Part 16/20:
Following conquest, Spain imposed its own rule and religion upon the remnants of Mesoamerican civilizations. The new colonial society was a blend—a hybrid of the indigenous and European, a “neither native nor European” identity that would define Mexico’s cultural landscape ever since.
Spanish conquest introduced systemic exploitation—feudal-like land grants, forced labor in silver mines that caused death on an industrial scale, and the destruction of native ruling classes, replaced by a colonial aristocracy. Over time, native elites who proved adaptable became Hispanicized, intertwined within the Spanish-ruled hierarchy, but the true native social structures and autonomy were obliterated.