[livius]

It's not a rude rant, it happens to be the truth.

The Spanish did indeed come to South America to settle, after their initial period of exploration. In fact, one of the main objectives in their explorations was the extension of the Catholic faith - which they did do, and quite effectively. They attempted several settlements in North America, but failed first because of the climate, and then because of the attacks launched upon their Southern mission chain (which extended from Florida fairly far up to northern and western parts of the South) by the English and Indians who were incited by the English. This coincided with diminished resources of the Spanish crown, because of its European wars, and the mission chain (with its villages of Christian Indians) collapsed.

The reason mestizos are at the bottom in Latin America is that they formed the great majority of the population in economic cultures that were controlled by a small number of rich families at the top, something that was typical of Spanish economic life in Spain, as well. This is not a good thing, but it was simply a fact of economic life.

One of the reasons that "mestizos" are not at the bottom in English speaking cultures is that few existed in the first place, because the English did not consider the Indians sufficiently human to merit baptism, and certainly not intermarriage. (The exception was during a brief period in New England when attempts were made by the very earliest English settlers to convert the Indians.)

You are clearly a subscriber to the leyenda negra, and you should most certainly reexamine things before making the usual bigoted statements about the Spanish.

[Redleg Duke]

"In fact, one of the main objectives in their explorations was the extension of the Catholic faith - which they did do, and quite effectively."

Yes, they sure did...just like the Moslems...by the sword! The Spanish were driven by greed and avarice and used the "extension of the faith" as a smoke screen. The destruction of cultures, histories and societies "In the Name of the Pope" is an enduring black mark on the Roman Catholic Church and Christianity.

You attempt to defend the indefensible. Next, you will be railing against anyone reporting pedophilia committed by Priests.