Spanish Conquest in the Caribbean

            In the origins of the Spanish Conquest, many groups of indigenous people were affected by the occupying Castilians. These groups were not only taken advantage of, but treated in ways so that the Spanish could exploit any natural resource to transport back to the Crown. The essence of the early Spanish conquest is that they imposed their power unjustly to exploit the native peoples while nearly decimating not only the Canary Islands, but also the Caribbean Islands. Though the conquest was not all a cloud of doom, charters were mandated so that the humane treatment of the indigenous populations was mandated. The journey from mistreatments to righteousness in the CARIBS was a process of seeking the profound treasures of the New World.
             The process of slavery in the Canary Islands was well established and efficient by the time of Columbus's first voyage. After the arrival the Spaniards, the native GUANCHES were quickly enslaved as means of slaves to sell, and later as means to produce mass quantities of sugar to sell. The Canary Islands quickly became a sugar producing hub which meant more slaves and more hours of labor. The natives did not have a very efficient means of producing food so the quality of health inadequate to capacitate the amount of work which was being imposed on them. The amount of work which was put onto these natives was so much that they eventually succumbed to the copious amounts of labor. Not only did the Spanish overwork the natives of the Canary Islands, but they also brought along a silent killer. The immunity of disease present in the Spanish was absent in the bodies of the Guanche. Smallpox is believed to be the cause of death to many of the aboriginals. Also, the introduction of livestock to the islands also meant another vector of disease in which the Guanche were not immune to. Furthermore, the Spaniards also had a castle on an island in the archipelago which a fortification was built in order to sustain an attack, but also served as a save area to retreat to after raiding the area for slaves to sell.