Earlier land based empires, such as those the Romans, Muslims, and Mongols built, all grappled with how to deal with conquered peoples' cultures and traditions. These empires
almost always had trouble

balancing the various cultures and traditions of their subjects with the
cultures and traditions of the state. The Spanish Empire in the Americas stands in stark contrast
to these land based empires. The Spanish managed to erase the basic social structures and
cultural traditions of the Amerindian population within a century of when the first European
explorers arrived. By 1700, Spanish culture and social hierarchies replaced indegionous ones.
Historian Ida Altman, from her book The Early History of Greater Mexico, 2002
 identify and explain one specific historical example challenges the authors claim