Every single story, fight, or for this matter, a crucial era of history, has two versions of what occurred. Each side has their own opinions, reasons, and understanding of the events. Both versions might and should always hold some sort of truth. But usually, only the version of the side that wins is told and heard. Howard Zinn is the author of A People’s History of the United States , a book in which the version of history told is from the losing and oppressed side. In a section of his book, he writes about the history of the early Spanish conquest and settlement in the Americas. This is a well-known part of history, except that in Zinn’s book, he tells the history from the views of the natives and a few Spanish who opposed these cruelties,
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The Yucatan Mayas kept a record, known as the Chilam Balam, of all that occurred in their empire. This is a collection of valuable eyewitness accounts that show the victim’s side of history. The Chilam Balam of Chumayel contains details of the overall agony inflicted by the Spanish on the native populations in excerpts such as “When misery came, when Christianity came…for this indeed was the beginning of misery for us”6. This account also adds “The beginning of tribute…the beginning of village strife…the beginning of misery and affliction” . These excerpts powerfully demonstrate that there was a very dark side to these conquerors. Howard Zinn was trying to convey the idea that the natives felt the full force of the cruelty by the Spanish and were completely devastated. The Chilam Balam even goes so far as to say “This was the Antichrist here on earth”6. The natives were comparing the Spanish, as a result of their unjust treatment of the natives, to the complete opposite of Christ and all that it stood for. These excerpts, especially the last, reveal the true nature of the Spanish conquerors, produce pity for the natives because of all the inhumane acts they had to suffer through, and abundantly give favorable evidence and backing to Howard Zinn’s view on this section of
The Yucatan Mayas kept a record, known as the Chilam Balam, of all that occurred in their empire. This is a collection of valuable eyewitness accounts that show the victim’s side of history. The Chilam Balam of Chumayel contains details of the overall agony inflicted by the Spanish on the native populations in excerpts such as “When misery came, when Christianity came…for this indeed was the beginning of misery for us”6. This account also adds “The beginning of tribute…the beginning of village strife…the beginning of misery and affliction” . These excerpts powerfully demonstrate that there was a very dark side to these conquerors. Howard Zinn was trying to convey the idea that the natives felt the full force of the cruelty by the Spanish and were completely devastated. The Chilam Balam even goes so far as to say “This was the Antichrist here on earth”6. The natives were comparing the Spanish, as a result of their unjust treatment of the natives, to the complete opposite of Christ and all that it stood for. These excerpts, especially the last, reveal the true nature of the Spanish conquerors, produce pity for the natives because of all the inhumane acts they had to suffer through, and abundantly give favorable evidence and backing to Howard Zinn’s view on this section of