Conquest and Colonial Rule
PROFS #: 416 946 0186
Conquest and Colonial Rule 1. Pre-Colonial Society and Power Structures 2. Conquest 3. Colonial Society “I came to get the gold, not till the soil like a peasant” -- Hernan Cortes, conqueror of Mexico, 16th century -
Abhorrence of people who work with hands = low wage Lack of concern and sympathy for lower class Illustrates motivation for conquest- wealth
1. PreColonial Society and Power Structure - Astex, Mias and Incas (3 Precolonial civilizations) - Early history written by westeners so have a biased Maya Location: Southern Mexico and Guatemala -
Had independent city state with pop of 200,000 or more Organization: top down and authoritarian (King and nobel on top and slaves on the bottom ) Known for invention of calendars (maya calendar end dec this year), scientific accomplisments Classic mayan society collapsed and invaded by Toltecs Direct decendant of mayan survived Toltecs had a lot of agriculture and exhausted the land and couldnt sustain themselves
Aztex Location: Mexico central valley -
Came from north and forced toltecs into mayan territory Known for aztex’s military prowess and in constant warefare with neighbour Tenochtitlan in 1325 on site of contemporary mexico city Organization: Was very rigidly stratified (top= heriditary nobility and bottom= slaves), centralized power (based on force and coercion)
INCAS Location: Andes of South America
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Tawantinsuyo: the 4 united districts o the Inca Empire 1) Remembered as legitimate nation state and had republican state thrown ontop of them 2) 1) KKollasuyo (present Bolivia) 3) Felipp quispe is Coya and living as institutional terrorism Known for empire building (vast territories that they wer able to conqur and administer large areas by defeating neighbouring groups and invite nobels from defeated gr to get their co operation) Would move groups around if they were rebellious surrounding them by loyals Inca: semigod descendant of the sun god Inti Power centralized in empire with Inca ontop (one supreme ruler at top) Organization: highly centralized bureaucracy, very totalitarian Able to irradicate hunger and made sure basic needs met for empire
Decentralized Societies -
Location: Hunter gathered society, nomatic nature, groups in Amazonian rainforests, Mapuche people of S.Chile Organization: horizontal based on kinship groups Mapuche are known for successful resistance against Spanish colonization 1) 1641: treaty b/t Spain and Mapuche recognizing border-- Biobio river
II. Conquest -
Between 30-70 million native people prior to conquest in the Americas At least 30 million in Mexico alone How could a handful of European soldiers conquer an empire like 30-70 million? 1) Had latest military technology : steel swords, body armour, guns, canons, horses 2) The Spaniards and Portguese had honed their fighting and tacticle skills in the reconquest of Iberia (professional soldiers) 3) Indigenous people saw the Spaniards as Gods or Demigods and were relunctant to destroy them initially 4) Spaniards captured or killed the indigenous nobility and took over the vertical power structure from ontop 5) Disease (e.g. small pox) was a big killer debilitated a lot of Indigenous population ~35 million died in conquest 6) Spaniards obtained allies among competing native groups (divide and conquer strategy) Malinche: A nahua (Aztec) woman enslaved by Mayas and presented to Cortes She became interpreter (Maya + Nahuatl) and consultant 7) The 3 major civilizations had become sedentary based on agriculture Spain came and admonished proclamations
Why does it matter today?
