Spanish Society and Buffer Zones

Thesis Statement: The Spanish originally believe that they are masters of the Comanches, but as time, violence, and economic matters show, the Comanches mastered the Spanish.

Spain tries to set up colonies in the southwest, and believe that they will have little trouble with the natives. "Such optimism was not unwarranted. France's expulsion ended French contraband trade and political scheming on the souther plains, giving Spain more sway over the region and its Native inhabitants. Moreover, New Mexio was now western Comanches' only reliable source of European goods, and Spanish policy makers had a reason to expect dependence to translate into compliance...in Spanish designs, the Comanches were masters of the southern plains and the Spanish were masters of the Comanches (p70)."

As time goes by, there are several cultural clashes between the two nations, many resulting in escalating violence. "In the Comanche worldview, gifts, trade, and kinship were inexorably linked....Spaniards, in contrast, made a clear distinction between social and economic ties (p40-1)." Diplomacy only goes so far, and the Comanches begin raiding and attacking, which puts a significant strain on the Spanish empire. "By the late 1770s, New Mexio began disintegrating under the weight of Comanche violence...communities dispersed...large sections of New Mexico were left desolate (p76)."

Eventually, the Spanish recognize that their defenses are no match for the Comanche raiding parties, and start settling villages at the outer edge of their territory, hoping the Comanches will raid those places, and not focus on important centers, like Mexico City. This finally shows that the Comanches had indeed mastered the Spanish, and the Spanish were forced into a permanently defensive position.