Many have been the conditions that influenced the conquest and colonization of the so-called "New World." Without going deeper in advance, it is easy to suppose the existence of factors that individually or collectively influenced the historical process that constituted the conquest and colonization of America.
The time of the conquest and subsequent colonization of America historically coincided with the appearance of very particular circumstances in Europe and Asia that affected and even modified the vision that peoples and cultures had of the world up to that moment.
The existence of factors or conditions that influenced the conquest and colonization of the new world is certain. It can be said that five classes of factors influenced or intervened in this process:
-Economic
-Politicians
-Social
-Religious
-Technological
Economic factors
In Europe there was a shortage of precious metals, due among other things to the decline or depletion of the mines that produced them.
This even led to the creation of a law in Spain that allowed gold and other precious metals to be "recovered" from newly discovered lands in the New World.
Moved by necessity or by simple greed, many Spaniards and Europeans of other nationalities set out to participate in expeditions.
With the excuse of exploring unknown lands, they took the opportunity to take the gold of the indigenous inhabitants, sometimes for exchange of products or objects, and other times simply snatched.
It should also be noted that Spain and other European nations, faced with the impossibility of achieving a safe and practical transit to the East (China and India), found it more attractive and safe to exploit the riches that America offered.
Political factors
It is interesting the strategy that the Spanish implemented during the conquest to obtain domination and political advantage during their conquest process.
It consisted of making alliances with certain peoples to join them in a common cause against others who were their enemies.
They were able to take advantage of this when Tenochtitlán was taken with an army of about 200,000 men, with very few Spaniards who participated in the war.
Social factors
Among the many social factors that influenced the consciousness of the conqueror and later colonizer of the American lands, there was one that had to do with reasons not so material as economic.
Whether due to the cultural influence of the reconquests achieved or by reading chivalric books and literature, the European who manages to conquer and colonize the new world, does not do so only for profit.
It is equally necessary for them to be honored and recognized; it is a quest for fame, glory, or high status. In the conquest of America he saw an opportunity to satisfy these needs.
Religious factors
One of the great factors or conditions that influenced the conquest and colonization was the religious aspect.
On the one hand, a necessity rooted in the spirit of the conqueror intervened in this, which drove him to convert the pagan settlers of the conquered lands to Christianity.
For the church, this implied in a way a recognition of its power and influence within the process of conquest and colonization, and even a recognition of its status.
Technological factors
The technological factors that influenced the conquest and colonization were various and very interesting.
At the time of the conquest, enormous advances were made in the development of navigation and boat-building techniques.
On the one hand, the astrolabe was perfected, which together with the quadrant and the appearance of the compass, managed to provide with greater accuracy and reliability the position of the ships and the determination of the routes to be followed by the navigator.
Practical improvements were also made to maps and navigational charts, making them more accurate.
New techniques and designs were developed in the manufacture of boats, improving their construction and resistance, factors that are very necessary when undertaking long voyages in the open sea, such as those required to get from Spain to America.
Another factor that influenced the conquest was the technology and materials with which the conquerors made their weapons: spears, swords, halberds, javelins and armor.
The Spaniards had at their disposal the extraordinary steel of Toledo, whose elaboration they mastered very well.
With it, they made swords, spears, daggers, arrowheads, chain mail, armor and helmets, with a resistance far superior to the rudimentary weapons and armor used by the warriors of the new world.
Although not exactly a technological innovation, the use of the horse as an element for the fight had a devastating effect on the spirit of the indigenous who faced the conquerors.
However, over time the inhabitants of the new world assimilated this animal, even mastering its mount, which diluted the advantage that it represented at the beginning for the conqueror.
References
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- murillo12 (pseudonym). (without date). References to the article "FACTORS THAT DETERMINED THE SPANISH CONQUEST". Recovered from es.scribd.com.
- cyt-ar.com.ar. (without date). Article references “Technologies that made the conquest of America possible”. Recovered from cyt-ar.com.ar.
- Drug withdrawal. (sf). Retrieved on December 20, 2016, from Wikipedia.
- Higuita, J. (October 25, 2012). Article References "Technology Before, During and After the Discovery of America". Recovered from latecnologiaenamerica.blogspot.com.