In Steve Stern’s book, Peru’s
Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest, he discusses the transformation
of specific Andean societies and systems into Spanish dominated and directed structures.
Rather than choosing one specific factor that he attributes historical change
to, Stern discusses several in his book.
In Chapter Three of his book, Stern addresses the role that
religious ideology had in the Taki Onkoy resistance. For the leaders of the
Take Onkoy, it was not about the accumulation of wealth. “The leaders of the
Taki Onqoy sought to prove that in a battle against the Christian God, the united
Andean haucas would inevitably win” (60).
Another element that alters the course of history is social
climate. Stern discusses the change from the ayllu society into a society
divided by class, nationalism, and, eventually, race (158,159). The struggle
for social status was not directly related to the accumulation of wealth, but
it had very close ties. Social status offered comfortableness, security, and attention
apart from pure economic advantages (Chapter 7, 170-173).
Though Stern touches on several factors that motivate
historical change, the one he focuses on most is economic advantage. In the
case of the Spanish Conquest, there were many different reasons for pursuing economic
advantages. In the case of the Spanish, the objective of many of them was to
obtain control over the native peoples and resources in order to exploit them
for their own gain. In the case of the Andeans, many of the early alliances
with the Spanish were motivated by disputes between native rivalries over land
and agricultural production (31). Stern shows many factors to be catalysts of
historical change, but focuses on economic advantages in Peru’s Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest.
I like the way you examined and explained multiple factors Stern attributes to historical change. It is very interesting and I agree with you. Whereas most of the class’ posts only examine Stern’s primary argument for historical change as greed or economic gains, however, you dive even further to also include religion and social factors.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the reason for all these changes ultimately comes down to the Spanish’s desire for money and greed. You mention the resistance of Taki Onkoy and his attempt to unify other natives to join in the resistance was because they “sought to prove that in a battle against the Christians God, the united Andead haucas would inevitably win” (60). I think the reason Taki Onkoy attempted a massive resistance was because the friars whom were attempting to convert the Inca fell to the sin of Greed. Stern mentioned in the prologue that encomenderos accused the friars of being tyrants who “shamelessly exploited the labor and tribute of Indians” and that they were “domineering men who not only monopolized access to the Indians …” then Stern continues to describe how the encomenderos saw the friars as cruel to the natives (xxxii). Taki Onkoy’s rebellion was the result of the cruel treatment from the friars, as well as the Spanish, in order to exploit them for tribute and labor.
Next you discuss the social climate and how “the change from the ayllu society into a society divided by class, nationalism, and race” was not directly related to the accumulation of wealth. I think the reason for the social divide by class, nationalism, and race occurred because of the affect the Spanish had on Andean society. In the beginning, Stern describes the Inca as competitive but also self-sufficient and that “property, work, and identity all grew out of a subsoil of community and kinship” (23). Stern also mentions that there were already existing social divides within their community between political leaders, religious leaders, and different kindreds (25). With the arrival of the Spanish, especially during Toledo’s reorganization of the political economy, it forced the natives to adapt to the Spanish political and economic system causing their social divides to become more apparent. In Stern’s words, “[Toledo’s reorganization] tended to weaken the self-sufficiency of local economies, to increase the monetary needs and obligations of the Indians, and to stimulate a certain degree of internal differentiation into rich and poor (139). His reorganization forced the Inca to move away from, but not completely leave, their old social structure and to adapt to and to accept the Spanish social structure, or their “way of life,” making the natives dependant on the Spanish. All of this was done to benefit the Spanish in wealth and labor.
I think everything, from the religious resistance of Taki Onkoy and the change from the ayllu society into a society divided by class, nationalism, and race was the cause of Spanish greed and their “objective… to obtain control over the native people and resources in order to exploit them for their own gain” (You). I’m sure had the Spanish never shown up, the natives’ way of life (political, social, economic structure) would not have changed or would not have changed as dramatically and they would have been able to continue their normal daily lives.