A bit of history

There’s nothing like being in situ to raise one’s sensibliites to history. Before our arrival I could have summarised my knowledge of South American history in a couple of sentences. Now I think I could extend to a couple of pages. Not a wealth of knowledge I know but a bit better than before.

The Spanish overthrow of the Inca nations was accomplished fairly easily in the 16th century because of their advanced technology and because the Incas themselves were involved at the time in a civil war led by two half brothers based in Quito and Limas. Part of the Spanish conquest, of course, involved the enforcement of Catholicism and we saw some amazing churches which blended Peruvian mythology with Catholic as a way of luring the locals into the fold. The Roman Catholic Spanish, probably with the best of intention, did its best to wipe out the local culture and redistribute their own. The poor Incas often called in as artisans, were a trifle confused, or resistant, and added their own touches as well: guinea pig (the local speciality) served at The Last Supper, black Jesus Christ, and the Inca cross.

The last leader of the Incas was captured by the Spanish to the consternation of his people. His ransom was a room full of silver and a room full of gold. The loyal subjects struggled to amass this wealth and finally succeeded, presenting it to the Spanish. All that remained was for the Inca chief to accept the teachings of Christianity. The priests presented the poor man with a Bible and he looked into it with puzzlement for the sun or other key divine signs, but finding nothing, he threw it away. So they killed him anyway and that was the end of it all really.

The Spanish dominated most of South America for about 300 years and their influence is still strong today. Then in the early 1800’s, the spirit of revolution was streaking across the world. In South America, Simon Bolivar was the major force in inspiring the revolutions in many South American countries against the Spanish. Like a lot of revolutions, this one was born of a sense of injustice (or personal pique).Born in Venezuela, Bolivar was a “misto” ( half Inca, half Spanish) and as such, although a lawyer, he couldn’t hope to achieve a higher status position. He must have been a very charismatic man because his name is revered as the power behind the revolutions in the Spanish speaking countries : Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia as well as a couple of others and his name cropped up a number of times.