Last prompt! Week 15

We have discussed the way that Conrad and Demarest saw ideology as the motivating factor in the historical changes they discussed. What is the motivating factor for historical change in the Stern book?

Empire: Inca and Spanish- Two sides of the same coin?

Steve Stern’s book “Peru Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest” mirrors that of “Ambivalent Conquests,” showing how difficult conquest was for the Spanish, and how fierce the resistance by the indigenous population to European control could be. In Ambivalent Conquests, Clendinnen notes that the Spanish found the area in the Yucatan peninsula very difficult to conquer. The dense jungles, coupled with the extreme heat and humidity were completely foreign to these would-be conquerors. This was very similar to the situation in Andes, in which the mountainous geography of the area itself proved to be quite challenging for the Europeans. Stern also considers many other factors, juxtaposing the difference between the way in which Pre-Inca Andean society was organized, which was communal and based around the Ayllu, or extended family, and the “modern” European one that conquered them, one based on the concept of individualism and private property. The one thing that is interesting, is that Stern seems to imply that there are similarities between the way in which the Inca conquerors and the Spanish conquistadors overcame various groups of native people. There are also similarities between Spanish and Inca, (though not pre-Inca Andean) culture, in that both are much more hierarchical, more inherently unequal, with class, and wealth distinctions that were not present prior to the Inca Empire’s existence.

Week 14

In accordance with what Victoria stated in her post, the relationship between the Spanish and the Andean natives was the most intriguing about of this weeks reading.  Although they had set backs and challenges they needed each other.  The Spaniards relied on Andean natives for their advanced agricultural skills and the natives relied on the Spanish for solving their problems.  It began as a mutualistic relationship of colonials and kurakas, that helped benefit both sides.  Stern however, then goes on to outline major crisis's that affect the region of Huamanga.  Stern describes a system of encomiendas that have rule over much of the region but are able to give the natives a sense of freedom by letting them own and rule certain things. It also gives them money.  While Stern is describing the system and their relationships he is able to add in the natural resources that flourish in Huamanga making it an important region for the Spanish.  It is filled with mines for mercury, silver and gold.  He also brings up that the Andeans infused Christianity and their religion together.  However, they had individuals who believed that the Spanish would pay for everything they had done to their homeland.  Stern addresses issued talked about in other books but it is interesting to see how the conquest affected the region of Huamanga.

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.

To argue weather or not the Spanish conquest was complete or not would be to assume that it was indeed a conquest. Setting aside my personal thoughts on that issue I would like to explore an alternative way of looking at the turn of events that so heavily influenced the cultures of two worlds. When you look upon a Latin American country the obvious traits and cultural characteristics reflect neither Spanish nor native entirely. What stands out is a hybridization of two worlds that collided during the Colonization period. So does this mean that the Spanish have unfinished business? In the sense that they were the dominating force until a series of revolutions and separations no. In the sense that that they were unable to create a unified establishment that ultimately reflected their country, yes. If you look at the situation in the United States, it included little to now integration of Native Americans into British society and simply did away with natives that may have prevented westward expansion. The Spanish did not have the colonizing force to complete what the British did because of incentives. The Spanish were more interested in using the natives for economic gains rater than establishing an entire New Spain. This made it critical to make some use of native peoples thus unavoidably assimilating cultures.

-Steven Stubbs

wk14-post

In light of what I have read in Stern’s book, I get the feeling that the Spanish had knowledge of the value of the inquired power over the native Indians. But in that same notion, both religiously and politically, I think the Indians would realize the necessity of the invading Spanish as well, and feed off of what they were being taught and were reliant of them. Once the culture is lost or changed, and mass population is wiped out by either battle or disease, there is a loss of identity in the Andean culture that would rival other conquests by the Spanish. With that loss, comes a need to conform to something new, its prevalent in this book as well as the others that we have read, that the Indians were defiant to that new ideology but in the end needed it.

Even in the case of Malinche, there were questions raised as to her motives for helping the Spanish as a translator, and did she have the option to make choices. The fact of the matter is. She needed the Spanish and Cortes way more than they needed her. I am positive that if the Spanish were determined to find another translator during their conquest of Mexico, they could have, but they found Malinche first and she turned out to be well qualified to handle the position. Her options were to gain wealth and prestige by being a helper to the ongoing conquest of her people and land.

Week 14

While reading this weeks section of Stern's book, I was also reflecting on our class discussion on the idea of a complete or incomplete conquest. After doing the reading, I would say that the conquest was not complete in the sense of the Spanish dominating and completely erasing the Andean way of life, it was an adaptation of the two culture's to each other that created something new, and was brought upon by the Spanish attempts to dominate in all aspects.

The Spanish and the Andeans had to learn to work together and establish alliances, that both groups could benefit from. For example, on page 121 "…the 'protector of natives' enjoyed social influence and attracted offers of bribes by virtues of his capacity to represent the natives aggressively." 

The Andeans also had to find a way to make this new social structure that was Spanish dominated work for them and search for ways in which to defend their labor, land and tribute issues. It was not a complete conquest because alliances were necessary in all areas in order for the economy to continue to be productive.