This document summarizes 7 common myths about the Spanish conquest of the Americas and provides facts to debunk each myth. The myths include that Columbus and a few adventurers discovered the New World, the conquest was led by the King's army, white conquistadors brought down native empires alone, the conquest was inevitable, natives understood what was happening, native cultures were helpless, and the Spanish were superior. In reality, the conquest relied on long traditions of warfare, navigation, native troops, strategic portrayals of divine plans, lack of communication, native resilience and challenges to Spanish rule.

1. Seven Myths of
the Spanish
Conquest

2. Columbus Myth
● Myth: Few inspired and
inspiration European
adventurers formed the key to
the discovery and conquest of
the New World
● Fact:This myth ignores the
long traditon of warfare on the
Iberian peninsula, the decades
of ocean navigation by the
Portuguese and other historic
realities.

3. King's Army Myth
● Myth: Conqueror's were soldiers
● Fact: Soldiers receive a salary. The
conquerors of the Americas were
entrepreneurs who invested their own
effort, arms and supplies and livestock in
the fighting of the battles.

4. Myth of the White Conquistador
● Myth: A Few hardy European adventurers
were able to bring down entire empires of
native people.
● Fact: The actual fighting was frequently
done by thousands of native troops.

5. Myth of Completion
● Myth: The conquest was inevitably going to
lead to a wonderful conclusion, as
somethign already accomplished, even as
divinely inspired.
● Fact: They sought to portray the conquest
as part of a divine plan in which the Spanish
crown was an agent of God and would
better forestall the caim of other European
powers.

6. The Myth of (Mis) Communication
● Myth: The natives
understood what
was happening to
the.
● Fact: The natives
could not
understand Spanish,
let alone the
implications of the
sujugtion to the
Spanish crown.

7. The Myth of Native Desolation
● Myth: Native cultures simply
could not withstand the force
of conquest and were left
helpless in its wake.
● Fact: The native cultures
responded to the Spanish
invaders with resilience and
adaptation. Many natives
seized on the opportunity and
contuially challenged the
Spanish at their own game.

8. The Myth of Superiority
● Myth: Conquerors were the vanguard of
civilization beating back hordes of
barbarians.
● Fact: The struggle was not as onesided as
the conquerors would lead us to believe.