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Matthew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Instructor The settlement of Europeans in South America and Mesoamerica has had and continues to have a great impact on the everyday lives of its inhabitants. The rising complexity of the Spanish Conquest has necessitated and called for more analysis and clarification on some of the misinterpretations had by some people. Since as early as 1492, the day-to-day lives of Americans has transformed with very many changes such as the introduction of multiple diseases, new technologies, political ideologies, conquerors and so much more (Don, 2004). As a result of such changes, the attitude and outlook of colonization have conformed to the political environment as well as first-hand information from renowned explorers while failing to take into account other informative interpretations from other participants. Due to this, the focus on the Spanish Conquest has been covered by several myths during this significant era of human history. In his book, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, Matthew Restall who is currently a professor of Latin American History and Anthropology in Edwin Erle Sparks and also the Director of Latin American Studies at the Pennsylvania State University contributes to the debate of how perpetuated myths dominate current thoughts of the conquest. At the same time, he also offers clarity to any reader who may have developed a false notion of the seven myths as explored in his book. Restall (2004), defines a myth as a fictional ideology that is usually assumed to be true, either partly or wholly. He contends that the myths connected with the Spanish
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