Interpreted Views of Colonial Latin Americas Happenings - Coursework Example

Felipe GuamanPoma de Ayala Interpreted views of colonial Latin America’s Happenings. Felipe was a descendant of a prominent indigenous conqueror. He was a noble man and was fluent in a number of languages. He was a plaintiff in several law suits where he made an effort to recover property and political title in the Chupas valley (Adorna 2). The outcome was that he lost; his property taken away and banished from his home town. These were the injustices that he underwent. In his notable works “The first new Chronicles and Good Governance” he lists the injustices of colonial rule. He gives his views on: the exploitation of the natives spread of epidemics and diseases, natives paying of tribute to the crown, moral decay among the natives and violence directed to the natives. As a staunch catholic, he believed that these evils were not to be tolerated. He addressed the ruler of the time, as he believed he would make the necessary changes. The shared tradition is responsible for uniting people in the entire world. They give them a sense of identity and belonging (Adorna 4). Land and the natural environment around where a community inhabits forms an integral part to its culture and the way of life. The indigenous dwellers of Latin America become strongly connected to their land (Richards et al. 16). Land was a source of their livelihood and spiritual purposes. Land was not a commercial commodity rather it was a resource. They utilized it with respect, conserving it for use by generation to come. When this land was under colonization, the inhabitants were in trouble. Their rights to land experienced drastic changes. It is in the eyes of Felipe that I examine the situation of colonial Latin America. The community was to pay tribute to the new leaders imposed to them (Inga et al. 64). This negatively impacted on the people. The native were a free people and payment of tribute was demeaning. Further, they were subject to laws imposed by their colonizers in their effort to assimilate them. Felipe is writing to communicate to the king concerning the social and economic struggles that the people of Latin America are facing. He takes the initiative to put into writing the difficulties of the native people (Adorna 16). The economic hardships were the ones that were contributing to the moral decay of the people. The native were not getting justice in the courts. He had a firsthand experience of unfair trial; he, therefore, understood what the people were facing. He uses pictorial illustrations and written document. The natives experienced immense effects due to widespread epidemics and diseases. This was disconcerting to Felipe though the administrators of the day were taking no action. They died in a large number (Richards et al. 219). However, their population still outnumbered the population of the colonizers. The colonizers wanted to dominate this people and subject them to obedience of their rule. They needed to come up with a sustainable system that would subordinate the natives. Changing of the societies presented a solution to the colonizers. New system of exchange and administration was in place. Further, a new religion was obligatory to the people. This was a total intrusion to the natives’ way of life. The social organization of the natives’ was under disintegration (Inga et al. 322). The Spaniards used religion which was Catholicism mainly to justify their conquest. They forcefully converted people into this new faith. Felipe saw the faith as a move towards superior governance and a new dawn for the people. This religion, however, was serving the interest of the colonizer at large. The period of colonialism was under the slavery, accompanied by violence. The natives were under immense torture. There was the opening up of trade and large scale production of sugar. This led to a massive demand of human labor in the farms and the mines. Slaves migrated from Brazil and Caribbean; human trafficking was a thriving business. The people were subject to poor shelter and inadequate food. There was brutal work discipline. The slave owners thought it to be cheaper to buy slaves than to keep the existing ones in better conditions. The mortality rate of the slaves was extremely high. Felipe in his writing is crying out about the violence inflicted on the people. He is of the view that people should be treated with respect. As an indigenous, his writing shed light into the situation of colonial Latin America. It draws the interest of other scholars into understanding the reality during that colonial period. The structures put in place by the colonial administration were to subsume the natives and slaves. The views of Felipe as he wrote to the king were to protect the people from violence. His works are outstanding in the way he was able to express his misgiving with the administration of the day (Inga et al. 387). Existence for the natives was a total struggle. The system in colonial Latin America was hierarchical. There was a reflection of racism and class division. The whites were on top of the hierarchy, mixed race in the middle and the blacks at the bottom (Richard et al. 253). Those at the top formed the elite group and dominated in the key positions of the government. Over time, the population composition was gradually changing. This is because of children born from unions of persons from different ethnic and racial groups. Sexual exploitation of the African slave was prevalent increasing the birth of persons of mixed backgrounds. The colonial government faced many challenges in running of the colonies (Richard et al. 304). The crown was ruling from a distance. The system of administration established was one that would hold with the distance. However, eventually the system became weak and declined. The colonizer had gained sufficiently from these colonies. The administrators were weak, and the colonies profitability was low. It is at this time that launched the Bourbon Reforms (Inga et al. 409). The reform aimed at improving the economic conditions of the colonies. In conclusion, Felipe views as expressed through his writing and by subsequent scholar are extremely relevant in the understanding of colonial Latin America. He gives insight into the socio-economic and political forces that shaped the lives of the common people. His expectations are highly realistic. He advocates that there be; economic structures, social structure, technological and religious structure that address the people’s needs. His views are evident in most of the successful states today. Works cited Richard Boyer and Geoffrey Spurling, eds. Colonial Lives: Documents on Latin American History, 1550-1850. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Inga Clendinnen. Ambivalent Conquests: Maya and Spaniard in Yucatan, 1517 - 1570. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Adorno, GuamaPoma: Writing and Resistance in Colonial Peru.Texas: Texas University Press, 2000. Read More