HIST 1031 Lecture : "Indigenous Peoples" Lecture
Document Summary
Conquistadors: came from the lower part of spanish society, the peasants, operated independently, people saw the conquistadors as massive military movements but, in reality, they were usually unorganized, they were there to profit and leave, many also wanted to advance their status in society. Barolome de las casas: came to the americas in 1502, conquistadors wanted to get rich, became a cattle rancher and farmer, he became very rich, educated as a humanist, became a lay teacher of christianity, like other conquistadors, he was given an allotment of indians, ordained a priest in 1510, preached against treatment of indigenous peoples, people were against this because he got rich and received a bunch of indigenous people so they didn"t understand why they couldn"t, had to return to europe to argue his case to the spanish crown, wrote a true account which succeeded in changing some of the laws.