In 1492 Spain was already among Europe’s principal kingdoms, wielding its power from the Netherlands to the Vatican to the Mediterranean. The news that Columbus had discovered a “New World” must have seemed like a gift from heaven: if it could exploit and export the riches of these new lands, Spain would rise, from being one kingdom among many, to undisputed preeminence in Europe. For the next century, this is precisely what happened. Competition from Portugal, France, and England was quick to arise, yet, despite this competition, by 1550 Spain was reaping the treasures of an empire that stretched from present-day California to the southernmost tip of South America. The Spanish gained wealth and power on an unprecedented scale, establishing an empire that lasted into the nineteenth century. But there was a wrinkle in the fabric of the empire: the lands that Spain had conquered were already inhabited. To benefit from the wealth of Columbus’s discoveries, Spanish settlers would have to find a way to subjugate the numerous peoples and empires of the Americas.
Today it is generally assumed that the Spaniards’ preferred method was simple, unmitigated brutality.
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