Question

Describe why the missionaries and the Spanish soldiers were often in conflict. Why do you think the Spanish soldiers behaved the way they did toward the Native Americans?

Answer 1

The missionaries were in conflict with the Spanish soldiers about the way the soldiers treated the Native Americans staying at the mission and Spanish soldiers did not like the way the way the missionaries took away the freedoms of the Native Americans. The soldiers would often take advantage of the Native Americans in trades and were not part of the conversion efforts of the mission because they were trained in warfare. The job of a soldier was to protect the settlers and missionaries which meant they often had to fight hostile and aggressive Native American tribes. This may have contributed to their unfair treatment of the Native Americans within the mission systems.