The Spaniards followed Columbus to America for one reason; gold. They did find some gold and traded with the natives, which they viewed as savages and less than human because of how wildly different the two cultures were. Thus, it's no surprise that when the gold stopped coming, the Spaniards reacted violently. Natives were slaughtered by the thousands, dying of diseases and blades in equal numbers. The native population plummeted like a millstone thrown into the ocean. The cruelty of the Spaniards can't be overly stressed. Reports say they hung children by their feet and dashed their heads against rocks and ripped open the bellies of pregnant women to slice their babies to pieces.
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