A) Identify and explain ONE way in which both passages could be understood by a European reader in the 1500s as confirming widely held beliefs concerning indigenous
peoples of the Americas.

The average European did not have a positive perception of Native Americans.

Explanation:

Given that religion or Catholicism was one of the most important factors in Europeans' lives, the perception of Native Americans did not seem the best. Early European travel writers spoke of the worship of spirits and nature by the natives was enough to characterize the Indians as atheists. The report of travelogues on the occurrence of cannibalism in certain tribes caused disgust among Europeans. The scarcity in Indian dress also had a negative reflection on the general attitude about Indians. All these elements were reflected during the colonization itself, and it is in the stated facts that the antagonisms that have never been overcome rest.