'Spaniards Destroying Mexican Idols', (1877). A priest looks on as a religious idol is pulled down by Spanish soldiers. Invading Europeans destroyed numerous artefacts during the conquest of the Americas which began with Columbus' arrival in 1492. From "Our Country: a Household History for All Readers, from the Discovery of America to the Present Time", Volume 1, by Benson J. Lossing. [Johnson & Miles, New York, 1877]