DOCSLIB.ORG

Aztec Empire, and Ancient Social and Economic Patterns

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Aztec Empire, and Ancient Social and Economic Patterns Mexico LIFE IN THE PROVINCES OF THE AZTEC The lives of the Aztec common EMPIRE people were far richer and more complex than the official histories would have us believe By Michael E. Smith COPYRIGHT 2005 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. Noble's MARKET PLAZA in the 15th-century Aztec town of Cuexcomate compound teemed with vendors, buyers and artisans. Here commoners could trade craft goods made in their homes—mainly textiles—for salt and painted pottery imported from the Valley of Mexico and other Public areas, obsidian blades from regions hundreds of kilometers away, plaza and needles and other bronze objects from western Mexico. Local produce and goods such as woven mats, baskets, corn-grinding 0 25 50 meters tools and tortilla griddles were also displayed and traded. A map of the center of the modern dig site at Cuexcomate (left) indicates the location of the temple pyramid, a noble family’s compound and Commoner's house commoners’ dwellings. The reconstruction below depicts Temple these as well as other buildings and more distant pyramid terraced fields and rural dwellings. North COPYRIGHT 2005 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. n 1519, when Hernán Cortés led the early Az tec period (1150–1350 buried under later settlements. The few his army into Tenoch tit lán in the C.E.) to nearly one million in the late surviving sites were small, unassuming Valley of Mexico, that Aztec city Aztec period (1350–1519 C.E.). Similar peasant villages. Most archaeologists was the capital of a far-flung tribu- patterns of growth occurred in other working in Mesoamerica bypassed Az- I tary empire. The emperor Motecuhzoma parts of Aztec territory as well. tec sites on their way to the spectacular sat atop a complex social and political The Aztec population explosion jungle ruins of Classic-period Maya hierarchy, and the Aztec populace owed placed a heavy stress on the environ- civilization. Aztec sites were deemed ei- allegiance and tribute to nobles at sev- ment of central Mexico. New villages ther too difficult to excavate or too eral levels. Below the emperor were the and towns sprung up everywhere, and small to bother with. This neglect came kings of subject city-states. The Aztec all available land was cultivated, often to an abrupt end in 1978, when the dominion employed a policy of indirect at considerable labor expense. Wher- Mexican government mounted an ex- rule, and imperial authorities supported ever possible, farmers built dams and tensive excavation of the Great Temple local dynasties so long as they delivered canals to irrigate cropland; they also of Te nochtitlán. Situated in the middle their quarterly tribute payments on built terraced stone walls on hillsides to of Mexico City today, this magnificent time. Officials recorded these payments make new fields; and they drained the structure, and the richness of the offer- in documents such as the Codex Men- swamps outside Tenochtitlán to create ings associated with it, awakened a new doza [see “The Codex Mendoza,” by raised fields (chinampas), one of the interest in Aztec society. Unfortunately, Pa tricia Rieff Anawalt and Frances F. most highly productive agricultural these excavations did not provide much Berdan; Scientific American, June systems of the ancient world. These in- new information about the commoners 1992]. Local nobles, who lived in both tensive farming practic es transformed or life in the provinces. urban and rural areas, were subjects of the central Mexican countryside into a To address these issues, my wife, their city-state king. At the bottom of managed landscape of cultivation. Cynthia Heath-Smith, and I embarked the hierarchy were the commoners, What were the effects of tribute ex- on archaeological projects at rural and whose tribute payments supported all traction, population growth and agri- urban sites in the modern Mexican these nobles. cultural intensification on the Aztec state of Morelos. Located just south of Aztec commoners must have had a common people? Did these processes the Valley of Mexico, this was the first heavy tribute obligation. How were leave people impoverished and power- area outside the valley to be conquered they able to meet their payments? First less, or did they allow commoners to when the Aztecs began their military of all, there were millions of common- prosper and thrive? Few of the avail- expansion in the 1430s. ers, so the tribute burden was spread able written accounts have information We first excavated two rural sites— over a large population. During the on conditions beyond the imperial cap- Capilco and Cuexcomate—southwest 1970s, surveys of patterns of settlement ital, and thus it is up to archaeologists of the modern city of Cuernavaca. Lat- turned up the startling discovery that to study these questions. er we turned to the Az tec city of Yaute- the Aztec period witnessed one of the Until recently, no