THE OLD WORLD IN THE NEW
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The reverberations of the encounter between the Spanish and indigenous cultures of the Americas were nothing less than earth-shaking. Columbus and his successors introduced European foods (wheat, bananas, and sugar), animals (cattle and horses), ideas, architecture, religion, and even new diseases, such as smallpox, that would have a devastating impact on the Indian population. The conquistadores and colonists not only created New Spain; they profoundly influenced the course of American economy, society, and culture. |