The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca

While the Portuguese were focusing first of all on Africa and Asia, the Spain government had great ambitions to expand its territory and was focusing on the America.

The arrival of European explorers to America began the most astounding meeting between cultures in the history of civilization. The English and Spanish invaders had the greatest impact on the further life of the natives. They transplanted their cultures over vast territories and created colonial empires from whose abundance Europe rose to dominate the world. Besides, they led independence wars against the Indians.

The native population at the time of first contact was as high as 110 million. About 25 million people lived in the Valley of Mexico, another 6 million lived in the Central Andes region, while the territory north of the Rio Grande was home to perhaps another 10 million. A bewildering level of uneven development prevailed among these Native Americans. The Han and Capoque were still in the Stone Age, while the slave-based city-states of the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas rivaled the splendor of Europe.

The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán was a bustling metropolis. When Hernán Cortés first entered it the Spaniards were awestruck. It should be noted that the level of civilization of the people was rather high. The Aztec civilization was on the top of its grandeur. Hundreds of native societies existed when the Europeans arrived, all with their own languages and traditions.

The quote written by Michel de Montaigne fully describes what happened during the exploration and settlement of the Americas: "I think that there is nothing neither barbaric nor savage in the customs of any particular nation, but rather that each one calls savage that to which he is not accustomed. As a mirror of truth and reason we have only the examples, the ideas, the opinions, and the habits of the country from where we come". The Native Americans could not be regarded as a savage for they had their own culture and traditions.