New World Misconceptions
There were many misconceptions about the indigenous people of the New World, many of which described them as simple and savage, a description that couldn’t further from the truth.
Going back we find that Native Americans were actually very complex in all aspects of their lives: farming, social structure, religion, architecture, and so on. The people of the New World were so advanced that they could achieve the same things their European counterparts were doing with machinery, but better.These inventions and their food would be brought over the Old World after contact. While empires were being built, cochineal harvested, and corn becoming a reality, tensions were rising in Europe.
The rulers at the time, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella,
had just started a holy war against all non-Christians with end goal being more power and more Christian representation. In the process, they made all Muslims and Jews convert or leave and took over the last Muslim city, Granada, which is also the city their tomb is located. By doing this, they unintentionally spurred the growth of a caste system that discriminated against those with Muslim and Jewish heritage.
Another source of discrimination and prejudice was race. Spaniards were held up in high regards, where mestizas and African-Spaniards were placed at the bottom of society. However, this stopped having effect after Spaniards, mestizas, and African-Spaniards started getting married and having children.
Around this time, the queen and king sent Columbus and friends down to the New World, which led to the discovery of the Native Americans and their gold. Among Columbus’ shipmates there was a priest named De Las Casas who recorded all the actions of Columbus and his men in the name of God and gold. When Las Casas couldn’t bear it any longer, he travelled back to Spain and informed King Charles that he must stop Columbus or he would have to face eternal damnation. This confrontation led to the creation of new laws that forbade the mistreatment and enslavement of Native Americans.
Something often ignored in the midst of all this drama and political strain, the information that before white explorers like Columbus came to the New World there were already Spaniards fighting for the Southwest.
Going back we find that Native Americans were actually very complex in all aspects of their lives: farming, social structure, religion, architecture, and so on. The people of the New World were so advanced that they could achieve the same things their European counterparts were doing with machinery, but better.These inventions and their food would be brought over the Old World after contact. While empires were being built, cochineal harvested, and corn becoming a reality, tensions were rising in Europe.
The rulers at the time, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella,
had just started a holy war against all non-Christians with end goal being more power and more Christian representation. In the process, they made all Muslims and Jews convert or leave and took over the last Muslim city, Granada, which is also the city their tomb is located. By doing this, they unintentionally spurred the growth of a caste system that discriminated against those with Muslim and Jewish heritage.
Another source of discrimination and prejudice was race. Spaniards were held up in high regards, where mestizas and African-Spaniards were placed at the bottom of society. However, this stopped having effect after Spaniards, mestizas, and African-Spaniards started getting married and having children.
Around this time, the queen and king sent Columbus and friends down to the New World, which led to the discovery of the Native Americans and their gold. Among Columbus’ shipmates there was a priest named De Las Casas who recorded all the actions of Columbus and his men in the name of God and gold. When Las Casas couldn’t bear it any longer, he travelled back to Spain and informed King Charles that he must stop Columbus or he would have to face eternal damnation. This confrontation led to the creation of new laws that forbade the mistreatment and enslavement of Native Americans.
Something often ignored in the midst of all this drama and political strain, the information that before white explorers like Columbus came to the New World there were already Spaniards fighting for the Southwest.