In chapter 11 of Spanish Peru, Lockhart explains the role of the indigenous Andeans in Spanish society. He illustrates that Andeans played a less pronounced role than blacks and even foreign Amerindians. He goes on to suggest that their limited involvement is, in fact, the fault of the Andeans themselves because of their unwillingness to hispanize. This reveals what, to me, is a flaw in Lockhart’s thinking.
Placing the blame on the Andeans for not becoming involved in Spanish society to a greater extent implies that the Spanish were the rightful rulers of the Andes and that everyone under their jurisdiction should accept this and become active members in their society. This is a ridiculous ideology. The Spanish invaded and took control by force, killing many natives in the process. The Andeans, as I see it, had the right to resist as much as they like as well as to retain their own cultural institutions. They should not have been compelled to abandon their beliefs simply because they were invaded. This is similar to saying that Americans should have given up their ideals about individual liberty when the British invaded during the Revolutionary War.
In addition to blaming Andeans for not giving up their culture, Lockhart praises Africans and foreign Amerindians for their speedy acculturation and involvement in society. No shit they adopted Spanish cultural practices! it was the only way for them to survive. These groups did not become hispanized because they wanted to but because they had to. They were removed from their homelands, places where they developed cultural practices that were tailored to survival in that specific environment, and taken to an alien landscape about which they knew nothing. Their own cultures were virtually useless for survival in this new place and since they already had a connection with the Spanish from being transported by them, they integrated themselves as best they could into the society with which they were most familiar. This adaptation was a survival technique for people in a land strange to them, while the Andeans already knew how to survive in the Andes. So why should they have had to adapt?
I agree that the Andeans adapted because of their desire to survive and not because they wanted to. It is obvious that very few Andeans were content with the situation. You can’t ignore all the attempts at resistance. Lockhart does indeed have a strange way of interpreting this episode in history.
By: tboyd5150 on October 24, 2009
at 12:38 am
Do you think that if the indigenous Andeans had been willing to integrate into Hispanic culture/society they would have had it easier? I understand what you are saying about why they would not have wanted to and that makes sense- but do you think if they had it would have been better for them? Because I am not so sure that it would have been, which is what I disagree with Lockhart about. They would have been looked down upon and oppressed regardless of whether or not they chose to change their ways, in my opinion.
By: Rebecca Dover on October 24, 2009
at 7:12 pm
No, I don’t think it would have been any easier for the Andeans if they had assimilated into Spanish society. They would still have been marginalized and discriminated against.
By: Jesse on October 26, 2009
at 9:47 am
I agree. The article by Soulodre-La France mentioned a native who aided Pizarro in conquering Peru, and was eventually given an encomienda and the title of don. However, he was frequently abused in the streets by the Spanish, some of who was even of lower classes, because he was a native. Eventually, everything was stripped from him. The Andeans had no chance of thriving in colonial Peru, even if they assimilated.
By: cableguy88 on October 30, 2009
at 7:13 pm
I agree completely that the Andeans are not at fault here. I don’t think that it is quite the same as Americans vs. English because American society essentially came from English, but I do agree with your point.
By: Katy McPherson on October 26, 2009
at 1:18 pm
The advent of firearms forced some degree of cultural exchange out of necessity, but it’s hard for me to justify wiling acculturation into the corrupt Spanish colonial ambitions. In my opinion, kurakas who made deals with the Spanish betrayed their people. One consequence of this betrayal was the massive system of labor conscription for the mining of precious metals, and of course the natives were exploited in numerous other ways as well.
By: acraig2 on October 30, 2009
at 11:15 pm