Q2: 2A. Las Casas was located in the New World, more specifically, on an island where natives were enslaved by the Spaniards. He was right in the midst of encountering Indian treatment at its cruelest. It would be hard not to form a bias when Indians who seem to do no wrong are being tortured for what appears to be for the sake of the invader’s enjoyment.…
Anthropologists and historians believe that the first inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere were migrants from Asia, most of whom most probably came by land between 13,000 B.C. and 9000 B.C. across a hundred-mile-wide land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. About 3000 B.C., some Native American peoples developed better cultivation techniques and began to farm a variety of crops, most notably maize (corn), which resulted in agricultural surpluses that laid the economic foundation for populous and wealthy societies in Mexico, Peru, and the Mississippi River Valley.…
Born Malintzin, Malinche as she came to be known, was a native interpreter to conquistador Hernando Cortés. Born a native Nahua speaker, supposedly of noble status, Malinche was sold into slavery around 1510 to a noble family in Tabasco on the Mexican Gulf Coast where she learned to speak Maya, the language of her masters. In 1519, when a group of Spanish conquistadors lead by Hernando Cortés, conquered Tabasco the Malinche was given to the foreigner’s as a peace offering. The Spaniards’ Maya interpreter discovered that Malinche knew Nahuatl and was therefore useful to Cortés in helping him converse with native Nahuatl speakers. In time Malinche learned Castilian, serving as Cortés’ translator she helped the conquistador gain allies in his…
In the first chapter of the book, Native Peoples of the Southwest (Griffin-Pierce, 2000) we learn about the general history of the Native tribes of the Southwest. We learn of there independence and the periods of time they were taken over by other countries. It also talks of the land and those who dwelled there. It also gives us a little peak into there culture and their lives. This chapter was packed with information where we learned about different tribes homelands and past history with Spain, Mexico and the Americas.…
However, the Christian Spaniards had a different agenda that involved the killing millions of people for their gold. The common phrase “money is the root of all evil” would epitomize these occurrences. As humans, we associate wealth with power and power leads to greed which leads to unjust and immoral actions. The Christians Spaniards were described by De Las Casas as inhumane, tyrannical, cruel and evil. In contrast, the Indians were seen to be pure, peaceful and innocent people. This view can be seen as slightly biased because he was once just like the Christians which can lower the credibility of the author. Las Casas recalled that the soldiers took advantage of the hospitality the Indians provided so that they could take over their land and resources with the least resistance. They acquired gold, jewels, and slaves. Slavery was a recurring theme faced through history which is linked to power and greed. The Spaniards also devastated millions of natives Indians by raping women and killing innocent children and infants. It could be presumed that in this society women were of no value to these men so they used them for their pleasure without any regard. In conclusion, though De Las Casas had a change of heart and defended the Indians, he could have been less biased when trying to get his point across to the King of…
He says they are superior because the europeans are smarter. He sees them as naive barbaric animals serving their king. He continues throughout the document by dehumanizing the natives by saying there is not an ounce of smartness in them. He states they are so dumb that they will follow any leader that gives them what they “want”, freedom . He asserts his supiority by stating that they are dumb. They are naive. One of the examples are that they cannot write or read making it impossible for them to have laws or write down any history. He also sees them as uncivilized because of what they do , they use intincts to continue thier rule but he says they are…
“From the fact that the Indians are barbarians it does not necessarily follow that they are incapable…” (de Las Casas 3). In For the Record, it starts off right away in this section of how the Europeans while not sure of what to make of the Indians they knew that these were not the savages as some had described. De Las Casas goes on to describe of a people that were both loyal and committed to the community and to their fellow man. De Las Casas main adversary, Gines Sepulveda, failed to see the parallel in the fate of the Spaniards at the hands of the Romans and Caesar Augustus. “Now see how he called the Spanish people barbaric and wild” (de Las Casas 3) demonstrates the same philosophy of the thoughts of Europeans as they encountered the Indians. Shall those that are fearful for the loss of all they have worked for not fight back and retain what is rightfully theirs. The Indians, especially the Aztecs had built cities, established political and economic organizations and created richly diverse civilizations. In The Jesuit Relations they recount the gratitude shown to the hospital nuns “The Savages who leave the hospital, and who come to see us again at St. Joseph, or at the three Rivers,…
