Spanish Argumentative Essay

Picture a vast scope stretching from the Red River Basin to the Plains of Colorado to the Arkansas River to the Rio Grande. Envision the diverse groups of Natives that live on the land peacefully. Imagine the golden Pueblos of the Acoma Indians, the Hogan huts of the Navajo, and the wiki-ups of the Lipan. Then imagine this picturesque view shattered by European imperialism. The Europeans during the 16th and 17th centuries took several different approaches to the New World. The French saw potential business and trading partners, the English sought territory to expand their empire, and the Spanish were much more complex. The Spanish made one purposeful thrust into the New World in the 16th century to claim the industrious Natives as subjects of the Crown and Church. A century later, the Spanish returned to the New World. The Spanish unleashed forces of change that changed the lives of the native people throughout the arena that the Anglo-Americans call the Southwest. The Spanish affected the culture and structure of the Southwest by way of religion, architecture, and agriculture and livestock. This culture shock in the Southwest by means of
In 1494, Queen Isabella sent out and edict saying that “Indians have souls” therefore, it is the duty as a conquistador to save them. As a result, an encomienda system was established in 1512 by Fray Nicolas de Ovando. The encomienda system regulated Native labour and behavior during Spanish colonization. In exchange, the encomenderos were to take responsibility for the Natives via converting to the Christian faith, protect them from warring tribes and pirates, as well as educate the Natives the Spanish language and infrastructure. The Natives would give tributes to the encomenderos in the form of metals, maize (corn), wheat, pork, and several other agricultural products. By 1730, the system was formally abolished; however, the system lost its effectiveness much earlier