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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page paper discusses Inga Clendinnen's book: Ambivalent Conquests. This paper answers the question of ambivalence, who was ambivalent, what was the position of the church, position of the indians, and lastly, commentary about the colonization of meso-America. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MBambiv.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of the indigenous peoples, or under the assumption that they will bring a heightened standard of decency. Inga Clendinnen in her book, Ambivalent Conquest, portrays the interplay between several representatives
of the colonizing nations and the native peoples of the Yucatan. From this study comes the conclusion that this was indeed an ambivalent conquest. The world was the Spanish
oyster and they intended to harvest it. This harvest included Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and parts of the Yucatan. However, unlike the other conquests, they would find the Yucatan to be
their most ambiguous crop. This was due mainly to the Mayans that they encountered there. One of the main characters in the book is a priest by the name
of Diego de Landa. It can be stated that part of what makes a good character is that they are three dimensional. They are that curious blend of good and
evil, saint and sinner, and have the unmitigated ability to contradict themselves in a type of self deception that sometimes reveals more about their character than mindless conformity to social
situations would. This is indeed the case for Father Landa, who is shown to have a religious fervor which extends to incredible sadistic acts toward the natives. In fact,
because he highly suspected that the natives were continuing to worship their own gods instead of practicing Catholicism, he asked to implement the Spanish Inquisition in the Yucatan. The author
also portrays this account through the eyes of the Mayans who are attempting to come to terms with the fact that they and their lands are about to change forever.
On the one hand, the Franciscan friars (priests) were there to be missionaries and emissaries of the Church. Seeking to win converts they find that they have failed in
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