Colonial Arrogance: Why Some Things Don't Need Fixing

While reading The 7 Interpretive Essays on Peruvian Reality by Joe Carlos Mariatagui, I was frustrated to continually hear about Spanish colonialists disrupted and fumbled Indigenous civilizations. Mariategui illustrates how colonialists consistently imposed their ideologies and agendas on indigenous communities under the guise that they knew what was best for them which exudes a suffocating air of superiority and paternalism.

The authors' disapproving view of Spanish colonialism in Peru is evident in how the author highlights the many ways the Spanish poor economic policies and naive optimism tried to modify the societal structure artificially. Notable examples that struck me include how the Spanish destroyed an impressive productive machine without being able to replace it which demonstrates their lack of forethought and and devaluing of Indigenous technology. Furthermore, the author makes repeated references to the fumblings of the Spanish Empire by how they followed an outdated economic model and only provided their colonies with Lawyers, Priests and Nobles, instead of more pertinent modern instruments such as bankers.

What I find most disappointing is how the Colonialists believed they were bringing progress and civilization to the natives in Peru at the expense of their traditional ways of life and autonomy. The systems the Spanish implemented were most often exploitive in nature and primarily served the colonial elite while subjecting indigenous communities to forced labour. The author describes how the Liberal and republican legislation works against Indian communities and references Castro Pazo’s book to describe how Indian communities before Spanish Colonizaiton worked quite well. Indian communities were able to contract workers collectively and have work performed in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere of friendly competition. Working in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere is a concept that is very foreign to me as I feel our capitalist society rewards relentless effort and cutthroat competition. Therefore, reading about Pazo’s observations on how well Indian communities operated harmoniously, and then having that system destroyed is lamentable.

Photos from the visit to the School (featured pictures include the playground, an outdoor view of the classrooms, a class photo, and the weaving demonstration).

The text has prompted me to think about different ways of operating that we’ve seen in Peru and the benefits of different systems. One example that comes to mind (because it was so recent), is our visit to the school in Pisac. It was extremely insightful to hear about how the school operated and the ways they preserved Indigenous culture such as teaching them to weave and to speak Quechua. I also really appreciated the Montessori method of learning that the Kindergarten school utilized. I was especially impressed by how the school taught the students to weave since it is a traditional art that has deep cultural roots. Even though there may be drawbacks in participating in the type of education that the school offers, there are also a myriad of undeniable benefits and I am in awe of how developed the school is and the values they instill in their students. Just an hour prior to me writing this blog, we met an individual from Squamish BC who lives part-time in Peru and Canada who graduated from the school up the hill. He was a part of the first graduating class of the school and is obviously a very kind and humble man considering he generously offered his time to answer our inquiries. Anyhow, the point I am trying to make with our exposure to the school in Pisac is that there are various ways of operating, each of which has its unique merits. Overall, Mariategui’s work reveals the fallacy of colonialists’ claims to know what is best for others and instead exposes the significant harm that comes from the imposition of power and control.