The Spanish Explorers

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the Spanish explorers Christopher Columbus, Bartolome' de las Casas and Bernal Diaz Del Castillo. The paper discusses the differences in attitudes of the three different explorers with regard to the native populations of the countries they discovered. The paper further discusses the impact of these Spanish explorers on the native populations of the West Indies and Mexico.

From the Paper:

"Unfortunately, it was the innocent and gullible attitude that would be the downfall of the Taino. Columbus wrote home to Spain and explained how useful this tribe would be due to their work ethic, caring, and cooperativeness. Columbus and his crew soon found ways to take advantage of the Taino's generosity. Many women of the Taino tribe were abducted by Columbus' soldiers. On a more formal level when Columbus returned for his second voyage the real mistreatment of the Taino began. About 1200 tribe members were sent to Spain where they were sold off as slaves. Those in the new world began working in mines and on plantations. Columbus began demanding a tribute of gold from each adult Taino; death or mutilation was the punishment for not complying. The population of Taino quickly began to deteriorate due to mistreatment and disease."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barreiro, Jose. "A Note on Tainos: Whither Progress?" Northeast IndianQuarterly (Fall 1990): 66-77. http://www.hartfordhwp.com/archives/41/013.html
• "Bernal Diaz Del Castillo." Wikipedia. 1 April 2006. 14 April 2006.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernal_D%C3%ADaz_del_Castillo
• Orique, David. "Bartolme de Las Casas: A Brief Outline of His Life and Labor." Bartolme de Las Casas. 9 May 2005. 14 April 2005. http://www.lascasas.org/index.htm
• "Taino Indian Culture." Welcome to Puerto Rico. 2006. 14 April 2006. http://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/taino.shtml

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