Did the West Indies help the Spanish conquistadors?

Question

"The analogous "West Indies" originates from Christopher Columbus' idea that he had landed in the Indies (then meaning all of south and east Asia) when he had actually reached the Americas."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_indies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus

The West Indies are islands. Islands do not help people. Please read the linked articles carefully.

=)

Kayla,

The indiginous peoples of the West Indies helped the Spanish by becoming slaves, helping spread smallpox and measles, and generally giving the Conquistadors the idea that they were top dogs of the world, which encouraged them to continue their conquests.