Juan Gonzalezs Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America - Book Report/Review Example

Gonzalez began the article by setting the stage for the colonial era by detailing the achievements of the Native populations and the state of Europe. Before conquest, the Native tribes differed in levels of sophistication depending on location with the greatest empires concentrated in the Mexican Valley. In Europe, a recently unified Spain experienced an upheaval in the feudal system and England was divided over religion. Upon arrival, the Europeans brought disease, famine, war, and enslavement, which decimated Native populations.

Also, religion played an important role in the relations between Natives and Europeans as the Spanish worked towards conversion to Catholicism but the English preferred to keep their distance (Gonzalez). Conflicts over land spearheaded the issues between the differing cultures. Conquerors came with the intention of claiming the new lands for their respective countries, which included lands that were home to Native populations. The Spanish were particularly brutal in their conquests of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.

Also, their thirst for gold led to several expeditions in South American and the southern portion of the USA. The English were responsible for decimating populations in the northeast as well (Gonzalez). Land claims are still a pertinent issue in today's cultures. Issues dealing with reservations and ancestral lands are still a hot topic in American courts. Also, the land disparity in Latin America helped to fuel many of the rebellions and conflicts within the last century. The English and Spanish differed greatly in their views on mixing races.

The Spanish created the mestizo race as Gonzalez writes, "The priests even performed occasional marriages between Spaniards and Indiansthus fostering and legitimizing a new mestizo race in America." The recognition of unions between the races helped to legitimize relations between the two cultures. In contrast, the English chose to remain separated from the Natives and in doing so started a long standing tradition of segregation between whites and other races. Race is still an issue in the USA today although relations have improved since the tumultuous 1960's.

The Catholic Church played an important roll in the relations between Spaniards and Natives. The Spanish maintained their loyalty to the Catholic Church, while the English were arguing amongst themselves over Protestantism and other forms of Christianity. The Spanish encouraged the conversion of Natives to Catholicism and invested in missions under Jesuit, Franciscan, and Dominican monks (Gonzalez). As a result, the majority of Latin American countries are currently considered Catholic countries.

However, the English looked on colonization as a chance to practice religion freely and were not concerned with converting the Natives (Gonzalez). As a result, there are many branches of Christianity and other faiths that currently operate in the USA. The manner in which the conquerors of the New World dealt with land conflicts, race, and religion has had lasting effects on the new cultures. While the English chose to remain isolated, the Spanish set about converting and assimilating. Problems arose with both methods such as religious intolerance, race tensions, and landless people.

Both the Spanish and English helped shape the current cultures in North and South America and the colonial era has had