In this lecture, Professor Totten describes the conquest of Central, North, and South America by Spanish conquistadors. He argues the Spanish were aided less by "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and more by Native American allies that helped destroy the Aztec and Inca Empire. He details the massive death in the Americas that resulted from Spanish misrule, disease, and famine that led the Native survivors to form new tribal identities through the process of ethnogenesis.

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