The objectives of the Spanish colonists, when arriving in New Mexico, was to exploit the native population and resources. Governors sought to attain as much personal wealth as possible from the province, selling Indian slaves and products. Indigenous populations suffered high mortality rates due to the wealth of infectious diseases brought from Europe, to which they had no immunity. There was eventually a ruling where Indians could not be enslaved, and with the rise of Christianity, and Spanish-speaking, there were many racial and cultural tensions between the indigenous and Spanish colonists, which still remains to this day. Due to much conflict, the Spanish issued land grants to the indigenous communities, which has lasted over time.
