I don't think most historians would agree that the Inca and Aztec empires were "some of the greatest known to man", as El Chapo has stated in this thread. I think that's overstating things a bit too much.
But they were distinct civilizations, and did make admirable accomplishments.
As with anything, the Conquista was a mixed blessing. It brought a lot of good things, and a lot of bad. All in all, the good outweighed the bad.
The social organization and political structures of the Indians were not as impressive as the OP's pictures suggest. These were societies (at least the Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmecs) that a lot of unpleasant elements (human sacrifice, slavery, permanent warfare), which modern Mexican nationalists tend to ignore.
The Incas did have an impressive and very sophisticated social organization, though.
All in all, it was a mixed blessing, as all such things are.
The one thing that I find unforgivable was the terrible mistreatment of the natives as slave labor, and the deliberate destruction of Mexican codices (books), to the extent that only a handful survive. Millions of Indians died as slave laborers in mines and on agricultural collectives.
The Spanish burned a great many illustrated Aztec books, and history has really suffered because of this. They also smashed and ruined countless numbers of artworks and other treasures. I wish they had not done this.
But in those days, religious chauvinism was the rule. There was no such thing as "tolerance" or "cooexistence" in those days. They considered the Indians to be devil-worshippers, and thought they were doing the work of God by destroying their civilization.
But they were distinct civilizations, and did make admirable accomplishments.
As with anything, the Conquista was a mixed blessing. It brought a lot of good things, and a lot of bad. All in all, the good outweighed the bad.
The social organization and political structures of the Indians were not as impressive as the OP's pictures suggest. These were societies (at least the Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmecs) that a lot of unpleasant elements (human sacrifice, slavery, permanent warfare), which modern Mexican nationalists tend to ignore.
The Incas did have an impressive and very sophisticated social organization, though.
All in all, it was a mixed blessing, as all such things are.
The one thing that I find unforgivable was the terrible mistreatment of the natives as slave labor, and the deliberate destruction of Mexican codices (books), to the extent that only a handful survive. Millions of Indians died as slave laborers in mines and on agricultural collectives.
The Spanish burned a great many illustrated Aztec books, and history has really suffered because of this. They also smashed and ruined countless numbers of artworks and other treasures. I wish they had not done this.
But in those days, religious chauvinism was the rule. There was no such thing as "tolerance" or "cooexistence" in those days. They considered the Indians to be devil-worshippers, and thought they were doing the work of God by destroying their civilization.