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How did Spanish conquest affect Indigenous people in the Inca Empire?
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Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Performers at a Canadian powwow, c. 2008.
The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, beginning in 1532, had a devastating impact on Indigenous peoples, characterized by systemic takeover, violence, and disease.12
- Disease and Population Decline: European diseases, such as smallpox and measles, arrived in the Andes ahead of the Spanish, likely transmitted through contact with groups interacting with Spanish settlers. These epidemics caused massive population loss and political instability, which significantly weakened the empire's ability to resist the invaders.312
- Social and Political Disruption: The Spanish exploited internal civil wars and instability to consolidate control. While some members of the Inca aristocratic and artisan classes were absorbed into the colonial hierarchy, the broader Indigenous farming population was relegated to menial servitude.12
- Economic Exploitation: The Spanish utilized and expanded existing structures, such as the encomienda system, to extract labor and tribute. They also repurposed Inca labor systems, such as the mit’a, to provide forced labor for silver mines like Potosí.45
- Cultural Destruction: The Spanish campaign against idolatry led to the systematic destruction of Inca religious institutions and rituals.1