Intellectual and cultural life of colonial Mexico Essay

Mexico is a land whose history is as rich and diverse as its people. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards to Mexico the natives enjoy great progress and technology. They’ve printed books, made paper and pigments, painted murals and manuscripts, cultivated crops, made structures and lavish designs in architecture that some historians say even outdates that of Egypt, engaged in medical practice and planted botanical crops. However with the invasion of the Spanish Empire that happened between the year 1521 to 1600 the natives who posses such technologies were suppressed by the Colonialist. Various indigenous groups disappeared since the Spaniards pushed to promote Catholicism in the country in their attempt to eliminate anything that links the people from their â€Å"Pagan past†. They also brought with them superior technology from Europe which hindered the progress of technologies that they have developed before. The diversity and development of Native Mexico is shown as manuscripts of maps of the different areas in Mexico are found in â€Å"the six Relaciones Geograficas maps†. The rich text combines native and European colorants a clear manifestation of their rich technology even before the colonialist came to the country. The inhabitants of Mexico today can be classified into two groups, the Indigenous Peoples who lived before the 14th century and the Immigration people who arrived with the Spanish conquest. The former, which are the indigenous peoples are the Toltec, Omeca, Zapotec, Maya, Aztec, Huichol, Purapecha, Tarahumara and etc. The later on the other hand are a mix of different cultures due to the wave of migration brought about by the Spanish Conquerors. For us to fully understand the impact that colonization has brought to the natives, we need to discuss their culture and practices in terms of social stratification, culture, religion and economy prior to the coming of the Spaniards. Native Mexico Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced civilizations in the western hemisphere. Its human history began with the aboriginal people we call American Indians or Amerids. Archeological records date back to older than that civilization of Egypt. They were scattered groups of nomadic hunters. The Amerids then became diverse and divided into sub classes differentiating in culture, legend and practices. These are the Toltec, Maya, Omeca, Zapotec, Aztec, Purapecha, Huichol, Tarahumara and etc. Clash of cultural minorities happened and led to the fall of different empires. When the Spaniards came to Mexico the Maya and Aztec groups where predominant in the region. Their economy greatly relies on agriculture and herding. It was a society divide into three classes: slave, commoner and nobility. However, far different from that of the Spaniard, the slaves can buy their freedom and when he manages to escape from his master and makes his was safely to the royal palace he is then given immediate freedom. Social mobility was also practiced by all the classes regardless of race as long as one has enough money and resources to do so. With regards to religion, they have numerous Gods. In Aztec society in particular, their gods are Uitzilopochtli (sun god), Tlaloc (rain god), Coyolxauhqui (moon goddess), and Quetzalcoatl (inventor of writing and the calendar and also associated with the planet Venus and with resurrection) . Animal and human sacrifices were also made to honor warriors during the war and for religious ceremonies. Prisoners were also sacrificed for less important rituals. The Spaniards found the ritual horrendous since it involves human sacrifices which are against Catholic faith. The ritual would take place on top of a pyramid where the human sacrifice is placed on a convex stone and the priest would reap their hearts out using a knife (Almanac, 2005). As of press time, the modern Aztecs people number for over a million and are the largest aboriginal group in the country. Most of them are farmers who have no access to education and most are illiterate.