major archaeolog- pec in north-central Mo relos. By exca- major population explosions of antiq- ical excavations had been carried out at vating the houses of both rich and poor, uity. The number of people in the Val- Aztec sites. Most Aztec cities and towns we have found that provincial society NARASHIMA TOMO ); ley of Mexico, the heartland of the Az- either were destroyed during the Span- was far more complex than previously map tec Empire, increased from 175,000 in ish Conquest or were occupied and then thought. Aztec peasants were not sim- ple farmers whose lives were dominated MICHAEL E. SMITH is a professor in the department of anthropology at the University at by the need to pay tribute to their elite Albany, New York. Born in the Philippine Islands, he received his undergraduate degree from overlords. Commoners living in both Brandeis University and, in 1983, his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Il- rural and urban areas of the provinces : MICHAEL E. SMITH ( linois. Before joining the faculty at the University at Albany, Smith taught at Loyola Univer- made heavy use of a thriving marketing sity in Chi ca go. His research focuses on the archaeology and ethnohistory of postclassic system. They exchanged craft goods THE AUTHOR central Mexico. The excavations described in this article were funded principally by the produced in their homes for a variety of preceding pages preceding National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. foreign goods, and most of this eco- 92 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT ONES COPYRIGHT 2005 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. TYPICAL PEASANT HOUSE was small (roughly 15 to 25 square meters) and probably had two doors and no windows. Many activities, such as the ubiquitous weaving, took place in patios between the dwellings. Houses were furnished with mats and baskets; a simple shrine with two or three figurines and an with 21 houses, and Cuexcomate a town was founded and both settlements grew incense burner adorned one wall. The absence with more than 150 structures, includ- rapidly. The residents of these commu- of hearths is puzzling; quite possibly cooking ing temples, storehouses and ritual nities could not support themselves us- was done, as it is in traditional villages today, dumps. Houses at these sites were small ing rainfall agriculture alone, so they in a lean-to against the back of the house. (with a mean area of 15 square meters) had to intensify their agricultural prac- and built of adobe brick walls supported tices. Farmers built terraces on slopes nomic activity was accomplished out- on stone foundations. We excavated test and in ravines to create additional, side imperial control and ignored by pits in 29 houses selected at random. We more productive plots in which they early writers on the Aztecs. then chose 10 of these for more complete grew maize, beans and cotton. Houses clearing of architecture and associated at these sites were not packed very Peasant Life deposits. These excavations allowed us closely together, and open areas were archaeologists have found that to refine the Aztec chronology by split- probably devoted to farming. excavations of houses and associated ting the late Aztec period into two sub- Cotton was an important crop in remains often provide the best data on periods—late Aztec A (1350–1440) and this part of the Aztec Empire, and ancient social and economic patterns. late Aztec B (1440–1519)—to yield a household production of cotton textiles Capilco and Cuexcomate were good ex- more detailed analysis. soon became the major craft. Every ex- amples because traces of house walls Capilco was founded by a few peas- cavated house yielded large quantities were visible above the ground, and we ant families in the early Aztec period. of ceramic artifacts used in the hand did not have to waste time trying to find The population explosion began in the spinning of cotton. Beadlike spindle TOMO NARASHIMA NARASHIMA TOMO buried structures. Capilco was a village late Aztec A period, when Cuexcomate whorls provided weights for the twirl- www.sciam.com Updated from the September 1997 issue 93 COPYRIGHT 2005 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. ing wooden spindle, and small bowls many decorated foreign pots. About 10 the inhabitants of these rural sites to the with tripod supports were designed to percent of all ceramic vessels excavated rest of the Aztec Empire and beyond. control the spindle. Documentary from these sites had been imported These excavations also revealed sources state that all Aztec women, from the Valley of Mexico and other something of the non economic life of from the lowest slave to the highest no- areas. These vessels did not have any Aztec peasants. For example, every blewoman, spun and wove cloth. Cot- functional superiority to the wares house contained a variety of incense ton textiles had two economic func- made locally, and people must have burners and small ceramic figurines in tions beyond use as clothing.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Quantitative Dynamics of Human Empires
