Colonization of the Americas: The Spanish Empire

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Colonization of the Americas: The Spanish Empire
Introduction
Upon Christopher Columbus setting foot on the islands of the Caribbean for the first time in 1492, Castile took the lead as the first European colony in the Americas ("Spanish Colonization to 1650"). Historians have attributed the success of the Spaniards and later the former Aztec and Inca empires on the islands to the epidemic diseases that devastated the native population. Columbus and Juan Ponce de Leon led the exploration of the Spaniards of the New World by invading great parts of North, Central, and South America. Diseases and violence resulting from the interactions of the indigenous populations with the invaders played a key role in the decline in the numbers of the natives. In addition, historians have studied the thoughts and success of the methods the Spaniards used to achieve massive achievements as a colony and how they treated the natives as well as their ultimate goals. In summary, Spaniards succeeded in destroying the former Aztec and Inca cultures. They invaded the vast areas of the Americas, motivated largely by their goals of spreading Christian teachings among the indigenous people and advance trade.
Thoughts on Spaniards Success and Methods Employed
Spaniards were largely successful as they conquered the Americas based on their main objectives of spreading their religion and advancing the trade agenda. After forming colonies in the Americas, many indigenous people were converted to Christianity by constructing several parishes, churches, monasteries, and shrines. Besides converting Native Americans to Christianity, trade expansions gave Spain more power to destroy former empires such as the Aztec and Inca (Yun-Casalilla 52). For instance, through the Spaniards' control, they easily formed alliances with the Aztec enemies and introduced the encomienda system that forced Native Americans to work or pay taxes to settlers. The Spanish were also creative in their ways of conquering the Americas through the employment of unconventional physical attacks that are archetypical in battlefields.
One important and unorthodox strategy that Spaniards employed in conquering the indigenous Americans was the marrying of natives. As Spanish married indigenous women, it became possible to own the fertile lands that belonged to the Natives legally. There was a pact between the Spaniards and natives that indigenous people became part of the Spani...