Colonialism and Inequality Assignment
1. What institutions were created by Latin American colonial governments to maintain control over subjugated peoples? Discuss at least two: The institutions that were created by Latin colonial government at that time were: Encomienda system. The Encomienda was a right granted to the early conquistadors, a grant of the labor of a group of Indians to an individual Spaniard. It permitted the encomendero (holder of the encomienda) to compel groups of natives to work for him. From an Indian point of view, many groups had already been subject to a system of labor tribute under the Aztec or the Inca. The Council of the Indies oversaw every kind of government action in the colonies: Be it legislative, financial, commercial, military, and ecclesiastical matters all under its range. The most powerful officials in the sixteenth century were the viceroys (literally “vice-kings”) who represented the king of Spain.
2. How did these institutions create inequalities? After creating these institutions, it created more gap and inequalities between the people and government, not only from social status, but because of racial background, some individuals “passed” for a higher status based on the color of their skin, their family name, or because they had obtain some possession or money or power.
3. How have disadvantaged people contested colonialism and its effect? The effect still remains to this day, the culture is hard to change, and this is the disadvantage. The attitudes, religion and trade system. All of these make a country hard to progress and also the ruling process of the government, people don’t know how to rule and implement their own ruling due to being ruled for many centuries. There is also unequal distribution of income from upper class to the lowest class of society.