The Spanish conquest of America is a morally complex topic. Like any conquest, it involved brutality and violence. But this is not the whole story: to understand the conquest, one has to understand the logic of the conquerors’ world and their situation. The Spanish, having developed a Christian zeal in the long Reconquista, juxtaposed themselves... Continue Reading →
In Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, there is a scene where Captain Delano encounters a group of black women and children on the deck of the Saint Dominick. While looking at them, Delano assumes that the women are uncivilized but at the same time are well-mannered, innocent and loving towards their children. This scene, unlike what... Continue Reading →
"El espiritu de un pueblo transciende cualquier conquista" (The spirit of a people transcends any conquest) Introduction The Aztecs were a Native American people who inhabited and dominated Central Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. In the beginning, they were a poor, barbaric and nomadic people absorbing the culture of nearby states, especially... Continue Reading →
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