Poma De Ayala

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Adaptive Resistance from a Cross Cultural Lense Guaman Poma de Ayala was an indian chronicilar from the Andean region, who lived in the sixteenth century. He is famous for his illustrations, especially that of his work titled: El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno (The First Chronicle of Good Government). There are many accounts of Spanish conquest written by europeans, but Poma’s work offers unique insight into the events from the perspective of an indino ladino. An indio ladino was an Indian who was Christian, spoke Spanish as well as Quechua and other native languages, and who dressed and acted as a Spaniard. Because of this identity his work offers much insight into the pre-colonial Andean region, as well as how one indian used christianity …show more content…

This movement inspired both kurakas and peasants in Peru’s central highlands to return to worshipping their Andean gods. It also began the formation of indian identity that transcended ayllus and ethnicity in the Andes (Silverblatt, 1995). This movement was one way that indians could fight against colonial oppression, and it appears to have influenced Poma. Between 1569-1570 Poma assisted Cristóbal de Albornoz (ecclesiastical inspector) in the destruction of native religion in the Andean region. During these years Albornoz, with Poma, led the state repression of Taki Onqoy (Trevor, 2011). Poma’s work appears almost as a reaction of this Taki Onqoy movement; where the movement tried to seek power through full embrace of pre-colonial religion, Poma swings the opposite way and seeks power in full embrace of Christianity. Liberation theology was not unknown in the colonial world, but it was not the dominant hegemonic religious philosophy. One of liberation theologies most vocal members was Las Cases. Las Cases had many letters circulating around Peru during Poma’s life; in the 1560’s, he was given power of attorney by many Peruvian kurakas. With it he tried to end the encomienda system using christian principles. These facts place Las Cases well within the realm of Poma’s knowledge; in fact, some historians go further to argue that Poma used Las Cases not just as a …show more content…

This argument centers around the idea of a shared indian identity through the Inca, a process that began in Taki Onqoy. Reconstrued and romanticized memories of life as Inca subjects began to appear in many seventeenth-century nativist writings, like Poma’s which was written between 1612 and 1615. Andean narratives for social justice, origins, and political legitimacy then drew on Inca experience (Silverblatt, 1995). This new embrace of Inca identity was rebellious because it scared the colonial establishment, appearing in fire and brimstone sermons: “Tell me children (hijos). . . . How many Inca kings have gone to hell?—Everyone. How many Coyas [queens]?—All of them. How many Ñustas [princesses, noblewomen]—Every one. (Brosseder, 2012). Clearly these sermons indicate how scared some of the colonial powers were of these Inca narratives. Nevertheless, Poma describes the Inca times as better than that under colonial rule. It was a time where “the Indians were merciful ... all ate in the public square, including the poor pilgrims, strangers, orphans, sick, those who had nothing to eat … no nation had had this custom and work of mercy in the whole world like the Indians of this kingdom; it was a holy thing” (Poma, 66). By arguing that in the past the indians were more merciful than any other nation ‘in the world’ he

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