    Quantitative Dynamics of Human Empires Cesare Marchetti and Jesse H. Ausubel FOREWORD Humans are territorial animals, and most wars are squabbles over territory. become global. And, incidentally, once a month they have their top managers A basic territorial instinct is imprinted in the limbic brain—or our “snake meet somewhere to refresh the hierarchy, although the formal motives are brain” as it is sometimes dubbed. This basic instinct is central to our daily life. to coordinate business and exchange experiences. The political machinery is Only external constraints can limit the greedy desire to bring more territory more viscous, and we may have to wait a couple more generations to see a under control. With the encouragement of Andrew Marshall, we thought it global empire. might be instructive to dig into the mechanisms of territoriality and their role The fact that the growth of an empire follows a single logistic equation in human history and the future. for hundreds of years suggests that the whole process is under the control In this report, we analyze twenty extreme examples of territoriality, of automatic mechanisms, much more than the whims of Genghis Khan namely empires. The empires grow logistically with time constants of tens to or Napoleon. The intuitions of Menenius Agrippa in ancient Rome and of hundreds of years, following a single equation. We discovered that the size of Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan may, after all, be scientifically true. empires corresponds to a couple of weeks of travel from the capital to the rim We are grateful to Prof. Brunetto Chiarelli for encouraging publication using the fastest transportation system available.
    [Show full text]
  • GLOBAL REGENTS REVIEW PACKET 10 - PAGE 1 of 23
    GLOBAL REGENTS REVIEW PACKET 10 - PAGE 1 of 23 THIS IS GLOBAL REGENTS REVIEW PACKET NUMBER TEN THE TOPICS OF STUDY IN THIS PACKET ARE: • MESOAMERICA – THE MAYAS, AZTECS, AND INCAS - This topic is divided into two parts. This packet covers both: 1) Geography’s Impact on Mesoamerica (The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas) and South America (This topic is also covered in Regents Review Packet Number Two. See GEOGRAPHY IMPACTS HOW PEOPLE DEVELOP, Part 11.) 2) The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas were highly developed, complex civilizations that used advanced technology. • THE AGE OF EXPLORATION - This topic is divided into seven parts. This packet covers the first two: 1) The Encounter 2) Portugal and Spain: The Search for a Water Route to the Spice Islands of East Asia Global Regents Review Packet #11 covers the last five parts. GLOBAL REGENTS REVIEW PACKET 10 - PAGE 2 of 23 MESOAMERICA - THE MAYAS, AZTECS, AND INCAS (divided into 2 parts) PART 1: Geography’s Impact on Mesoamerica (The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas) and South America (This topic is also covered in Regents Review Packet Number Two. See GEOGRAPHY IMPACTS HOW PEOPLE DEVELOP, Part 11.) • The Andes Mountains and the Amazon River have influenced South Americaʼs economic and political development. How? These diverse landforms prevented Latin American unity, particularly during the era of the Latin American independence movements in the early 19th century. (The Latin American independence movements will be a topic featured in a future Regents Review Packet.) • A study of Aztec, Maya, and Inca agricultural systems would show that these civilizations adapted to their environments with creative farming techniques Mayas = slash and burn agriculture Aztecs = chinampas (floating gardens) Incas = terrace farming • The Andes Mountains had a great influence on the development of the Inca Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • A. the Aztecs Built an Empire Through Warfare and Trade and Created an Impressive Capital City in Mesoamerica
    The Aztec Empire 15.1 • The Aztecs built a great empire in central Mexico but were conquered by the Spanish in 1521. A. The Aztecs built an empire through warfare and trade and created an impressive capital city in Mesoamerica. • The first Aztecs were farmers, but when they arrived in Central America, all the good farmland was taken. To survive, they had to hire themselves out as warriors. B. The Aztecs’ Rise to Power • War was the key factor in the Aztecs’ rise to power. • The Aztecs built alliances, or partnerships, to build their empire. • The Aztecs made the people they conquered pay tribute, or give them cotton, gold, or food. • The Aztecs controlled a huge trade network. Markets drew buyers and sellers from all over the Aztec Empire. • By the early 1500s the Aztecs had the most powerful state in Mesoamerica. C. Tenochtitlán • Tenochtitlán was the capital of the Aztec Empire. It was built in the middle of a lake, on an island. • The Aztecs built causeways, or raised roads across water or wet ground, so people could access the city. • The Aztecs built stone canals to bring water to the city and floating gardens to raise food and flowers. • The city had huge temples, a busy market, clean streets, and magnificent palaces. • It was the greatest city in the Americas during the time of the Aztecs. D. Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire. • In the late 1400s Spanish explorers and soldiers arrived in the Americas. The soldiers, or conquistadors, came to explore new lands, search for gold, and spread the Catholic religion.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021-22 AP World History Summer Assignment Mr. Le Clainche Hello
