In this week’s reading of the book I, Rigoberta Menchú, I could feel sorrow and pain that Rigoberta had endured in her childhood. It feels as if she is telling her story in person because her detailed memories that not only describe the events she experienced but her emotions that had developed at the time makes her writing more engaging. This allows the reader to understand how she felt. Additionally the each event in her life flow nicely to a new chapter.

I feel that the organization of the events are well written and the added quotes at the beginning of each chapter add more meaning and insight into the chapters content. I found it rather interesting that quotes from Popol Vuh and the from Roberta herself were used. The book was co-authored by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, who may have decided to include other sources to support the Chapter. By choosing the Popol Vuh there is a connection that she shares with what the Popol Vuh mentions about Quechua culture and by putting specific quotes from Rigoberta were possibly Rigoberta’s main thoughts when discussing that chapter.

One of the community dynamics that stood out to me was Rigoberta’s explanation of the ladino’s. “However this ladino minority thinks its blood is superior, a higher quality, and they think of Indians as a sort of animal.” Within the ladino’s the are separated between the poor and the rich, and even though the poor are living in conditions similar to the Indians they still do not see themselves as equals. This distinction shows that within her community ones blood plays an important role in their status and perhaps the ladino choose not to follow Indian or Spanish culture or traditions because they feel outcasted.  Rigoberta states that “…because even though the ladino is poor, even though he’s exploited as we are, he tries to be something better than an Indian”. The ladino’s are already individuals who are shamed because they represent the sin inflicted on by the Spanish. Perhaps the ladinos see to use their Spanish heritage as an advantage or to spite against the Indians who would not accept them in the community. Whatever the case, the Indians are still placed at the bottom to which Rigoberta argues that it is not the Indians fault for being dirty but because of the circumstances that they were forced into. This also makes me wonder what are Rigoberta’s true feelings towards the ladino’s? Based on her previous experiences with the ladino’s so far she may see them trouble making or arrogant just like Guoma Poma.

José María Arguedas novel Yawar Fiesta focuses on a bullfighting event that happens in the festival. He shows the conflict between the landowners and the communities through his characters, and how the mistis and the mesitzo appear to learn closer towards Spanish influence and disregard the Indians. What I liked about this novel is that the characters descriptions and and certain comments makes them feel real, in the sense that José María Arguedas based his characters off of real people he knew or encountered. His ability to understand different languages must have also allowed him to gather more inspiration in writing the book, take bits of his own life and placing it into the story. The question is though, what parts did he actually experience and does his input himself at all into any of the characters?

In the ending of Part 2, I feel that there is a foreshadowing of the importance of the bull. I believe that the children crying as their bulls are being taken away represents how the Indians had something they loved dearly taken away and used  by the Spanish to which they are never seen again. In the novel there is no mention if they bulls are returned to their owners after they breed. The calves of the bulls are then shipped to a foreign land (Spain?). In a sense this could also represent how the the Indians are loosing their children. The symbolism of the bull is further shown in depth near the end of the story. The people of the town carefully chose a strong bull to fight and scare the matador away, allowing them to carryout out their traditional bullfight. The bull may not only represent their resilience (in which the bull lived till the end), but their style of bullfighting. The major remarks with pride of how this somewhat violent bull fight is what the people of the town are proud of, symbolizing that they will not bow down to Spanish influence. I was curious to see if the town of Puquio still has bullfighting, and they do. Bullfighting was banned in the surrounding countries but not Peru. Apparently some places in Peru have bullfights where an Andean Condor is strapped to the back of the bull to “pluck its eyes out”. I read in an article that the condor represent the Indians while the bull represent Spanish control.

I found one particular comment rather interesting, “That’s true, Senior Subprefect! The Yankees did well to exterminate the redskins.” This shows that José María Arguedas was aware of Americans (but to what extent?), and by using this particular comment also presents us with the idea that “extermination” would refer to how there was still a desire to rid the Indians in the Peru despite their dwindling numbers and already suppressed culture. 

After finishing the rest of Guaman Poma de Ayala’s letter, I noticed there was a shift in his arguments for change, using more “evidence” about the people around him in the present and directing his claims to the king by his “consider…” and “your royal catholic majesty”. In the first part he started off mostly describing the history to the king, perhaps to give the king some background information of Peru and how the people have always been loyal to god in their ways. Then in the second part he directed how an increase of sin came upon the community from the conquest, providing examples from different status and race which he “imagines” would be what they say to him in an interview.

I felt that he was very repetitive about the certain actions that the Spaniards were doing, and he held a strong opinion towards the mestizos. His explanation of the mixed race children/people sounds as though they are also a problem to the community, and the Incan bloodlines will come to a stop. He strongly emphasizes this as a serious problem through the rest of the letter, correlating it with the women’s decisions to not get married. He makes it almost sound like the Spaniards are like the devils (due to their sins) and the children that they created will become demons. The reason for the mestizos “bad behaviour” probably has to do with them not being accepted by Incan community in the first place as he states that they should “never be allowed to stay in the Indian pueblos; they should live in the [Spanish] cities, towns, and hamlets of this kingdom”. The divide among the people and the status which their Spanish side holds appears to me that the mixed raced children are unable to relate to either race, perhaps triggering them to go against the Inca’s because they don’t accept them and resort to mimic or claim the Spanish since they could only remain within their social relations. I found it interesting that he even went into depth about the African individuals who were brought by the Spaniards as slaves and how they impact the community and how they relate to being good or bad Christians. Despite this incorporation of information of different people of status and race, it makes me wonder how much of this is actually true? Could he have adjusted their actually opinions in the letter? On the most part I think that the information about the various people should be taken with a grain of salt, in which we don’t know for sure if this is all factual. Would the people actually agree with his opinions or want what he has written sent to the king to represent them?

Taking a look at page 345 and onwards, Guaman Poma de Ayala starts to refer to himself as the “author” and tells a story about himself and what his journey as a poor man. I found it interesting that he started off saying that he would finish “walking through the when he was eighty years of age”. Of course this wasn’t the first age he had written down (according to the anecdote), however this makes me wonder why did he choose 80 years old and why talk about this in the as if its the future then revert back to making it appear as though it would be the present in the end?

Overall, I feel that Guaman Poma de Ayala put a lot of thought into his letter to the king, however he did include a lot of emotion and dramatization in some parts of the text, direct accusations and orders to what he believes people should be aware of, along with strong emphasis and correlation to what makes a good Christian. Certain parts felt more like a formal letter that one could write to the king, such as his list of decrees in the first part, along with some mention of what is currently happening in the present in his community. Yet this immense amount of information he provides seems almost little over the top, especially near the end in which he incorporates himself in a story.