A political leader could be interpreted as a king.

A large food store could be treated as a resource available to the expedition.

A Native refusal could be interpreted as rebellion rather than political independence.

These differences in interpretation created misunderstandings.

Archaeology can sometimes reveal the gap between what the Spanish thought they were seeing and what the Native landscape actually represented.

THE FUTURE HISTORY OF THE REGION

The changes begun during the sixteenth century would eventually become part of a much larger transformation.

Spanish exploration was followed by other European colonial projects.