Nancy Pate Eubank

Mrs. Patton

AP World

20 November 2019

DBQ

The Americas were unheard of and underestimated until Europeans thought they

“discovered” it in 1492. Before this awful time when Spain completely ruined Native American

lives, traditions, and structure, the Americas were a quiet place, one where success was in the

making. They had invented tools for their agricultural lifestyles and created innovations specific

to their way of life. In 1492 a group from Spain came and ruined and stunted the rapid growth of

the Americas. Spanish conquest in the Americas during 1492 caused Spain to have an excessive

amount of power, they had too much dominance over economics, and the natives suffered from a

significant loss in their population.

The Spanish were extremely invasive upon the Americas and dominated land and people

that had no obligation to them. An outrageous amount of Indians were killed at the thoughtless

orders of Spanish leaders. Document 5 explores the awful things the Spanish did to all natives,

especially women and children. The women and children were ripped out of their daily lives to

be servants. Men were used for many different purposes, some killed immediately, others were

used for labor and tasks from the government. The government had power over the people, and

they asserted a sense of danger to insure their dominance was obeyed. Document 7 displays a

gold and copper mask preserved from the time period, resembling the attention and focus the

people scaredly gave to the government. Fear was all around the Americas during that time, even
the Spanish were afraid of themselves. This put an imbalance in the social structure because

there were fewer people in the government, however, they had the most power, and used it the

most eagerly.

Along with the general power the government had over the people, they also controlled

the economics of the state. ​Juan Gines de Sepulveda stands for the Native Americans who were

extremely mistreated from the Spanis starting from 1492. He knows how they were treated and

tries to find them justice.​ Sepulveda describes lords are called kings, which isn’t true to the

government of the Americas in Document 4. Obeying people who aren’t true to their title causes

a huge issue in social status, which is closely related to economics during the time period. The

government-controlled everything within the territory, partly because they had the money,

weaponry, etc. Also, they imposed a constant threat to the people. The commoners gave

everything up to the government, which caused them to grow in their wealth and dominance.

Throughout Document 3, it’s evident the Spanish tried to exhort authority in any way they could.

They tried to convert the natives to Christianity, which was unsuccessful and caused them to

abandon their homes and villages. When the natives deserted their villages, they left their home,

tradition, and income behind. They lived an agricultural lifestyle, so leaving causes them to leave

that source of income. It causes the village and state to decline in the economics region and

causes all to suffer. Also, one will decline in their social status because one’s economics and

wealth play a big role in status. During the Spanish invasions, royal records are lost which gives

power to the government to fabricate any lie they want and denies wealth and status to the royals.

Spain, determined to grow their wealth and territory at the expense of the Natives.
 When the Spanish invaded the Americas they killed many in the process. ​Hernando

Cortes, one of the Spanish conquerors writes in Document 1 that 40 thousand were killed in just

one day. Natives that resisted the Spanish were killed immediately. Killing was the first instinct

of Spain and dramatically affected the people and the social classes.​ Since all these people were

dying left and right, shown in an image in Document 6, all social classes were losing large

numbers of people.

Spanish leaders demanded this heinous crime, and their orders were instantly executed.

Bernardine de Sahagun, a man dedicated to preserving Aztec Culture explains the suffering

natives endured beginning in 1492 in Document 2. ​Naturally, foreigners coming into new land,

brought new diseases to the Native people. Along with the constant death of natives by the hand

of the Spanish, many lost their lives to new diseases their bodies’ weren’t accustomed to. All

classes were affected by diseases; the Natives lost their lord, soldiers, leaders, and many other

people of importance. No social class was safe, and everybody under the rule of the Spanish

suffered.

The Spanish invasion upon the Americas in 1492, changed Native life forever. It changed

social classes by making them depend more on each other as people, rather than objects and

idols. Economics were drastically different because Spanish controlled power over the wealth in

the state. The invasion of territory that was already occupied, left the Americas with everything

they had ever known, ruined.