Guatemala, Native Accounts, Sadistic conquistadors, and paperwork makes the society work……

The two books for this week Mesoamerican Voices and Invading Guatemala offered a different twist than what we have been reading until now.  For the most all we have read is the Spanish accounts of what they did and why they did it.  In the books for this week we got a mix of both Spanish and Native accounts.

Invading Guatemala depicted how horrible the conquest was.  Which seemed by far to be worse than that of Mexico.  If you take the friar’s account to be accurate Alvarado was a very sadistic man hell bent on exterminating everyone who he came in contact with.  But, this brings up another point who do you believe when you read these accounts?  Is one side right and the other wrong or is it really a matter of exaggeration on everyone’s part.  Another thing that struck me was how similar the letters addressed to the king were.  That same form of writing that pivotal to the Spanish account creeps its way into what the Native populations are writing.  But either way the way in which Restall and Asselberg present the information is intriguing.  They are able to combine both sets of writings in a coherent manner that place an almost checks and balance system on the account playing each off of each other.

As for Mesoamerican Voices it is true paperwork is the norm no matter what culture you are in and often is only what is preserved.  It is kind of ironic our society is always obsessed with preserving beautiful things but in a few thousand years it may be more likely the day to day paperwork we drown ourselves in may be what survives, but I digress.  Restall, Sousa, and Terracino’s work pulls together the everyday means in which the native people of South America lived.  During the conquest it was not clear how the Spanish would affect the local culture, however, afterwards it became abundantly clear.  The two cultures blended to become something almost new with deep ties to the past.  By presenting the native accounts under their topics the authors are able to show how people were adapting to the new culture.  While some of the accounts like the wills were a little daunting to get through it showed how the Spanish and South American systems of life, government, and religion possessed a basic familiarity.

All in all the readings for this week were a fresh look at how the other half lived.  After weeks of Spanish accounts one begins to wonder if anything else existed.  So by reading these accounts and seeing how they both compared and contrasted I was able to fill out my vision of how the conquest affected everyone involved.

P.S. Everyone gets a special treat for tomorrows class