    2021-22 AP World History Summer Assignment Mr. Le Clainche Hello everyone, Click on the link below to watch a presentation about the AP World History course. You will have to complete a small task on Loom after watching the video. Then, proceed with the rest of your summer assignment. https://www.loom.com/share/2fe7877bd1b04215b2da85b912f3ea60 2021-22 AP World History Summer Assignment Mr. Le Clainche Welcome to AP World History! The redesigned course in 2019-20 is a college level course that will cover over 800 years of human history. It is designed to develop your critical thinking and reading skills in preparation for not only the AP Exam but also for other AP and college courses you will take throughout your academic career. With this class comes a great deal of responsibility including maintain rigorous reading habits schedule, preparing for several challenging quizzes and tests, retaining knowledge throughout the year, and learning from critique so that you can improve your skills. If you do not think you are ready for these responsibilities, then I would encourage you to look for an alternate course. Our drop-add period is the first two weeks of school, August 31st - September 11th. During this period you will have opportunity to drop this course if you feel it is in your best interest. I would encourage you to at least wait out the first week and to speak with both myself and your academic advisor before you make the decision. For this class, you will need a laptop and Microsoft Word. You will use pen/pencils on the AP quizzes and tests in class.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Social Studies
    Minnesota Department of Education May 15, 2004, 9:45 p.m. Minnesota Academic Standards in History and Social Studies HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be . .I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves. And if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. - Thomas Jefferson Public education in Minnesota must help students gain the knowledge and skills that are necessary to, in Jefferson’s view, protect and maintain freedom. The Social Studies Standards on the following pages attempt to do just this by specifying the particular knowledge and skills that Minnesota students will be required to learn in the disciplines of U.S. History, World History, Geography, Economics and Civics as required by Minnesota statutes. These standards are written with the recognition that additional academic disciplines, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, have strong traditions of instruction in Minnesota schools. Schools may choose to continue teaching in these academic disciplines as local traditions, interest, and school priorities dictate. 1 Minnesota Department of Education May 15, 2004, 9:45 p.m. Minnesota Academic Standards in History and Social Studies HISTORY What is History? The study of History (Minnesota, U.S., and World) helps students to see how people in other times and places have grappled with the fundamental questions of truth, justice, and personal responsibility, to understand that ideas have real consequences, and to realize that events are shaped both by ideas and the actions of individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Location and Orientation of Teotihuacan, Mexico: Water Worship and Processional Space
    Location and Orientation of Teotihuacan, Mexico: Water Worship and Processional Space Susan Toby Evans “Processions and pilgrimages produced a continuous movement that animated the landscape, thus we are dealing with fundamental ritual processes that created the sacred landscape.” Johanna Broda, this volume Introduction: The Cultural Ecology of Teotihuacan’s Placement In this paper, the ritual practice of Teotihuacan Valley, as well as with the city’s procession is argued to have provided an cosmological setting. The grid’s orientation impetus for the location and orientation of the addressed practical problems such as grading ancient city of Teotihuacan within its and drainage while it maximized ardent efforts environmental context, the Teotihuacan Valley. by worshippers to connect with the living world Cultural ecology and ethnohistory will they revered: the same urban plan that illuminate the rich corpus of information about channeled psychic energy toward sacred the city’s development and the valley’s elements of the environment also channeled geographical features, and suggest that the city’s water and waste through the city and onto topographical situation was generated by its agricultural fields. regional landscape and the needs of its planners Supporting the idea that the city’s to urbanize the site while supporting a growing orientation and location were deliberate population, which involved increasing adaptations to the Teotihuacan Valley, and that agricultural productivity and intensifying the processions were a vital component of propitiation of fertility deities. Teotihuacanos calculations to insure continued fertility, maximized crop production in their valley’s evidence is drawn from: different growing zones, while gridding their the Teotihuacan Valley’s natural city with processional avenues and arenas.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall of the Aztec & Incan Empires
