The extreme classes created by the Spaniards
   Elizabeth mentioned in her blog post about how Professor Karush does not believe that colonization is an important aspect in examining modern Latin America. I too am in Professor Karush's class. The theme of modern Latin America is "Inequality". From the top of Mexico down into Argentina, one will find that even in the 21st century Latin America has a distinct difference in quality of life between the rich and the poor. Colonization has everything to do with the inequality in Latin America. The Spaniards who brought with them their caste system, not only created different economical classes but also classes based on race, color, and religion.The Andean Region was no different.
   Before the arrival of the Spaniards, "Social mobility had a collective rather than individualized flavor." (Stern 6) Andeans worked together in the system of mit'a where everyone took a turn working the lands in order to benefit the entire community. Before inequality, "reciprocity" was the theme in Latin America.(9) The Spaniards, turning mit'a into mita began to create gaps in society, causing some to be a little more well off than others. Mitayos, who were commoners and at the bottom of the class system were required to spend 2-4 months working in a mita. During a persons required time working mita they were paid meager wages. Encomenderos, who made them work the lands, resold them the food that they harvested at inflated prices. Stern reports that in one community, "51.4% of mitayos incurred debts amounting to over 60% of their mita wages...While in another community, fewer than 9.2% enjoy the economic resources, skills, or luck ...to take home significant earnings after tribute deductions."(86-87) Here one can see the beginning of a trend. To this day Latin America's top earners ( a.k.a. the rich) are a small percentage of each country, usually lying somewhere in range of 10 to 15 % of the population.
    Religious ideologies were also used by the Spanish to create gaps of within the community. Stern states that, "...colonial dynamics threatened to divide native society into opposed classes." (58) Taki Onqoy, an ideology and movement that brought Andeans back to there original beliefs, was not only an aspect of the Andean religion but a way to passively resist. However, because of the movement, it's followers were placed automatically into the lower class, when found guilty. The punishments for being a follower of Taki Onqoy included financial repercussions and lifetimes of servitude especially to the church, "...but their heresy allowed the church to increase their demands on labor time." (64) The economic and social repercussions of being a follower of Taki Onqoy forced even some elites into serfdom.
   Colonization has a huge influence on the modern state of Latin America. While, yes the indigenous population, like the Incas in the Andes, have managed to adapt and survive, the caste system is still alive. One can see this because in the poorer areas of the Andes coca leaves are a main staple because they are nutritious but also fight off hunger, a nurse in El Salvador may make $300 dollars/month, but the richest man in the World lives in Mexico.