Summary Of Matthew Restall's Seven Myths Of The Spanish Conquest

Written Assignment One: The Globalization of Food
In Matthew Restall’s book Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, he states that “the
Spanish Conquest is a mere episode in the globalization of access to resources of food production. The plants and animals of certain Old World environments and regions have a greater potential as food, and the peoples of those regions have enjoyed advantages over others as a result.” (145). In this, he asserts that the “big picture” reason for the Spaniards to come to
America was simply food. He is taking a step back to look at the substratum underlaying the mound of glorious reasons to claim Latin America for Spain. That because of the Spaniards’ access to better food through out their history, the
With the growth of food comes the growth of settlements, colonists, communities, an economy, and then taxes that can be put on a developing town to benefit the conquistadors and the crown. The foundation for the Spaniard’s hopes and ambitions was food, whether consciously or consequently. Through out
Restall’s book, the reasons for the Conquest that every one knows about and therefor have

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created myths about: gold, power, exploration, all can be tied to food. They came to America so they and those who followed them could live Spanish lives, and to have Spanish lives you had to eat Spanish food.
Restall also talks about the globalization of food; that the Spanish would bring their food to the new world and spread it over the natives. This is different than sharing, which implies an equal give and take from two parties. That was not the mentality of either group. The Natives had already been living in a conquest society for centuries. They were accustomed to being taken by a party, and though the Spanish had different ideas of what “conquer” was, the Natives already knew that new people meant new customs. There was no gentle connection