In the early 16th century, the European super powers, England, France and Spain decided to “broaden” their horizons. All three set sail in an attempt to further their power. But when they reached the shores of what is now known as Canada and Mexico what would they find? Would they find a land already occupied by a new and distinctly fascinating society? No, they found a land for the taking. These European “settlers” gave no regard to the native populations whom already occupied this vast land. Explorers such as Hernan Cortes and Jacques Cartier carried out this travesty by such factors as political and psychological warfare, economic competition between native cultures, and through the importation of disease.
The Spanish, led by the Hernan Cortes, were responsible for the near annihilation of the native populations of Mexico. The main objective of the mission was to accumulate wealth so that Cortes could get rid of the large debt he and his men had incurred for this expensive expedition, as they had not been very successful on previous missions (Meyer 93). When the expedition arrived in Tabasco, the local natives resisted Cortes and the bloodshed began. The Spanish fought and killed two hundred natives while suffering only two deaths. Because of this battle the natives believed that the Spanish were invincible. Cortes used this to his advantage. He used horses, greyhounds and firearms to scare and intimidate the natives. He even went so far as to stage mock battles (Meyer 98). Cortes also used the native rivalries to his advantage. He would use all the natives that were against the Aztecs, the only known threat to the Spanish, as slaves and warriors to help him fight. In 1519, Cortes and his new men found their way into a town called Cholula that was allied with the Aztecs. The Spanish attacked and burned the town killing six thousand Cholulan warriors (Meyer104). Cortes used this massacre to send a powerful message to Aztecs. On August 13th, 1521, Cortes, with the help of almost 200,000 native allies achieved victory and captured Tenochtitlan (Meyer 122). Though both political and psychological warfare, Spain conquered and destroyed this once proud society.
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The English and French colonies were expanding their succession in the Northern regions known as Canada. The explorers saw the natives as a worthless race which can be used for European benefit. One of the first explorers, Jacques Cartier, said “This people will be called savage; for they are the sourest folk there can being the world, and the whole lot of them had not anything above the value of five sous, their canoes and fishing-nets excepted.”(Brown 74) Despite the initial intention for the European expedition, gold, the economic resource that caused warfare throughout this land was fur. The natives were exceptionally skilled in achieving beaver pelts for trade with the Europeans (Brown 76). The natives would receive items in exchange for the fur such as firearms and ammunition (Brown 85). These items of destruction would begin bloody wars between native rivalries. The cause of these wars would be struggle for economic control. “As a result, the powerful Five Nations Iroquois confederacy, sent it’s warriors, now familiar with European weapons, on an astonishing wide ranging military campaign which between 1645 and 1655 destroyed all its Iroquoian rivals.”(Brown 120) Tribes numbering as a total of ten thousand were wiped out, because the Iroquois saw them as an obstacle to their prosperity (Brown 121). This new European greed and corruption was the cause of thousands of native deaths.
Both the Canadian and Mexican settlers were responsible for the spread of new diseases among these lands. New diseases among these places would be catastrophic, as the native would have had no exposure or immunity to any of them. In Mexico disease was a Spanish advantage. “But the Spaniards had a silent, deadly, and totally unexpected ally in the land: one of Narvaez’s men came to Mexico infected with smallpox, which spread quickly with devastating consequences to the Indians. Tens of thousands were carried off by the disease.”(Meyer 119) The same sad sorry was present in Canada. “Smallpox devastated the Chippewyans in the 1780s-an estimated 90% of the population died-measles and whooping cough killed half of the Brandon Assiniboine, and a third of the Western Cree-1838 smallpox carried off two-thirds of the Assiniboine, Blackfoot, and North Saskatchewan Cree.”(Brown 237) Never once regretting the devastation of their presence, European settlers spread disease rampantly throughout Mexico and Canada.
In the early 16th century European explorers packed up their naval vessels and each set sail for their own promise land. The promise land would hopefully contain treasures of economic stimulation beyond their wildest dreams. When the Europeans reached Canada and Mexico they found native peoples, which they saw as something that could be easily used, or removed. Whether it be through such devices as political and psychological warfare, economic competition between native cultures, or the importation of disease, European “conquerors” were responsible for the near annihilation of native societies for their own benefit.
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