Conquistadors and the Exploitation of the New World
Domesticated animals were one of the advantages the Spaniards held over the Incas and Aztecs. Along with the mobility that horses provided, the conquistadors had large bulldogs and mastiffs, armored for battle and trained to kill. These beasts had a psychological element as well; many natives had never seen domesticated dogs before, and certainly not ones like these.
The Aztecs and Incas had knowledge of working with gold, silver, bronze, and tin, but they primarily used these softer metals for ornaments or utensils. Steel weapons and armor were entirely new to them, as were firearms. Spaniards were armed with arquebuses, early matchlock muskets that were devastating in battle against their unarmored opponents.
As their name suggests, the conquistadors came to the New World not to cohabitate, but to conquer. A nearly constant state of conflict within the Iberian peninsula in the previous few centuries had created a very-warlike culture in the Spanish and Portuguese. Due to technological superiority and a high-intensity form of sporadic warfare, the conquistadors were able to conquer the Aztec and Incan people within a few years. Under Spanish rule, the indigenous people were subjected to forced labor in a system called encomienda. Silver mines worked by the natives financed the Spanish empire's wars in Europe for many years.
So great was the wealth that was extracted from these new colonies as to attract the attention of others in search of an easy fortune. The Spanish ships became prime targets for pirates and privateers within the Caribbean Sea.
In the context of the environment in which they were operating, were pirates any different than the imperial powers that were exploiting the resources and populations native to the New World?
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