The conquest of the Americas during the 15th and 16th centuries, as documented by Christopher Columbus and Bartoleme de Las Casas, was tale of hammer and nail. In both accounts the Natives were described as meek and docile, with little to no weaponry that could withstand Spanish attack. Both Columbus and Las Casas stated that the Indians were naive, lacking evil, and respectful, Las Casas even stating they were “weak and complacent”. In the eyes of these Spanish explorers, the Indians were malleable people, and would benefit from conversion to the Christian faith. Las Casas differs from Columbus, however, in his view of the Spaniards. The Spanish, in his eyes, were conquerors who abused their power to terrorize the natives, stating that they