    Fall of the Aztec & Incan Empires Unit Seven Notes Bennett Warm Up! Discuss with your Elbow Buddy: 1. Describe the Incan Empire. 2. Describe the Aztec Empire. 3. How are they similar and different? Spain Vs. Portugal z Christopher Columbus asks both countries to sponsor his voyage--Spain agrees. z Portugal saw the wealth that Spain was gaining, and wanted to be part of the action. z Countries became rivals and tried to stop each other from claiming land in the Americas. Spain Vs. Portugal z 1494--countries signed Treaty of Tordesillas – set the Line of Demarcation (imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole at 50 degrees longitude) z Spain got everything to the west, while Portugal got everything to the east. – What language is spoken in most of Latin America today? – What language is spoken in Brazil? Spanish Conquistadors z “Conquistadors” = soldier-explorers who settled in the Americas in hopes of finding treasure z inspired by Columbus to seek fortune in the New World z Many came from the part of Spain called Extremadura. – poor soil, icy winters, & blistering hot summers held little chance for wealth – Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro were born in this province Spanish Conquistadors What are some words that describe us? Fall of the Incan Empire Part One Francisco Pizarro z Pizarro was from the Extremadura. – He was not of noble birth; could not even write his name. – At age 16, Pizarro fled a job herding pigs in Italy. z 1502--He arrived in the Americas and became very wealthy by exploring Panama.
    [Show full text]
  • Newworlddave Sample.Pdf
    THE ADVENTURES OF NEW WORLD DAVE CHRIS CERVINI DIVERTIR PUBLISHING Salem, NH The Adventures of New World Dave Chris Cervini Copyright © 2020 Chris Cervini All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, with- out prior permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Cover design by Kenneth Tupper Published by Divertir Publishing LLC PO Box 232 North Salem, NH 03073 http://www.divertirpublishing.com/ ISBN-13: 978-1-938888-26-7 ISBN-10: 1-938888-26-X Library of Congress Control Number: 2020941506 Printed in the United States of America ii Dedication This book is dedicated to the wonderful, warm, and resilient people of Mexico. iii iv Table of Contents Chapter 1........................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2...........................................................................................................................................3 Chapter 3...........................................................................................................................................5 Chapter 4.........................................................................................................................................19 Chapter 5.........................................................................................................................................23
    [Show full text]
  • Heritage of the Aztec and Mayan Empires
    18 days 11:29 01-09-2021 We are the UK’s No.1 specialist in travel to Latin As our name suggests, we are single-minded America and have been creating award-winning about Latin America. This is what sets us apart holidays to every corner of the region for over four from other travel companies – and what allows us decades; we pride ourselves on being the most to offer you not just a holiday but the opportunity to knowledgeable people there are when it comes to experience something extraordinary on inspiring travel to Central and South America and journeys throughout Mexico, Central and South passionate about it too. America. A passion for the region runs Fully bonded and licensed Our insider knowledge helps through all we do you go beyond the guidebooks ATOL-protected All our Consultants have lived or We hand-pick hotels with travelled extensively in Latin On your side when it matters character and the most America rewarding excursions Book with confidence, knowing Up-to-the-minute knowledge every penny is secure Let us show you the Latin underpinned by 40 years' America we know and love experience 11:29 01-09-2021 11:29 01-09-2021 Travel from the pre-Aztec ruins of cities and temples around multi-layered Mexico City –where you will appreciate the Spanish colonial legacy in all its glory – to the temples and fortresses in the mountains around Oaxaca. Go on to explore the evocative ancient monuments, testimony to bygone Mayan empires, which lay hidden and silent for centuries amid the deep valleys and jungles of the Yucatán Peninsula.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Three: Initial Contact and Conquest C Ontent S
