When Everything Changed for the Indigenous People of the Andes
The Inca Empire, led by Manco Capac began between 800 and 1100 A.D. after first conquering much of the eastern coast of South America, and then eventually much of Latin America. Several Inca leaders had descended from Manco Capac, who founded the Inca Empire and ruled as Sapa Inca before the empire’s fall. In 1532, Francisco Pizarro arrived in South America, accompanied by the Spanish conquistadors who were with him. The company of Spaniards arrived in the middle of a civil war being fought for the right to rule the land of Tawantinsuyu between two of the sons, Atahualpa and Huascar, of Huayna Capac, the last Sapa Inca to rule before the Spanish would begin colonizing the Andes. Pizarro seized this opportunity to take advantage of the Inca while also introducing many foreign diseases to the Empire. The Spaniards desired gold and to rule with their own authority, and so they quickly put the devastated community to work in the mines under the mita system and forced them to pay tribute with the product of their land. After only a short amount of time, the indigenous people of the Andes had lost control of their resources and the land that they highly venerated and exalted in.
Leadership that drove the Indigenous Community
Manuel Quintin Lame was a strong voice for the indigenous people who had played a major role in land reform movements between the years of 1910 and 1918. Lame independently sought education in reading and writing and was skillful in interpreting law and using this understanding of the law to defend himself and other indigenous people. His father would not allow him to be educated in a public or private school setting, believing that his son should understand how to work by tending to the land, since both Lame and his father identified with the indigenous community which was not a social group that was capable of seeing much economic and social mobility.
Lame’s mission was to rightfully claim ownership over the land that is the inherent right of the indigenous people through an alliance with the central state, but more-so to rally the indigenous people together to recognize their right to the land. He felt that the people he belonged to were miss represented by the local authorities and that they were in some ways ignorant to this treatment. He claimed that these authorities were unjust and fickle-minded. For example, the local leaders falsely claimed that the local mine they had discovered was a gold mine in order to enforce a municipal jurisdiction over the rights of the indigenous people. Quintin wanted to ensure that the indigenous people were properly represented, and so he petitioned to the national government to appoint him as the authority over all sixty parcilidades in hopes of nullifying the power of the local mayor’s ability to veto any election of Lame, since they strongly opposed his movements.
Lame led in the example of peace and valued intellect. On many accounts, he was arrested, framed for acts of violence, stirring up the people, and threatening peace. Arresting him would keep him from communicating with and organizing the indigenous community to defend themselves. His tactics for receiving what he felt was the right of his people was to write letters detailing his requests and outlining his reasons for believing that he had claims to them.
Continuing to Defend Indigenous Lands
Following the work of Lame, in the 1930, indigenous peoples began to come together and voice their desires. Around this time, liberalism was being introduced in Latin America. Liberalism offered social individuality and the opportunity for personal economic growth. Liberal policies threatened the resguardos, and so the indigenous people formed peasant leagues and unions to protect their land from being divided and lost. They began to appeal to the central government to protect their land from private business owners and other non-indigenous persons trying to purchase their land. However, as the liberal party began to enforce land reforms, resguardos began to break apart. Some cabildos allowed their resguardos to disband and be divided among its members in order to protect their ownership over the land.
Eventually, around the 1950’s, as industry began to increase and develop, indigenous communities began to lose more of their land and authority as economic dependency on agriculture began to deteriorate and as the overall population in Latin America increased, and less people owned significant amounts of land. Resources in Bolivia were becoming depleted, however, approaching the 1960’s, agrarian reforms were introduced. These reforms organized the indigenous people and recognized them collectively as peasants and placed them into communities and reformed the organization and distribution of land tenure.
The Community Today
Today, the future is revealing promise for the indigenous community. In recent years, the Peruvian government has passed a law, called The Consultation with Indigenous Peoples Law, that requires the consent of indigenous people for one to be able to build on the land that is rightfully theirs by their roots in the lands. The bill was passed in 2011 and had continued to gain support since 2009.
Theme Relevant to These Movements
The activism and solidarity of the indigenous community and drive to protect the land that was wrongfully taken from them is a great example of agency. Being led by great leaders such as Manuel Quintin Lame, the indigenous community began to organize themselves to acquire what they believed was theirs. The actions of the community in deciding to build up the cause and rally support reveals the motivation and objective behind their cause. This direction they shared brought them together to work in unity in achieving their goal and opposing the afflictions brought on by the government and businesses/ corporations.
Sources
Andrien, Kenneth J. Andean worlds: indigenous history, culture, and consciousness under Spanish rule, 1532-1825. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001.
Rodriguez-Ferrand, Graciela. “Global Legal Monitor.” Peru: New Law Granting Right of Consultation to Indigenous Peoples | Global Legal Monitor. September 27, 2011. Accessed April 17, 2017. http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/peru-new-law-granting-right-of-consultation-to-indigenous-peoples/.
Shibboleth Authentication Request. Accessed April 16, 2017. https://www-cambridge-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/core/books/cambridge-history-of-latin-america/6CC0500D750661569209180742D6FF7D.
Troyan, Brett. The Peoples of “Latin” America and the Caribbean: Cauca’s Indigenous Movement in Southwestern Colombia: Land, Violence, and the Ethnic Identity. Lexington Books, 2015. Accessed April 16, 2017. http://site.ebrary.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/lib/ohiostate/reader.action?docID=11056863.