But the superiority of the Old World has been overstated. There weren’t big disparities in living standards between late-medieval Spain and the pre-Columbus Americas. In a letter to the king, Charles V, Cortés described with amazement how Tenochtitlan’s buildings, pottery, jewelry, clothes, shoes, food, markets and barber shops were either similar to or of better quality than those in Spain.
Its commonly assumed that conquistadors thought of themselves as racially and rechnologically superior. But there seems to be enough historical texts (journals, letters, etc.) of conquistadors being amazed by South American socieities.
I think, being so far from home, these men found themselves deprived of "modern" luxuries and may have seen their own living conditions as sub-standard. Suddenly being confronted by an immense and technological society (in the jungle), their current state-of-affairs may have made them more open to seeing their counterparts as "similar" and perahps "more advanced".
These conquistadors seem to have appreciated South American civilaization and awed at its differences. In contrast, later Imperalists (such as those in Africa) retained their "modern" luxuries which may prevented them from fully appreciating the nuances of another culture.
For example, the Spanish were appreciative of their native allies, the Tlaxcala, against the Mexica. In its aftermath, the Tlaxcala retained semi-autonomy throughout the following 300 years.
