Historical Continuities in the Conquest of America

Flashcards about the historical continuities in the conquest of America, based on lecture notes.

What is the main focus of the research?

The research seeks to provide a synthesis of the conquest process in America, highlighting the cultural shift and continuity trends, assessing the demographic presence of indigenous people, and preserving the historical memory of the conquest.

What is the aim of the study?

The aim of the study is to highlight the enormous cultural shift generated after the conquest and the continuity trends in such historical processes. Also, it aims to keep the historical memory of the process of conquest alive.

Why is historical memory important?

Historical memory is important as a means for the singular and political realization of Latin American societies, and as a horizon for the recognition of the potential and development of American thought.

What adjustments have been made in several countries regarding cultural identity?

Legal and constitutional adjustments have been made in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia, emphasizing cultural pluralism and multiethnicity.

What contributions do indigenous cultures make?

Indigenous cultures make important contributions by challenging hegemonic notions of the State-Nation, such as productivity, capitalism, economic models, education, and healthcare systems.

What is the significance of ancestral knowledge?

The ancestral knowledge of indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities is fundamental for the constitution, design, and conservation of political and social scenarios centered on notions like the common good, territory management, and the preservation of collective public goods.

What challenges do indigenous peoples pose to Latin American democracies?

Indigenous peoples pose challenges to Latin American democracies, including rethinking national unity from the perspective of cultural diversity, reformulating legal schemes, and reconceptualizing citizenship in light of heterogeneity.

What is the demographic representation of indigenous people in America?

Indigenous people represent 7.09% of the total population in the American continent.

What percentage of the population do indigenous people represent in countries like Bolivia and Guatemala?

In countries like Bolivia and Guatemala, the indigenous population represents between 71% and 66% of the total population, respectively.

What contributions have indigenous, black, peasant, and mestizo communities made to Latin American societies?

These communities have contributed to the creation of rich symbolic images and adaptive strategies, expressing ancestral thought and influencing the management of the world, society, and culture.

What cultural elements are highlighted of the indigenous cultures?

Their languages, ceremonies, festivals, dances, music, technological knowledge, clothing, manual arts, medical and pharmacological knowledge, agricultural and construction technology, social and political organization, legal customs, philosophy, religion, and cosmovision.

What advantages does the American continent have in terms of diversity?

The size and continental extension of America, its contact with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the topography of its territory, the presence of the Andes mountain range, and the extension and importance of hydrographic basins give the continent a privileged position in terms of ecosystemic and cultural diversity.

What happened to the empires, states, and chiefdoms in America as a result of European contact?

The empires, states, and chiefdoms in America collapsed in their cultural, demographic, and economic structures upon being militarily surpassed by European conquistadors.

How has the issue of the Indian been addressed since the beginning of the conquest?

The issue of the Indian has been addressed through the 'black legend,' which presented the conquest as exclusively destructive and barbaric. There's also an idealist and uncritical exaltation of the Indian as an expression of the goodness of man, and other positions denying the humanity of the Indian.

What efforts have been made in Colombia to recognize the indigenous population?

Since the 1970s, the Colombian State, indigenous organizations, and sectors of civil society have made significant efforts to recognize the socio-cultural, legal, and institutional reality of the indigenous component in Colombia.

What do paleoanthropological findings suggest about the population of the American continent?

Paleoanthropological evidence suggests that the population of the American continent occurred through human migrations from Siberian Asia, entering through the Bering Strait and Alaska.

What evidence exists of early human settlements in America?

Evidence includes Monte Verde in Chile with settlements dated to 14,800 years AP, and Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania with datings of over 16,000 years.

What was the agricultural revolution's outcome in the continent?

Important plant and animal species had been domesticated and contributed to improving the lives and diets of millions worldwide such as cotton, corn, beans, potatoes, amaranth, quinoa, cocoa, Andean tubers, chili peppers, and guinea pigs.

What is significant about the San Jacinto 1 archaeological site in Colombia?

The San Jacinto 1 site provides evidence of pottery use by hunter-gatherers as early as 5940 ± 60 a. p. to 5190 ± 40 a. p.

How did the Spanish conquistadors characterize the differences between the different indigenous societies?

The Spanish saw & classified "indios barbaros" as inhabitants of the North American plains with no government, while the "indios de policia" were sedentary agriculturalists and had more visible government institutions.

How did the encomienda affect the colonization process?

The encomienda was the primary source of power and legitimized the actions of the Spanish over the indigenous population throughout the American continent. Over time, it led to private land ownership by the encomenderos or their heirs.

What role did the Church play in the conquest and colonization?

The Church played an important role, with mendicant orders evangelizing and respecting indigenous cultures while also participating as an encomendero and benefitting from slavery.