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The power structure argument: the individual indigenous people did not have free will (if kill queen bee, rest stand around) No free will, subhuman, think collectively Divide and conquer: too much agency to the Europeans The did exploit ethnic rivalry They were able to be master manipulative Guns, Germs and Steel argument Inevitable, natural selection, this group had access to more resources Takes away moral responsibility of Europe White Gods argument They put religion first Indigenous people are culturally backwawrds, their traditional value and beliefs are their downfall
Question: Does development require the sacrifice of indigenous culture? -
The whole exclusion from participating in democracy, it is history of exclusion when 70% of people can’t vote It makes for more instability and less development Ethnodevelopment : education project wor better if bilingual and intercultural, more effective than eradicate etire culture
III. The Colonial Society (1500-1800) Legacies (power structure, race, class) 1. People: Indigeous peple, Europeans, Africans - Structure divided between race and class - Europeans: 2% of population at the beginning of colonil period (16 century) Divided between Peninsulares: Whites born in Spain Criollos: whites born in the new world - Mixed ancestry: 3% of colonial population Mestizo: Indigenous + European ancestry (mixed) Mullato: African + European - Early Colonial society Europeans always at the top of the pyramid (2%), and then have the Other Mestizos (3% and then the indigenous + African (95%) - Contemporary society Upper class (5-10%), middle class (10-25%), lower class at bottom (populr setors): mostly native African mestizos (65-85%) - Nina Pacori of Equador: she lives her life in city, become a Mestizo by changing language and way of dressing became indigenous leader, lived as Mestizo lawyer 2. Institutions
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Characteristic of institution inherited : Feudal (peasant, surf, landlord) and medieval (of the middle ages) Rigid authoritarian political system tied to the catholic church King/Queen (Top Down) Vice Royalty --> colonial authority Captain General (municipalities) Lorge/ Landowner Main Political Actors -
Colonial authorities + Landowners + Catholic Church Institution once established take a lifeof their own (hard to change them) Latin America was born feudal
3. -
Land/Labour Land is major source of conflict Under latin law, only first born son can inherit land in Latin America For European, land meant prestigue but for latin American, it meant survival Haciendas/Latifundios: large landed estates comprising hundreds if not thousands of hectares awarded to European colonists Harendado/patron: boss man who dispenses favours Encomienda system: the right to use native peoples and the land they lived on as long as the land owner took responsibility for instructing them in the Spanish language and catholic faith Microfundios: a small farm of less than two hectares where freehold indigenous communities lived Repartimiento system: the practise of requiring the freehold indigenous population to set aside a specified number of months for free labour for the state or private sector Every 7 years, have to donate free labour to the state The number of indigenous people after conquest was reduced to 3.5 million Potos Bolivia: milions died trying to mine silver Spanish did not come as equal, came as forceful conquerors, they came to extract wealth to send to their familities
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MIDTERM QUESTION: Are conquest and colonialism to blame for all of Latin America’s problem? (essay question/short answer) What are the most important preconquest indigenous civilizations in latin America. (maya,incas) How would you characterize their power structure? What difference did it make in latin America that Europeans came as conqurors, not settlers? What are the three main legacies of colonial society that continue to undermine social justice in the region?
Conquest and Colonial Rule 1. Pre-Colonial Society and Power Structures 2. Conquest 3. Colonial Society “I came to get the gold, not till the soil like a peasant” -- Hernan Cortes, conqueror of Mexico, 16th century -
Abhorrence of people who work with hands = low wage Lack of concern and sympathy for lower class Illustrates motivation for conquest- wealth
1. PreColonial Society and Power Structure - Astex, Mias and Incas (3 Precolonial civilizations) - Early history written by westeners so have a biased Maya Location: Southern Mexico and Guatemala -
Had independent city state with pop of 200,000 or more Organization: top down and authoritarian (King and nobel on top and slaves on the bottom ) Known for invention of calendars (maya calendar end dec this year), scientific accomplisments Classic mayan society collapsed and invaded by Toltecs Direct decendant of mayan survived Toltecs had a lot of agriculture and exhausted the land and couldnt sustain themselves
Aztex Location: Mexico central valley -
Came from north and forced toltecs into mayan territory Known for aztex’s military prowess and in constant warefare with neighbour Tenochtitlan in 1325 on site of contemporary mexico city Organization: Was very rigidly stratified (top= heriditary nobility and bottom= slaves), centralized power (based on force and coercion)
INCAS Location: Andes of South America
-
-
-
Tawantinsuyo: the 4 united districts o the Inca Empire 1) Remembered as legitimate nation state and had republican state thrown ontop of them 2) 1) KKollasuyo (present Bolivia) 3) Felipp quispe is Coya and living as institutional terrorism Known for empire building (vast territories that they wer able to conqur and administer large areas by defeating neighbouring groups and invite nobels from defeated gr to get their co operation) Would move groups around if they were rebellious surrounding them by loyals Inca: semigod descendant of the sun god Inti Power centralized in empire with Inca ontop (one supreme ruler at top) Organization: highly centralized bureaucracy, very totalitarian Able to irradicate hunger and made sure basic needs met for empire
Decentralized Societies -
Location: Hunter gathered society, nomatic nature, groups in Amazonian rainforests, Mapuche people of S.Chile Organization: horizontal based on kinship groups Mapuche are known for successful resistance against Spanish colonization 1) 1641: treaty b/t Spain and Mapuche recognizing border-- Biobio river
II. Conquest -
Between 30-70 million native people prior to conquest in the Americas At least 30 million in Mexico alone How could a handful of European soldiers conquer an empire like 30-70 million? 1) Had latest military technology : steel swords, body armour, guns, canons, horses 2) The Spaniards and Portguese had honed their fighting and tacticle skills in the reconquest of Iberia (professional soldiers) 3) Indigenous people saw the Spaniards as Gods or Demigods and were relunctant to destroy them initially 4) Spaniards captured or killed the indigenous nobility and took over the vertical power structure from ontop 5) Disease (e.g. small pox) was a big killer debilitated a lot of Indigenous population ~35 million died in conquest 6) Spaniards obtained allies among competing native groups (divide and conquer strategy) Malinche: A nahua (Aztec) woman enslaved by Mayas and presented to Cortes She became interpreter (Maya + Nahuatl) and consultant 7) The 3 major civilizations had become sedentary based on agriculture Spain came and admonished proclamations
Why does it matter today?
