Hernán Cortez’s conquest of the Aztecs and Francisco Pizarro’s of the Incas are only the most famous incidents in a long tragedy of greed, murder, and enslavement. There is, of course, a great deal of truth to this picture; but it is not the whole truth. Especially in the first 50 years after 1492, the Spaniards were deeply concerned that their conquest be justified, both legally and religiously. The Spanish kings, searching for a way to justify their endeavors, encouraged open debate on the subject of the Native Americans. For the first few decades, at least, it seemed possible to reconcile concern for the natives (and, especially, concern for Christianizing them) with desire for gold. This conflict is summed up in the words of Bernal Díaz, a foot soldier of the time: “We came here to serve God, and also to get rich” (Díaz in Hanke, p. 32).
Spain’s moral dilemma cannot be separated from the very source of its so-called “right” to dominance of the New World: Christianity. In the Inter caetera, a papal bull signed May 4, 1493, Pope Alexander VI decreed that Spain could colonize the New World, as long as it conquered in the name of Jesus Christ.
This is a free page. This page contains 195 words. This
article contains 5,629 words (approx. 19 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Access Pass.
