Latin Americanist scholar in residency postion - Essay Example

Latin Americanist scholar in residency In the diary, Christopher Columbus documents his journeys in form of diary. He was given permission by the king and queen of Spain to go to India, meet the great prince called Khan, and investigate a proper method of converting the people into Catholic Christianity ("The Journal of Christopher Columbus”). In order to discover the lands in question, he had to sail west as opposed to the usual traditional eastern route. Columbus was promised perpetual rule of all the lands he discovered.

When he met islands in what is believed to be Caribbean, he assumed he had reached India. In subsequent islands, he met with the same race he described as simple. We know from history that he never interacted with the powerful and advanced Mayas. His view about the people who inhabited the Americas was strong. The Mayas and other groups such as Aztec were not simple because they in fact had powerful and sophisticated civilization. In colonial compromise, plunder, and production, the author tries to settle some of the questions regarding Spanish conquest of the Americas.

The author assumes that the readers are aware of the controversies surrounding Spanish actions when they landed the new land. The main point of view is that Spanish plundered in as much as they introduced new methods of agricultural production. As evidence, he documents the organized life the people there had before the coming of the Spanish. The Spanish altered traditional way of life and this affected the native people. He document the transition of these people in past to the present. In order to understand the conclusions the authors makes the reader need to unstable the motors of imperial Europe.

Overall, this text undermines the concept that Europe has bright civilization to tribal people. Works Cited"The Journal of Christopher Columbus (1492)." The Journal of Christopher Columbus (1492). N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. .