The article discusses perceptions of Spain's rule over its American colonies. The author comments on how Spanish control over American territory was characterized as a conquest to obtain gold and forcibly convert indigenous populations to Catholicism. He comments on Spain's subjugation of the Yucatan region of Mexico and notes how conquistadors were charged with caring for the portion of the region's Indian population assigned to them. He notes that Spanish friars did not utilize harsh punishments of the Spanish Inquisition on native populations and that Spanish official Thomas Lopez ensured that Spanish laws in Yucatan conformed to humanitarian goals. Efforts by Spanish royal treasurer Pedro Gomez to improve conditions for Indians in the region are noted.