Myth busting by Stern

In Stern's book, we see multiple places where the paradigms presented by Restall are supported. The idea of the white only conquistador is shattered when both of these authors present us with people of mixed race as well as African as part of the coalition. Both authors understood the importance of non-Spanish men that made the voyage and were trying to make themselves greater. Another huge agreement these two authors make, as many of my peers have already pointed out, is the dispelling of the myth that there was little communication between the Spanish and the Natives. In fact there was a great amount of communication and many ecomenderos were able to communicate with their kuraks. Many of these ecomenderos gave presents and tribute to their nearby native to "cement alliances with favors and gifts."(Stern 31) These tributes as well as the communication and relationship they cultivated between the two sides helps us understand that this was a much more integrated, and less militaristic conquest of the Andeans compared to the conquer of other Native american Indian civilizations.

I agree heavily with Timothy in his comment on this prompt, he states that Sterns desire and zeal to convince us the length of the communication between the two sides could be considered its own myth.
The myth of miscommunication is disproved in Stern's book, but the idea that the two people understood each other flawlessly is a myth of its own. He also strongly argues the quick integration of capitalism into the Andean culture which is something that is less argued, yet very interesting.

Another argument that dispels a myth of "a hand full of adventurers" was the idea that the Spanish government, and its colonization itself, deterred the interworks of the Indian economy and culture, making them more dependent on the Spanish. "The fertilizing impulse of Spanish colonial penetration now encouraged the embryo of class contradiction to grow, develop, producing, as a poisonous by-product, a crisis of confidence in the old ways that weakened the internal unity of the native community life." (Stern 58) This split, where the people start to feel betrayed by their leaders, due to their leaving of the old ways, and using the Spanish to better their personal and family gains rather than those of the whole community drove gaps between the locals and a "divide and conquer" layout for the Spanish. It is easier to defeat a foe that is fighting itself.