Race, Religion, Economics in Latin America

Race, Religion, Economics in Latin America

In the arrival of the European powers to Latin America in the 1500’s, the indigenous people were instantly subjugated to their will. In the initial encounters in Mexico and Peru from Spain and Portugal, the Latin Americans were defenseless to the Europeans warfare power, sense of entitlement, and superior immune systems to diseases not yet encountered. We then begin to see plantation systems emerge in Brazil, and also the Encomienda systems develop which tread a slim line with slavery. As elites gained power through colonization, there then was a new desire to want to control their own land and political process. Through nationhood, there was not a clear break and clear divisions continued to be a struggle for the people. Power struggles soon became eminent, was issues such as race, class and gender were easily the predominant ways to gain power; it was not earned, but instead something that one would be ‘blessed with’. The liberal era paved the way for rational science and capitalist ideals to flood in, and European models of development began to be adopted; but this flow of new ideals brought both economic and political crises.

One of the biggest influences on the Americas was the initial conquest they experienced in the 1500’s. While European colonialism has influenced many developing parts of the world shaping their political, economic, and social systems, it most greatly transformed the Americas. It is in the Caribbean, where we see the first economic and social patterns that would later classify the rest of the Americas. On Hispaniola, the first European gold mine and sugar plantation were created. This stress on luxury imports is a common theme of Spanish colonialism, where the Spanish would expect the darker skinned indigenous people to mine the gold and silver they wished to steal. This could be a starting point for the harsh racism in the later Latin American societies. Hernan Cortes declared after landing in the Caribbean, “I have not come to till the land like a peasant,” which was a statement similar to many other colonial leaders (Winn, 41). They where then subjugated into slave labor, until harsh treatment and also disease started to wipe out many of the population. The introduction of the Encomienda by Queen Isabella gave the Indian laborers welfare for their work, while the colonial powers still kept the lion’s share of the bullion. In theory the system was a way to provide stewardship, but it quickly transformed into a corrupt system of slavery. One conquistador, Bartolome de las Casas was noted for this antipathy of the Encomienda system, and eventually gave his up to start efforts to protect the rights of the Indians.

Quickly we the Colombian exchange, which refers to the sharing of animals, food, and also diseases to both parties. For the indigenous peoples, this was not a positive exchange. Not only were the