The early years of European discovery and conquest of America was a period of violence, dramatic social change, and profound transformation in the lives of indigenous peoples. The Indian world was conquered, dismantled, and restructured according to the conqueror’s vision. Moreover, the arrival of Europeans and European pathogens combined with the violence of conquest to produce a demographic disaster of massive proportions. Throughout America, Indian peoples suffered a dramatic demographic decline. In parts of Latin America approximately 90 percent of the Indian population disappeared. Indian women probably experienced lower mortality than men, who were actively engaged in warfare.

The conquest probably had a more varied effect on Indian women than any other single group. But not all Indian women were equally affected by the conquest. The aftermath of conquest severed the lives of some women and reduced others to slavery; still others managed to integrate themselves into European society, in many cases more successfully than did Indian men. Thus, the conquest could be a traumatic experience or a new opportunity. In addition, the effects of conquest varied over time, with those who witnessed the destruction of their world and the imposition of European cultural, religious, and social values being far more affected than succeeding generations, who were born into a world already changed.