Conquerors and Indigenous People

Antonio Martín

Brainstorming

A story about the conquest would be incomplete without a record of the actions of resistance. Why is it important to understand both sides of the story?

What happens when you have access to only one side of the story?

Spanish Victory

Some people saw the conquest in the past, and there are those who still see it today, as a glorious feat of a handful of men who managed to defeat a great empire in a few years.

So when it comes to explaining why the Tahuantinsuyo was subjected in a few years by a small group of conquerors, it is said that they were very brave, coming from a superior culture, with guns, iron armor and horses.

Spanish Victory The truth is that it was nothing but an

invasion full of violent and criminal acts. Although firearms and horses helped, the main cause of the rapid fall of the Inca Empire was its deep internal crisis, as we have seen. The Inca Empire collapsed from within.

The few hundreds of Spaniards were supported in their fight against the Inca troops, by whole tribes against the empire, who collaborated with the conquerors. Many caciques were allied to the Spaniards and even offered them his daughters as wives. To that, the diseases brought by the invaders were added. Epidemics decimated, terrified and disconcerted to aboriginal people.

From Conquest to Colonization

As we have seen, the conquerors were usually poor people coming from economically depressed regions. Some of them had been jailed for crimes such as insurrection. They were interested in gaining fame, money and social advancement. They also wanted to spread Christianity in the continent.

They participated in the conquest and the looting were distributed. Some of them returned to Spain, some rich and some as poor as before. Many stayed in America as settlers. They received lands and offices in cities. Several of them were married or lived with daughters of chiefs, and ensured alliances with local power.

From Conquest to Colonization In few years, the first conquerors became

colonists and lived with other Spaniards who arrived later and were luckier. They made great fortunes.

The colonists needed the support of the Crown, the Spanish State to maintain its dominance. But sometimes, they faced the peninsular authorities because their interests were opposed.

They wanted to take over the lands and indigenous people. The Crown wanted direct control of his new empire and their new subjects.

Creoles Colonists who were born in Spain

and came to America were called peninsular, chapetones, godos or gachupines.

They formed their families in these lands with women who also came from the peninsula. Their children, who were considered white,

they were called Creoles, and demanded equal privileges that their parents.

The Creoles, at first, were few, but eventually grew in number and gained a lot of influence and importance.

Indigenous Resistance Indigenous peoples were dominated, but they

managed to survive. Although many people died, they preserved their life in communities with their chiefs or caciques. They kept some of their land and community work.

Indigenous resistance did not end with the defeat of Atahualpa and Rumiñahui. It continued in the following centuries. Sometimes, through uprisings or "uprising", but mostly through non-violent actions, such as defense of community life, land, festivals, language and customs, they managed to maintain his life and identity .

Since the conquest, the indigenous peoples were not taken into account in our traditional history. But indigenous people have been a fundamental part of our common past. They are still present so far in our life as a nation and are important participants in society.

Diseases and Conquest

The conquerors brought diseases from the Old World, and since the first contacts, the indigenous peoples were infected. Smallpox, bubonic plague, cholera and flu killed entire populations.

These diseases didn’t exist in America and its inhabitants hadn’t developed natural defenses against them. The flu, for example, was an annoyance for Europeans, but nobody died. The body could resist it. But indigenous people easily got infected and thousands died from the flu. Over time they managed to overcome it with defenses.

The disease not only caused massive casualties. They also affected indigenous beliefs. Shamans didn’t know how to cure them and people thought they were punishment from the gods. That weakened the morale of the troops and peoples which ended up quitting.

Reference Sources:

Estudios Sociales, Corporación Eitora Nacional. Ministerio de Educación de Ecuador. Imprenta Mariscal.