Motivating Factors

Although Conrad and Demarest view religious ideology as the main motivating factor for historical change during the Spanish conquest, Stern argues that economic gain and greed were the true motivating factors. It quickly became clear that the Spanish conquistadors were mainly motivated by wealth. A major example of this Spanish greed can be seen in the exploitation of native Andean people as cheap labor to increase their wealth.  The Spanish conscripted a labor force of locals for many different tasks.  Mainly these mitayos labor forces were used in the colonial silver mines, however they were also used for obraje workshops, agriculture, ranching, or any other tasks that they could be used for. (p. 82) When more laborers were needed to increase the wealth of the Spanish, in the event of something like the discovery and the mining of silver, natives were simply conscripted and put to work. (p. 107)

Greed was not only in play on the side of the Spanish, many Indian communities, local chiefs and leaders especially, were easily swayed by their want of wealth promised by a cooperation with the Spanish.  Andean elites were often given gifts of slaves, livestock, and fine clothes in order to receive their cooperation in transforming the region as the Spanish saw fit. (p. 31)

Through the events that took place in the Andean region in the colonization period it is easy to see why Stern argues that economic gain and greed are the main motivating factors for historical change.  Without the Spanish’s obsessive quest for silver and riches, or the local elite’s lust for wealth and status in the rising Spanish colony the region would have so drastically.