Vanessa Centelles
Ms. Murray
World Civilizations—Period 2
December 5, 2012
Ambivalent Conquests: Chapters 11 and 12 Chapters 11 and 12 were a part of the “Indians” section in Ambivalent Conquests. These chapters tend to bring up the immense confusion the Maya had when it came to Christian religion.
The division between labors allowed for the reestablishment of domestic routines in the time of peace. They also placed officers as overseers to watch over the local villages. The only reason this setup survive was because the commoners wanted to support. There was also only one reported revolt in 1610, organized by the people of Tetax; they wanted to remove their Spanish appointed governor, Pedro Xiu because they believed his claim to authority was defective in traditional terms. It is not clear why the social division lasted for such a long period of time. The foreigners (Spanish) brought distruption because the Maya world was orderly before their arrival and every was well.
When they (Maya) tried beginning their conversion process, it seemed that their ideals and way of interpretation got in the way of fully grasping the concepts of the faith. For example, when the Maya practiced their own form of crucifixion, they saw it as a way to find a better understanding of what exactly they were being converted to. They also dressed up as Bishops and other figures which, to the Friars, was a disrespectful action towards God. In their eyes, the Maya were merely mocking them.
