The stages of the conquest of America by the Europeans were: the discovery, the conquest, the colonization and the evangelization. Since the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World on October 12, 1492, a process of transculturation developed in the American continent, by the European conquerors.
Over the centuries, the strength of the conquerors, their traditions, their gastronomy and even their religious beliefs were imposed on the various indigenous peoples, many of them millennial in character.
The main characteristics of the stages of the conquest of America by the European conquerors are detailed below.
1- Discovery
The Catholic Kings Isabel and Fernando de Castilla expressly sent Christopher Columbus on a campaign to discover new lands, to broaden the spectrum of natural and mining exploitation of his kingdom.
After two months of navigation, Columbus reached the island of Guanahaní (present-day Bahamas) in 1492, this being his first contact with the new continent.
Later he claimed said island, plus the territories known today as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, as Spanish possessions.
Columbus made three more trips, in which he explored virgin territories of South America and Central America and the Caribbean.
The objective of these explorations was to take full advantage of the natural wealth that could be obtained from these areas, with special interest in the exploitation of pearls, gold and precious stones.
2- Conquest
After his travels, Christopher Columbus was appointed as governor of the discovered territories.
Spanish soldiers and explorers who took control of certain territories were named conquerors.
Once established, the conquerors subdued and exploited the local people and the natural resources of each region.
The process of conquest was carried out with excessive brutality. The conquerors led the local settlers in their wake, enslaving and mistreating them at will, without the slightest compassion.
In some regions, the conquest process was uphill, given the resistance of the natives.
In particular, the Aztec and Inca empires gave the Spanish conquerors a lot of battle over several years.
3- Colonization
The colonization process was characterized by the imposition of European parameters on the conquered territories.
During this stage, the representatives of the religious orders were in charge of the local administration of the new colonies.
During the first 150 years of colonization, the native population of the American territory decreased by more than 80%, motivated by the suffering of old world diseases such as: smallpox, typhoid fever and flu.
Basically, the colonizers implemented the practice of European languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French and English), in addition to the pre-eminence of cultural activities and social customs.
4- Evangelization
The teaching and active practice of the Catholic faith was implemented as a colonizing tool, to impose fidelity to the Spanish monarchy (in the case of the Spanish colonies), within the framework of religious missions.
Many representatives of Christianity were forced to learn the languages of the natives and translate the biblical texts into these languages, to guarantee the understanding of the evangelizing message.
References
- Stages of the conquest of America (2015). Wiki History. Recovered from: wikihistoria.net
- European expansion, conquest and the slave trade 15-18th century (2011). South African History Online ©. Cape Town, South Africa. Recovered from: sahistory.org.za
- European Colonization of the Americas (2015). New World Encyclopedia. Recovered from: newworldencyclopedia.org
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Spanish colonization of America. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Conquest of America. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.