In Steve Stern’s book Peru’s Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest it is clear the motivating factor for historical change is the Spaniards greed for wealth and resources. The driving force behind Spanish expansion and colonization was purely for economic gain. A prime example of the Spaniards greed for resources comes from page 27 in Stern’s book, he states “the looting of prestigious shrines and the European thirst for precious metals created the folk legend that Spaniards ate gold and silver instead of food”. (Stern 27) One of the first things the Spanish did after establishing colonies was establishing an economic system where they took advantage of natives, through ecomiendas, as a source of cheap labor. This need for gold, land, and prestige ultimately changed the structure of society.