▁that ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁people ▁were ▁right ▁and ▁that ▁as ▁such ▁the ▁em peror ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁law ▁over ▁them , ▁thought ▁that ▁" the ▁he ath ens ▁that ▁committed ▁s ins ▁against ▁nature , ▁such ▁as ▁id ol at ry , ▁p eder ast y ▁or ▁for nic ation , ▁all ▁those ▁off enses ▁to ▁God , ▁could ▁have ▁been ▁stopped ▁by ▁force ". ▁ ▁Among ▁those ▁s ins ▁against ▁nature ▁was ▁naturally ▁sod omy , ▁the ▁sin ▁against ▁nature ▁par ▁excell ence . ▁ ▁The ▁legisl ation ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁different ▁culture ▁and ▁its ▁custom s , ▁among ▁the ▁most ▁notable : ▁can n ib al ism , ▁human ▁sacrifice , ▁and ▁sod omy , ▁in ▁this ▁case ▁the ▁con quest ▁of ▁Mexico ▁could ▁have ▁represented ▁simply ▁an ▁extension ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁recon quest ▁of ▁the ▁inf id els , ▁represented ▁then ▁by ▁the ▁Mo ors . ▁ ▁Thus ▁the ▁circle ▁was ▁closed ▁with ▁the ▁relationship ▁of ▁Mo or , ▁sod om ite , ▁Indian . ▁ ▁Vic ero yal ty ▁of ▁New ▁Spain ▁The ▁Sp ani ards ▁were ▁shock ed ▁to ▁observe ▁hom osex ual ▁behavior ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁the ▁New ▁World . ▁They ▁had ▁encountered ▁a ▁cultural ▁tradition ▁unknown ▁to ▁Europe ▁but ▁common ▁to ▁many ▁ind igen ous ▁tribes ▁in ▁North ▁and ▁South ▁America : ▁public ly ▁recognized ▁gender ▁role ▁revers al . ▁As ▁described ▁by ▁Fern ande z ▁de ▁O v ied o ▁on ▁his ▁ 1 5 2 6 ▁" N atural ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁Ind