The Incas and the Aztecs
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When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World, they found flourishing civilizations firmly in place in the form of the Incas in Peru and the Aztecs in Mexico. Within a short time, the Spanish had destroyed these civilizations and eradicated much of their culture. In addition to the desire for conquest, gold, and plunder of all sorts, the conquistadors also saw themselves as carrying on a Holy Crusade to stamp out idolatry and to bring Christianity to these heathen peoples. The meeting between the Spaniards and the indigenous peoples of the New World was a culture clash in which the European would ultimately prevail, but elements of the indigenous cultures would survive and be adapted to the developing Christian society the conquistadors left behind. To a great degree, this was acculturation at the point of a sword, and the conquistadors ruthlessly stamped out cultural elements of which they did not approve. Some of these truly offended the sensibilities of the Europeans, such as the practice of human sacrifice by the Aztecs. Other cultural elements may have been eliminated more as a result of the devastation of the land and the people than by design. The Aztecs were probably the best known of the American peoples conquered by the Spanish, and they were Indians of elaborate culture, living in the Valley of Mexico and its surrounding regions. Our knowledge of the Aztecs derives largely from the written reports of the first Spaniards in the New World, including
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y Europeans viewing the situation were alarmed at what had taken place. Actually, the Indian population had diminished less in the mountain areas to which the Indians had repaired in the face of the Spanish, but there was some decline even there.
The reasons for this depopulation begin with disease, since the people of the region had been isolated for centuries and had no immunity to European diseases. While there was no mention of any epidemic in the early years of the occupation, it seems likely that there was one. The first reported epidemic was in 1546 when something like typhus or plague spread across the land. However, the real cause of the depopulation was cultural shock and chaotic administration as the people of Peru lived through a number of catastrophes:
Their calm, rigidly organized society was shattered in quick succession by a ferocious civil war, a bewildering conquest by foreigners totally alien in race and outlook, two mighty attempts at resistance, and a devastating series of civil wars among the invaders.
Many of the natives were so profoundly demoralized by these events that they lost the will to live, and this remains a serious threat to primitive peoples who witness the collapse of their way of lif
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Approximate Word count = 2823
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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