The Spanish encountered Indians in the area of Mesoamerica and the encounters were characterized by both violence and the destruction and/or enslavement of native cultures by the conquistadors and by peaceful attempts at conversion to Catholicism by the Dominicans.-the Spanish ruled directly from the monarchy through the Council of the Indies(in Spain) and the viceroys (in America)-the encomienda system got the conquistadores to settle down and function as colonists-the Dominicans established missions all over the Americas: notably Father Serra in California-there was a great debate in the 1500's in Spain over whether or not Indians were fully human or subhuman; the debate was prompted by Las Casas defense of the natives as fully human and deserving more respect. Ferdinand and Isabella

Then try StudyFetch, the AI-powered platform that can answer your questions and teach you more about it!