Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumEuropean Exploration and Spanish Conquest

Source: Hernán Cortés, *Second Letter to Charles V*, 1520.

"I had the most influential of these images [idols] thrown down from their places... and in the place of these I established images of Our Lady and the Saints... I made them understand how great a sin it was to adore idols and sacrifice human beings to them..."

Which of the following Spanish motivations for exploration and conquest is most directly illustrated by the actions described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The ambition to import New World cash crops such as wheat and sugarcane back to Europe.
  2. B
    The allocation of direct land grants to Spanish colonists through the encomienda system.
  3. The desire to spread Catholic Christianity and replace indigenous religious beliefs.Answer
  4. D
    The goal of forming a military alliance with a culturally homogenous Native American population.

Answer

The desire to spread Catholic Christianity and replace indigenous religious beliefs.
The correct answer is correct because Cortés's actions of replacing native idols with Catholic icons directly demonstrate the Spanish motivation of spreading Catholicism and converting indigenous populations as a key aspect of their conquest.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source excerpt to identify the Spanish actions described.
Cortés describes removing native religious images and replacing them with Catholic figures, such as Our Lady and the Saints, while instructing the native population that their worship is sinful.
This establishes that the main activity in the excerpt is religious conversion and cultural suppression.
2
Relate these actions to broader European colonization motives.
Religious conversion was one of the core motivations of Spanish colonization (often summarized as 'God, Gold, and Glory'), where the spread of Catholicism served both as a spiritual goal and an ideological justification for empire-building.
This confirms that the correct choice must highlight Spanish efforts to spread Catholic Christianity.

Key Concept

Spanish motivations for exploration and conquest, specifically the role of religion in colonizing efforts.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

European Exploration and Spanish Conquest

More questions from this topic