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Spanish Colonial Rule - Law and Religion

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Spanish colonial rule affected nearly every aspect of Indian life. It dismantled political structures and altered communities by taking small villages into building them into larger social. And by establishing a community first then came the physical building of one. Hence Spanish rule taking control, economically, by assigning labor and tribute from the native population. Such labor was needed for the construction of palaces, churches, waterworks, and roads all necessary to establish a Spanish dominating force. Spanish also asserted their hegemony by taking control of significant amounts of land taken from the indigenous population. Increasing demand for tribute payments led to Indians selling, renting, and pawning of property, and even ultimately led to indebtedness in wills for the indigenous population. The Spanish Colonial system could not alone dominate by force. The indigenous population was too immense and culturally diverse. Thus why the Spanish created their legal system. Indian records show that litigants of lawsuits consistently went to Spanish officials when Indian officials made decisions against them. The acceptance and use of Spanish law by the Indians only made the control stronger. Religion also played a big part of Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish were smart and were persistent about converting the natives to their religion. It was just another form of control. This caused the natives to practice their beliefs at home and their new Christian beliefs out in public and eventually the two merged into a dual religious system. And by doing this it became natural and was a part of their life and customs. By using religion as a hegemony tool the Spanish were able to reconstruct the Indians way of life according to their rules. Spanish Colonial rule was also able to breach through the Indians public life, with state laws and became a part of their private life through the church. And it was through religion that they to

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