Exercises on the Conquest of Spanish America

(Fuvest) “We can give a good and certain account that in forty years, through the tyranny and diabolical actions of the Spaniards, more than twelve million people died unjustly…” (Bartolomé de Las Casas, 1474 – 1566)

“The sword, the cross and the famine were decimating the savage family.” (Pablo Neruda, 1904 – 1973)

The two sentences read put the violent action of the Spaniards during the Conquest of America as the cause of the decimation of indigenous populations. Recent historical research points to another cause, in addition to the one already indicated, which was:

a) the inability of indigenous populations to adapt to the cultural patterns of the colonizer.

b) the conflict between rival indigenous populations, stimulated by the colonizers.

c) the complete passivity of indigenous populations, resulting from their religious beliefs.

d) the absence of agricultural techniques on the part of indigenous populations, in the face of new environmental problems.

e) the series of diseases brought by the Spaniards, such as smallpox, typhus and influenza, for which indigenous populations did not have antibodies.

(PUC-RS) Consider the text below, by G. F. de Oviedo, which reports the establishment of the Spanish empire in America, in the book L' Histoire des Indies, published in the year 1555.

“Admiral Columbus found, when he discovered this island Hispaniola, a million Indians (…) of whom, and of those born since then, I do not believe are alive, in the present year of 1535 , five hundred, including both children and adults (…). Some made these Indians work excessively. Others didn't give them anything to eat as they suited them. In addition, the people of this region are naturally so useless, corrupt, of little work, melancholic, cowardly, dirty, in bad condition, liars, without constancy and firmness (...). Several Indians, for pleasure and pastime, let themselves die with poison so as not to work. Others hanged themselves by their own hands. And as for the others, such diseases struck them that in a short time they died (…). As for me, I would rather believe that Our Lord allowed, due to the great, enormous and abominable sins of these wild, rustic and animalistic people, to be eliminated and banished from the earth's surface.

Apud ROMANO, Ruggiero. Mechanisms of Colonial Conquest. São Paulo:Perspectiva, 1973, p. 76

Considering the historical context, it can be said that the Oviedo text represents

a) the singular thought of an extremist ideologue of Spanish absolutism, in opposition to the Real Padroado system and its repercussions in colonial America.

b) the position of a Renaissance Christian intellectual who seeks to denounce the semi-feudal character of Iberian overseas expansion, summarized in the figure of Columbus.

c) a justification, with a moral religious background, for the genocide resulting from colonial exploitation, whose assumptions are current in the European cultural universe of the time.

d) a defense, in racist and prejudiced terms, of the massacres promoted by the first Spanish settlers, who acted against the economic interests of the Absolutist State.

e) an ironic view, of a naturalistic and rational character, regarding the uselessness of the violence practiced by the Spanish civil colonizers in the so-called period of the Conquest.

The denunciation against the violence committed by the Spaniards against the natives was carried out ardently by the Bishop of Chiapas, also known as:

a) Bartolomé de Las Casas

b) Francisco Pizarro

c) Hernán Cortês

d) Christopher Columbus

e) King Ferdinand

Expeditions that went to America during the first years of Spanish colonization needed to obtain authorization from the Spanish Crown in the so-called Casa de Contratación , which was located in the city of Seville. Shipments authorized by the Casa de Contratación their primary obligation:

a) pay the fifth of the riches obtained.

b) take a certain number of natives to work in Spain as slaves.

c) ensure native conversion.

d) build churches in the places where they were installed.

e) deploy Holy Inquisition courts to persecute the native faith.

Letter E

The arrival of Europeans to the American continent brought a biological factor that was deadly to the indigenous:contagious diseases. Historians estimate that about ¾ of the native population perished from contagious diseases. Smallpox was the worst of these and it punished the Aztecs during the fights against the Spaniards. This is attributed to the native's lack of immunity, as these diseases did not exist on the American continent until the European arrival.

Letter C

The Spaniards had an ethnocentric worldview:in other words, stereotyped and prejudiced towards the native. Thus, they sought to justify the violence they committed against those populations based on religious and moral arguments. This way of seeing the other was not exclusive to Spain, as Europeans, in general, had a very prejudiced view of the native.

Letter A

Bartolomé de Las Casas was born in 1474, in the city of Seville, and was a Dominican priest who acted throughout his life as a defender of the indigenous people. Las Casas' incisive stance in defense of the Indians made him numerous enemies among the Spaniards. He constantly denounced the violence he witnessed to the Spanish authorities. Among his records, the best known was published in Brazil under the name of “Paraíso Destruído”. Bartolomé died in July 1566 in Madrid, Spain.

Letter A

The royal authorization for those interested in mounting expeditions to the American continent had a cost:the payment of a fifth tax on all the riches obtained. The fifth was basically the separation of 20% of all the riches obtained in the expedition to the king and was mandatory for all expeditions. The objective was to obtain precious metals.