Oh, definitely the Spanish were worse masters than anyone except for the Aztecs, and in addition the Spanish brought the Eurasian disease pool--which over the course of a century managed to kill 3/4 of the people in Central America.
Nevertheless, for the Dakota the Spanish "gift" of the horse was a remarkable boon. For the Navajo, Spanish breeds of sheep and weaving technology transformed their culture. And contrary to what Paul Revere and the Raiders sang, the beads were not "made by hand" but imported from Venice: before the Columbian Exchange they used porcupine quills instead.
There's a lot to mourn that flowed from 1492, but a lot to celebrate too...
>Speaking of which, what was World GDP in One Million B.C.,
$11 billion a year
>and did the volcano that got Raquel Welch's tribe increase
>it or decrease it?
>
>mbs
Decreased total GDP, increased GDP per capita--less pressure on prey species, et cetera, plus gains from trade and cultural exchange
Brad DeLong