FREE ESSAY ON LATIN HISTORY

LATIN HISTORY

The Well Planned Surprise 
On October 13th of 1492, Christopher Columbus made a "discovery" that changed all of
mankind. He under the backing of the Spanish government made the pivotal first steps in
colonizing a new land. The journey that had long been anticipated by Columbus was not
important because it was the first of such expeditions, for it indeed was not. The fact
that sets him apart is that his discovery was the last of such magnitude and lasting
effects in history. His discovery was made at a time when Europe was in the process of
great change. These changes greatly influenced the voyage of Columbus and contributed to
curiosity of the monarch and the citizens of Europe. The famous series of Wars called The
Crusades caused great changes in the ways that Europeans thought and acted. The crusades,
begun four centuries earlier, had increased the appetites of affluent Europeans for
exotic things, and the most important of these things was gold and silver. The main
reason for curiosity into new worlds and lands was the need for more trade, and quicker
routes for existing trade routes. Europe was in position to become the dominating force
throughout the world and it was pertinent that they expand, and seek new riches and lands
to add to its kingdom. The changes in Europe not only prompted Columbus's voyages and
those of others, but it paved the way for European domination for the next five hundred
years. Often overlooked in the explanation of the events surrounding the discovery and
settlement of the new worlds, are the little contributing factors. Those things that
motivated and aided in the discovery and the settlement of this land. The Europeans did
not set sail on a wild goose chase for new territory. They had an idea of what they were
looking for, who they were looking for, and what to do with whatever they encountered.
The Europeans were organized in their efforts to conquer. Many different motivating
factors contributed to Spanish expedition into the America's; all are important and
without each the affect of the expeditions in to the lands would not be possible. 
Foremost among these factors is the improvement of the European weaponry used, and the
advances in technology that Europe had amassed. The new technologies of warfare developed
farther and faster in Western Europe than anywhere else in the world because of the union
of existing technologies. By the 15th century, Europeans were the world's masters in
firearm manufacturers . This initiated an arms race that ushered in the refinement of
archery, drill, and siege warfare. The arms race that was started then, has continued
into the 21st century. This supreme dominance in the art of military technology gave the
confidence needed by the Europeans to embark on their various expeditions into territory
uncharted by Europeans. When Columbus and his fellow mates landed in the Caribbean, they
greeted the Indians with weapons that the natives had no notion about. The guns, and
gunpowder were foreign to a society using bows and arrows, and spears. The ships in which
they traveled far exceeded even the largest Indian vessel. The native Indians had never
fathomed the advanced technology that the Spanish presented. This fact aided in the ease
with which the Indians were controlled and enslaved. "To the Indians, the size of the
ships with their billowing white sails suggested floating islands with close-hanging
clouds" . It was as if they were presented with an omnipotent force in the Spanish. Even
the most traditional of weapons were beyond belief to the Indians. It is through the
frightening of the Indians that Columbus found that the Indians became more manageable.
They were afraid of the Spanish, intimidated by their strong omnipotent presence. The
Spaniards upon embarking on the new land marched through the island to put down any signs
of non-compliance with their demands or resistance to their enslavement . They were
accompanied by horses, dogs, crossbows, these were all alien to the natives . Columbus
even notes that they didn't know what their weapons were and so they reached out to touch
the sword and cut themselves, because they didn't know it was sharp . 
Another important factor in the process of colonization was ideological or even
theological: amassing wealth and dominating other people came to be positively valued as
the key means of winning esteem on earth and salvation in the hereafter. The Europeans
hungered for gold and silver. The supply of the precious metal, by way of the Middle East
and Africa, had always been uncertain. Now, however the wars in Eastern Europe had nearly
emptied the Continents reserves. A new supply, a more regular supply and preferably a
cheaper supply was needed. Part of Europe's desire to search for new land, was the
rumored wealth of Asia, and Columbus indeed thought he had arrived in the famed land.
Upon Columbus's arrival in the New World his desire for riches was immediately satisfied.
