I think that, towards the second half of "Ambivalent conquests", Clendinnen make the Maya look like the good guys/victims. My reasons for thinking this are because the Spaniards tried their best to destroy Mayan culture, and the Franciscan friars tried to shelter the Mayans.
First, the Spaniards tried their best to destroy Maya culture. Eventually, the Maya had to hide their treasures in jungle caves (p. 133). This also shows what lengths the natives were willing to go to to maintain their culture. Also, Clendinnen mentions a Mayan chief showing Lambda a book of hieroglyphs, which were subsequently burned by friars (pgs, 133-134). This also shows how much the Spaniards didn't care about what had come before, once the were their, they were going to make sure that the natives knew it, no matter what it took.
Second, the Franciscan monks tried to shelter the Mayan natives from the Spanish conquest. As we discussed in class, this was done because the native were kept in separate villages, away from the Spaniards to protect their perceived innocence.
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