Was the conquest of Spanish America an ambivalent conquest - Essay Example

WAS THE CONQUEST OF SPANISH AMERICA AN AMBIVALENT CONQUEST? In the 1517-1570, there was conquestand colonization that took place in Spain. According to research done by various parties colonization and conquest are not events but processes that affect the victims and the conquerors1. To measure the degree of the change in the victims and the conquerors, it is crucial for one to understand the culture of the conquered society. The Mayan and the Spanish societies underwent a hard period during the colonization process. In this view, the essay develops a clear and concise argument in answering the question “Was the conquest of Spanish American an ambivalent conquest?” Clendinnen discusses the main controversy that surrounds the Spanish presence in Yucatan. The main focus of his book is to the attention of the initial the eventual success and the initial attempts of the Spaniards when they attempted to solidify themselves with the Yucatan Peninsula2. She points out that the victory of the Maya community was short-lived. The Spanish community also had to live a different life because of the new Spanish masters. The individuals in the community had to utilize the available resources as a result of the lack of labor, the unsuitable grazing land, and the poor agriculture. There was also thecollapse of the encomia system. Originally, the Spanish society was profoundly rooted in the Catholic doctrine. They obeyed the principlethat revealed the truth about their way of life. They did not compromise for anything else. The Catholic way of life came from the higher authority3. That means that the individuals had to follow the truth and not compromise it. Leadership always had a say in all the activities of the nation. The religious zeal led to the development of the outlook that was marked absolute certainty. As a result of the Catholic view, the society was inflexible to change. The rigidity of the Spanish community can be compared to a solid rock. It is not easy to alter the rigid structure of the solid rock because of the sheer size and the weight. However, it will crush and dominate anything that comes its way. The Catholic view made the Spanish community rigid as a rock is and did not want to accommodate any degree of change. If anything came from outside their beliefs, it was seen as useless and outlandish. For instance, in a situation in which the Spanish conquered the Indians, they did not treat them as equals4. They only held contempt for the Indians just because they were heathens and did not practice their way of life. Their aim was to force their religion on every person they met even if they already had an established lifestyle. The Spanish community did not accept theindigenous practice as the one suitable for the Mayan people. They believed that their lifestyle was the best, and they did all that they could to dispose of the subjects lifestyle. In Clendinnen piece, she points out how the Spaniards lack the interest to learn the Mayan culture. They do not adopt anything from the Mayan community because they interact with the Mayan on a limited basis5. They do not understand the fact that interacting and learning Mayan would have benefited them especially to verbalize and organize the Indians in their practices and concerns. Additionally, learning Mayan could also have facilitated cross-cultural blend that could in turn benefit the Mayan and the Spanish societies. Instead, the Spanish were not willing to compromise the superiority complex; they forced the Indians to learn the Spanish way of life. Clendinnen continues to say that the Spaniards were always ready to respect the toughness and the rank especially when it came to the Spanish interests. Additionally, the Spaniards became cruel and subjected dictatorship upon the top of the lords. They did not consider the benefits they could achieve with the interactions with the Indian society. As long as the tribute was paid they were comfortable with their way of life. There was also a superficial atmosphere that was imposed on the Indians to ensure that their lifestyle changed the Spanish lifestyle minimally. It became very difficult for the Spanish colonists to undergo any significant level of change since their intolerable attitude had them aim in keeping their former way of life intact6. They ensured that they had minimal dealings with the Indians. The second group of the Spaniards was Franciscan Friars, which was ready to adopt a different lifestyle at any time. It was a community that was noted for their service, gentle leadership, patience and humility that stemmed from the Christian doctrine. The Indians were tortured to give their confessions on the issue concerning Idolatry. In the process, 4,500 Indians were put to torture during the Inquisition period. The relationship between the Indians and the Franciscan Friars was an exception. However, the process of their interactions involved radicalization. On the other hand, the Mayan society did not change in the process of colonization and conquests. Clendinnen compares the Mayan society to a spider web. The web is very strong and it is not easy to bear with the complexity of the weight of the spider7. One of the most notable aspects of theweb is the tenacity that prevents the web from falling despite the rains and the wind. The Mayan society was strong enough to endure the tear and wear of the conquests communities. Although it was rigid, it was also flexible and could endure and adapt to the various conditions that faced it. As a result of their flexibility, the Mayan community only made their decisions based on the cultural flexibility. Their aim was to ensure that they could continue with their previous practices. Clendinnen in her piece notes that, in the 17th century, the cleric lamented because of the Mayan unwillingness to learn the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion8. However, the Maya society paid more attention to lavished care of their churches as they filled them with flowers. They were also not tired of singing songs in their language. In conclusion, there was no society that entirely changed during the colonization and the conquest process. The Spanish community did not want to adapt any other world view from their Catholic view. They did not indulge in any dealings with the Indians. Instead, they wanted the Indians to adapt their way of life. On the other hand, the Mayan society did not adopt any change. Although the friars sought to change individuals from other communities, they ended up adapting to the ways of the other societies. However, they instead got transformed into the brutes of the other societies. In the end, Clendinnen concludes that permanent alterations were worse than the undesired mutual adjustment. Bibliography Clendinnen, Inga. 2003. Ambivalent conquests: Maya and Spaniard in Yucatan, 1517-1570. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mahoney, James. 2010. Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press,. Read More