The natives were bejeweled with many gold pieces that pleased the eyes of Columbus. "Of
course Columbus was looking for gold. He saw little bits of gold in their noses and ears,
and he was very anxious to please" . The profit motive operated heavily within Columbus
as well as the Spanish crowns psyche. Columbus sought gold from the natives, so he sent
them out to look for gold so he could have something to bring back for his sponsors in
Spain. Columbus even placed a quota on the amount of gold the natives would have to
amass, or face a penalty. When he reached Hispaniola, one of the largest discovered
islands in the Greater Antilles, he found the gold he was searching for. Columbus
obtained enough gold through barter on Hispaniola to ensure a warm reception when he met
Isabella in Barcelona in 1493. The gold craze spread and was the trigger to the
exploration of the entire continent for its riches and the many different peoples that
inhabit it. The wealth that was generated by the Spanish conquests was enormous. This
wealth and the trade it generated within Europe was the backbone around which
Capitalism was built. The Spanish quest for gold and wealth took on a religious
connotation. Columbus put it, "Gold is most excellent; gold constitutes treasure and he
who has it does all he wants in the world, can even lifts souls up to paradise" . His
quest for gold and exploration took on religious aspects. It was a major contributor in
the motivation of Spanish conquest.
Another very important factor is Europe's readiness to embrace a new continent, was the
nature of their religious beliefs. They believed that their religion rationalized
conquest. After Spanish discovery of New Lands they would read aloud a passage, which has
come to be called "The Requirement". Here is a short excerpt from one such writing.
"I implore you to recognize the church as a lady and in the name if the Pope take the
King as Lord of this land and obey his mandates. If you do not do it, I tell you that
with the help of God I will enter powerfully against you all." 
This served as a means by which to satisfy their consciences by offering the Indians a
chance to convert to Christianity, after that the Spaniards felt justified in any action
against the natives. To say it was totally their religion that motivated them would be a
fallacy. European imaginations played an important role in the developments leading up to
the discovery by Columbus (Discovering Columbus p.17).
The importance of areas that could be used for the expansion of the church was futile.
The new area was prime for mission work. The conversion of the natives, the theoretical
justification for the Iberian presence in the Indies, was the churches first priority was
one of the first priorities. The fact that the technology and sheer size of European
advances made it very easy to cause the natives to question their gods. Once Columbus
arrived he almost immediately initiate the process of bringing missionaries to assimilate
the peoples. At the same time it was pertinent that these natives did not confuse the
abuses they received with the nature of the religion. That was the job of the
missionaries and priests, to shield the natives from the corruption and immorality of the
European settlers and the labor demands of such a mass acculturation. Though the church
of Spain moved quickly to convert the Indians, Columbus and the government saw these
Indians as workers that could benefit the effort to colonize such a vast and profitable
area. This would lead to conflict among the church and the state, mostly over the use of
the natives as slaves in cultivating and as aids in working to build a colony. Though
great conflict arose, and the understanding of the value of Indians and Whites was still
very evident. The fact to them stood, God ordained them as the chosen peoples to conquer
the world in his honor.
Neither Europe, nor Columbus would have even set sail without one of the most influential
assets to exploration. The presence of slaves provided the needed manpower for Europe to
complete its expedition. In the early 15th century slavery in Europe had declined. Not
until the Portuguese exploration into the western regions in Africa, did they encounter
the slave trade of the indigenous peoples . This was a major feat, for by 1450, African
slaves were pouring into Europe each year, almost five hundred slaves a year by 1480, and
a constant flow continued for years after that. Thus, by the time Columbus sailed,
African slave were much part of the social order within Europe. These slaves were very
important to the manpower of the conquests, and were very helpful to the organization of
the conquests initial efforts. Though they were slaves, the Africans were much educated
to the social norms of the Europeans. Many were baptized as Christians , and some even
received education. Although the blacks were visibly, and culturally different from their
white counterparts; they joined the Spanish conquistadors in imposing Europe's domination
and power over these native Indians. During the conquest of the new world the Africans
held a higher rank among the Indians. The Hispanics viewed the Indians as weak and even
used Africans to supervise the Indians at times. The Indians observed the blacks as
"black white men" . No matter the way both the Indians and the blacks saw each other,
they were both under the control of the Europeans. Neither held the view of a full human
being in society. With the eventual importance of sugar and the mining of gold, the
Indian and African populations within colonial Latin America were utilized and their
labor was a major contributor and major source in the colonial economy. Slavery and the
disease of the Europeans destroyed the Indian populations. The diseases they were exposed
to and the work conditions aided in their extermination by the Europeans. To replace the
dying Indians, the Spanish imported tens of thousands more Indians from the Bahamas. The
results of all the Indian slave deaths lead to a slave trade of blacks and Indians across
the Atlantic. These masses of slaves were responsible for cultivating the land, and
mining for gold. All these tasks were for the betterment of the Spanish crown. Without
this type of manpower and cooperation the conquest would be virtually unfeasible.