Bartolome` de Las Casa had a very different view of the Indians than the majority. Las Casa was against the mistreatment of the Indians. Las Casa tried to convince the Spanish to change their attitudes towards the Indians. He committed his life to being an advocate for the Indians and urging people to treat them better.…
Pueblo Indians are a mixture of several Native American tribes. They are descended from the Anasazi people. The best known of the mixture are Acoma, Taos, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. The Pueblo Indians settle in areas of the Southwest. In areas of the Mesa Verde Region, which is located the Four Corners. It is said that the Pueblo Indians acquired their name from the Spanish explorers that came across the tribe and used the Spanish term “pueblo” meaning “town” to describe their adobe homes and town.…
Anzaldua identifies how La Virgen de Guadalupe has had her impact in history. In Mexican history, she is said to have helped with the freedom of Mexico from Spain. In Roman history, she was named “Mother of God”. She was an enduring figure to the Indians during times of mass suffering and “near genocide”. And today, in many places she is recognized as more important that god. Although Chicanos /Mexicans may have identify barriers, the one thing that is undeniable about who they are, is the impact and importance that La Virgen de Guadalupe has had on them. Moreover, La Virgen de Guadalupe is acknowledged regardless of race, language and religion. She is an essence of Mexican culture and an important figure in history. “Nuestra abogaga siempre seras/Our mediatrix you will always be…La Virgen de Guadalupe is the of ethnic identity and of the tolerance for ambiguity that Chicanos-Mexicanos, people of mixed race, people who have Indian blood, people who cross cultures, by necessity possess” (Anzaldua, 47). Culture and religion are two components of life that are understood and are important in all racial groups among the world. Religion, since antiquated times, has served as a positive outlet, especially during…
The pueblo people, sometimes called the Anasazi. Began to build mud-brick houses for themselves in the south-west part of America about 100 BC. They were also known as the Basket Maker people.…
The world and how we know it is one filled with culture. Different regions vary in how the people of that particular area dress, talk, act and live. In todays society it is not uncommon to encounter someone from a different culture, sometimes on a daily basis. Due to advancements in social networking and means of transportation, it is easy to experience and learn about different cultures and societies without leaving your front doorstep. Observing different cultures is quite normal and something that is very familiar with a lot of people. But, a quick glance throughout history and it becomes apparent that experiencing a new way of life is a lot more routine today than it once was. Explorers such as Christopher Columbus…
The English settlers developed a selection of stereotypes against the Native Americans, ranking them as uncivilized and thus making it easier on themselves to lead the culture into their impossible situation, where the Natives have no choice but to either fight and lose or sit and do nothing, however if assimilation could have occurred through education or social structure the final outcome could have been mutually just for the two civilizations.…
The colonists that came brought horrible things to the Native Americans, like diseases, weapons, and the idea that they were superior. In Cabeza de Vaca, the violent interactions can be seen between the Natives and the Spaniards throughout the entire narrative. In the very first encounter Cabeza de Vaca recalls, “And although they spoke to us, since we did not have an interpreter we did not understand them. But they made many signs and threatening gestures to us and it seemed to us that they were telling us to leave this land”(p. 54). Right from the beginning, the colonists did not have a respectful relationship with the Native Americans. This continues on through the narrative, and includes raids, fights, and even enslavement. While this violence was a horrible event that cannot be overlooked, America today would not be the same without it. In fact, it might not even exist. This violence was necessary for the formation of today’s…
The origins of European dominance in medieval ages track back to the beginning of human history. According to fossil studies, early humans first appeared in Africa around four million years ago and expanded into Asia and Europe three million years later. By half million years ago, early human skulls in Africa, Asia, and Europe started being sufficiently similar to those of modern humans. Fossils do not show any human presence in the Americas and Australia by then, not until around 40,000 years ago during a huge development of tools that included rise of water craft which enabled humans to reach Australia. The colonization of the Americas followed around 25,000 years later after human improved enough to knit heavy clothes and travel to the Americas…