LESSON 6.2 How do we know about the Spanish conquest of the Americas? LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson, you should explain how different sources reveal the Spanish conquest and how perspectives have changed over time.
Tune in In 1493, Pope Alexander VI’s words allowed Spanish explorers to claim and exploit land in the Americas.
SOURCE1 These words come from Pope Alexander VI’s decree of 1493.
We assign to you and your heirs and successors ... all islands and mainlands found and to be found, discovered and to be discovered ... distant 100 leagues towards the west and south from any of the islands commonly known as the Azores and Cape Verde.
1. How would the Pope’s words impact indigenous peoples? Were they consulted, and what does this indicate about European views? 2. Predict what outcomes might arise from the contact between Spanish explorers and indigenous populations?
6.2.1 European sources During and after the Spanish conquest of the Americas, conquistadors wrote detailed accounts of their experiences. Hernán Cortés, who led the Spanish against the Aztecs, wrote many letters to King Charles V. These letters often glorified his victories and downplayed his failures. Another important source is missionary Bernardino de Sahagún. He created the Florentine Codex , a collection of texts about Aztec culture, written in the Aztec language, Nahuatl. Sahagún learned Nahuatl to communicate with Aztec wise men. His work provides a fascinating history of the Aztec civilisation before the Spanish arrived. The Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (1552) is a short but powerful account by Bartolomé de las Casas, condemning the cruelty and violence inflicted by Spanish colonisers on indigenous peoples in the Americas. Las Casas describes the massacres, enslavement, and exploitation of native communities. His work is one of the earliest calls for indigenous rights and ethical colonial practices. He wrote to King Charles V, defending their rights. However, all these sources are subjective because they were written by Europeans and reflect their views. 6.2.2 Aztec sources Very few written Aztec sources survived from before the conquest because many were destroyed by the Spanish, either on purpose or during the fighting for Tenochtitlan. Most sources created after the conquest can help historians, but they were made under Spanish supervision. In the following years, some descendants of those who lived through the conquest began to write about events from an Aztec point of view.
124 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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