The Role Of Native Americans In Colonial America

The arrival of the Spaniards to America meant a conquest not only territorial and political, but also a cultural domination for the diverse Aboriginal populations. The Spanish conquest imposed a way of seeing the world: the Christian and Western. This meant that all American indigenous cultures were affected by what has been called the "culture shock", that is, the mutual questioning of their respective ways of seeing the world: their values, beliefs, customs and traditions. Throughout the colonial period, many and complex relations developed between Spaniards and Indians. These went beyond military confrontation and racial mixing, encompassing many other planes and spheres of culture. On the economic side, the Spanish authorities established