ies ": ▁ ▁As ▁conquer ors , ▁the ▁Spanish ▁sought ▁to ▁justify ▁the ▁sub ord ination ▁of ▁native ▁pe op les . ▁When ▁they ▁encountered ▁cult ures ▁that ▁san ction ed ▁male - male ▁sexual ▁relations , ▁they ▁immediately ▁l abeled ▁such ▁behavior ▁" s od omy ," ▁after ▁the ▁bib lic al ▁city ▁of ▁S od om , ▁which ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁destroyed ▁by ▁God ▁for ▁the ▁sin ful ▁behavior ▁of ▁its ▁inhabitants . ▁That ▁the ▁bib lic al ▁sin ▁in ▁question ▁was ▁the ▁failure ▁to ▁show ▁hospital ity ▁to ▁str angers ▁was ▁irrelevant ▁in ▁the ▁light ▁of ▁subsequent ▁ecc les iast ical ▁interpretation , ▁which ▁as cribed ▁it ▁to ▁hom osex ual ity . ▁Thus ▁hom osex ual ▁behavior ▁among ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁native ▁pe op les ▁became ▁one ▁of ▁several ▁the ological ▁just ifications ▁for ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁their ▁culture , ▁sub j ug ation ▁of ▁their ▁soci eties , ▁and ▁conversion ▁to ▁Roman ▁Catholic ism . ▁ ▁As ▁of ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁there ▁appeared ▁the ▁first ▁histor ians ▁who ▁really ▁lived ▁and ▁worked ▁in ▁New ▁Spain . ▁ ▁F ray ▁Tor ib io ▁de ▁Ben av ente , ▁later ▁called ▁Mot ol ín ia , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁histor ians ▁of ▁this ▁era , ▁writes ▁that ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁people ▁" d rank ▁a ▁certain ▁wine ▁called ▁pul que , ▁to ▁the ▁point ▁of ▁d run ken ness , ▁followed ▁by ▁sacrific es ▁and ▁v ices ▁of