ve, almost nice. He speaks kindly of Montezuma, and his escort, neither making jokes at their expense, nor painting them in a wrong light (Johnson 15-26). Initially there was a cultural clash as demonstrated in the following quote “Cortez, through Dona Maria, offered him his right hand, and Montezuma did not wish to take it, but he did give his hand to Cortez” (Johnson 16). This showed that the Aztec leader in the name of friendship was willing to forgo his own customs, to ensure peace. Unfortunately instances like this were few and far between. The Laws of the Burgos, which were developed in 1512-13, is some of the most tragic methods of forced religion and slavery that I know of. These so called laws did little else than enslave a race for profit. Even though the writers hide behind statements like “ it has become evident through long experience that nothing has sufficed to bring the said chiefs and Indians to a knowledge of our Faith (necessary for their salvation) since they are by nature inclined to idleness and vice,”(Sherman 296) as well as “ Also we order and command that the citizen to whom the said Indians are given in [their charge] shall, upon the land assigned to him, be obliged to erect a structure to be used as a church,”(Sherman 296) showing their arrogance. You get the feeling from reading this that they at least thought they were doing good, but the very next paragraph they write “it is our duty to seek a remedy for it in every way possible…. the most beneficial thing that could be done at present would be to remove the said chieftains and Indians,”(Sherman 296) which shows their only want was to remove these peoples from their land, and make them slaves. The Indians slavery was to be a harsh one, but not one that was completely barbaric, for even as the laws to enslave them came into being, the rules for the treatment of the native slaves also came a...
