although many positive long term outcomes emerged from the "discovery" of the new word by the Westerners, the overall effects on the Indigenous peoples far outweigh the immediate and long term gains that Western presence would have brought after the Spanish conquest of the Indies.
             The word that the SPanish encountered when they landed on what is now reffered to as "The Americas", was described in Columbus' diaries as Utopia - "La Spaniola is marvelous, the seirra and the mountains and the plains and the meadows and the lands are so beautiful and rich for planting and sewing for livestock of every sort, and building towns and villages" [1] of New Spain.
             In order to quickly claim this treasure for Spain, "wherever he wentColumbus planted a cross, 'making', as he said, 'the declarations that are required' and claiming ownership for the land for his royal patrons back in Spain." [2] The declarations were to be held as leagal claim to all land he wished, and the verbal agreements with the unsuspecting natives were binding. Columbus continued in his diary that "the people of these lands do not understand me nor I them"[3]. This was only a preface to the many afflictions which were introdced by the Spanish and exploitation of natural resources which began almost immediately. However, the most serious aftermath of the conquests was measured in human terms, - the degradation,, enslavement, and long term loss of life and freedom for its indigenous peoples.
             While Americans today celebrate Columbus Day, a time of joy, and thanks, many historians and human rights activists touch on a theory of the encounters btween the two cultures as genocide for the Indian populations. From my research, I feel that in fact, the genocide may have started before the crew ever left Spain.
             Upon landing in the new worlds, a prepared formal document was read stating that Christianity guided them, it was of utmost impotance to convert, or die. It was no lo...