-
-
-
-
The power structure argument: the individual indigenous people did not have free will (if kill queen bee, rest stand around) No free will, subhuman, think collectively Divide and conquer: too much agency to the Europeans The did exploit ethnic rivalry They were able to be master manipulative Guns, Germs and Steel argument Inevitable, natural selection, this group had access to more resources Takes away moral responsibility of Europe White Gods argument They put religion first Indigenous people are culturally backwawrds, their traditional value and beliefs are their downfall
Question: Does development require the sacrifice of indigenous culture? -
The whole exclusion from participating in democracy, it is history of exclusion when 70% of people can’t vote It makes for more instability and less development Ethnodevelopment : education project wor better if bilingual and intercultural, more effective than eradicate etire culture
III. The Colonial Society (1500-1800) Legacies (power structure, race, class) 1. People: Indigeous peple, Europeans, Africans - Structure divided between race and class - Europeans: 2% of population at the beginning of colonil period (16 century) Divided between Peninsulares: Whites born in Spain Criollos: whites born in the new world - Mixed ancestry: 3% of colonial population Mestizo: Indigenous + European ancestry (mixed) Mullato: African + European - Early Colonial society Europeans always at the top of the pyramid (2%), and then have the Other Mestizos (3% and then the indigenous + African (95%) - Contemporary society Upper class (5-10%), middle class (10-25%), lower class at bottom (populr setors): mostly native African mestizos (65-85%) - Nina Pacori of Equador: she lives her life in city, become a Mestizo by changing language and way of dressing became indigenous leader, lived as Mestizo lawyer 2. Institutions
-
Characteristic of institution inherited : Feudal (peasant, surf, landlord) and medieval (of the middle ages) Rigid authoritarian political system tied to the catholic church King/Queen (Top Down) Vice Royalty --> colonial authority Captain General (municipalities) Lorge/ Landowner Main Political Actors -
Colonial authorities + Landowners + Catholic Church Institution once established take a lifeof their own (hard to change them) Latin America was born feudal
3. -
Land/Labour Land is major source of conflict Under latin law, only first born son can inherit land in Latin America For European, land meant prestigue but for latin American, it meant survival Haciendas/Latifundios: large landed estates comprising hundreds if not thousands of hectares awarded to European colonists Harendado/patron: boss man who dispenses favours Encomienda system: the right to use native peoples and the land they lived on as long as the land owner took responsibility for instructing them in the Spanish language and catholic faith Microfundios: a small farm of less than two hectares where freehold indigenous communities lived Repartimiento system: the practise of requiring the freehold indigenous population to set aside a specified number of months for free labour for the state or private sector Every 7 years, have to donate free labour to the state The number of indigenous people after conquest was reduced to 3.5 million Potos Bolivia: milions died trying to mine silver Spanish did not come as equal, came as forceful conquerors, they came to extract wealth to send to their familities
-
-
MIDTERM QUESTION: Are conquest and colonialism to blame for all of Latin America’s problem? (essay question/short answer) What are the most important preconquest indigenous civilizations in latin America. (maya,incas) How would you characterize their power structure? What difference did it make in latin America that Europeans came as conqurors, not settlers? What are the three main legacies of colonial society that continue to undermine social justice in the region?