    Chapter Three: Initial Contact and Conquest C ontent s 3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 67 3.1.1 Learning Outcomes ....................................................................................... 68 3.2 THE IMPACT OF “DISCOvEry”: thE COlUmBIAN EXCHANGE ............................ 69 3.2.1 From the New World to the Old: The Exchange of Crops ..................................... 69 The Exchange of Diseases ................................................................................... 72 The Exchange of Animals ..................................................................................... 73 3.2.2 From the Columbian Exchange to Transculturation ............................................. 74 3.2.3 Before You Move On... .................................................................................. 76 Key Concepts ................................................................................................... 76 Test Yourself .................................................................................................... 76 3.3 THE IBERIAN COUNTRIES IN THE NEW WORLD .............................................. 78 3.3.1 Early Relations in the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and Peru .................................. 78 Cortés Conquers the Aztec Empire ...................................................................... 80 The Spanish and the Incas of Peru ...................................................................... 83 Francisco
    [Show full text]
  • WHAP Review Unit 2 600 - 1450 C.E
    WHAP Review Unit 2 600 - 1450 C.E. 600 C.E.–1450 1. Questions of periodization A. Nature and causes of changes in the world history framework leading up to 600 C.E. – 1450 as a period B. Emergence of new empires and political systems C. Continuities and breaks within the period (e.g., the impact of the Mongols on international contacts and on specific societies) 2. The Islamic world . The rise and role of Dar al-Islam as a unifying cultural and economic force in Eurasia and Africa A. Islamic political structures, notably the caliphate B. Arts, sciences, and technologies 3. Interregional networks and contacts . Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange A. Trans-Sahara trade B. Indian Ocean trade C. Silk routes D. Missionary outreach of major religions E. Contacts between major religions, e.g., Islam and Buddhism, Christianity and Islam F. Impact of the Mongol empires 4. China's internal and external expansion . The importance of the Tang and Song economic revolutions and the initiatives of the early Ming dynasty A. Chinese influence on surrounding areas and its limits 5. Developments in Europe . Restructuring of European economic, social, and political institutions A. The division of Christendom into eastern and western Christian cultures 6. Social, cultural, economic, and political patterns in the Amerindian world . Maya, Aztec, Inca 7. Demographic and environmental changes . Impact of nomadic migrations on Afro-Eurasia and the Americas (e.g., Aztecs, Mongols, Turks, Vikings, and Arabs) A. Migration of agricultural peoples (e.g., Bantu migrations, European peoples to east/central Europe) B.
    [Show full text]
  • Fall of the Aztecs and the Incas
    C H A P T E R 2 | E N C OUN T E R i T LHE FAL OF THE AZTEC AND INCA EmpiRES While Brazil remained a backwater in the 1500s, Mexico and Peru drew the Spaniards like powerful magnets, becoming the two great poles of Spanish colonization. For three centuries, Mexico and Peru 38 03_BBF_28305_ch02_016-053.indd 38 13/06/16 10:50 AM THE FAll OF THE AZTEC AND INCA EmpiRES would remain the richest and most populous places in the Americas, but first their indigenous rulers had to be defeated. The Aztec and Inca emperors commanded tens of thousands of warriors and vast material resources. Their precipitous defeat at the hands of a few hundred Spanish adventurers is unparalleled in world history. Several circumstances conspired to make it possible. In 1519, when they first set foot in Mexico, the Spaniards already knew a lot about America. After all, a full generation had passed since they began settling the Carib be an islands where Columbus made landfall: Hispaniola (today divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Cuba. The initial Spanish experience there with the semisedentary Arawak people, who were not so differ- ent from the Tupi, had begun with trading but rapidly degenerated into slaving. The outcome was similar to what had transpired on the Brazilian coast. Disease and abuse decimated the Ca rib be an’s indigenous people within a generation. Soon they would cease to exist altogether, to be replaced by African slaves. The Spanish invaders were not soldiers but undisciplined adventurers seeking private fortunes.
    [Show full text]