THE CONQUEROR GIVES WAY TO THE BUREAUCRAT
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During the early years of the Spanish presence in the Indies, the conquistadores quite naturally amassed a great deal of wealth, power, and authority. Once the conquest had been effected, however, the Crown embarked on a successful campaign to pare down this personal power and replace the conquistadores with royal bureaucrats and administrators. By the 1530s, the warriors were conducting their fights in the courts, rather than on the battlefields. |