surprise, the implausible sweet land is one of the meagerest states in America. There are numerous reasons why New Mexico is dirt poor, although the primary reasons for poverty in New Mexico, are low levels of education, structures of common families, access to social and welfare programs, and diverse cultures and races. The following criteria demonstrates why New Mexico is ranked a leading impecunious state in…
Summary In Miguel Leon-Portilla’s The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico, the author shares the Aztec account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1519. Throughout the book, Portilla discusses the significant events that occurred in the Aztec society. The indigenous groups in Mexico such as the Mexica (Aztec) had a thriving culture and advanced society in ancient Mesoamerica. The people of the Aztec society were educated, studied many subjects of interest such as astrology, and built great architectural pyramids that were breathtaking and beautiful.…
One reason for this was the enforcement of Spanish rule, and the dependency the conquest had on the Native peoples; Restall explains that “Spanish settlers depended upon native communities to build and sustain their colonies with tribute, produce and labor” (128). Being a conquistador meant striving to receive an encomienda, “a grant of native tribute and labor” - and this was the ultimate form of slavery for the Indigenous peoples. Furthermore, the second reason for the exploitation of the very victims of the Conquest was the need for survival; as Restall writes, “[Native peoples] tenaciously sought ways to continue local ways of life and improve the quality of life even in the face of colonial changes and challenges” (129). While it was common for Native peoples to demonstrate extreme resistance to the Spaniards when immediately encountered, there were other kinds of defensive strategies. One type of defensive strategy was done through the adaptation of Spanish culture as a way to ‘cover’ and preserve their original practices and systems.…
Interactions between Europeans and Native Americans While attempting to find a faster route to the Indies, Christopher Columbus discovered another land instead. Since the English, French and Spanish were all seeking power at the time that same land would soon after be explored. As the news of the discovery spread, the English shortly found power in the acquisition of the land itself, the French in fur trade, and the Spanish in conquering and exploiting the Native Americans that originally inhabited the area. During the process of fulfilling their achievements, each European had different approaches and distinct encounters with the local Native Americans. The English initially had friendly relationships with them, but with time and trade, hostility…