As I approached the final pages of the “The First New Chronicle and Good Government,” I found Guaman Poma’s account to be an interesting entry point into pre-Columbian Andean societies and the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Towards the end, Guaman Poma walks the reader through his thoughts on the consequences of colonization but also provides us with his vision for a just and equitable society under Spanish rule.
I found it interesting how Guaman Poma was able to criticize the Spanish colonial administration for its corruption, cruelty, and disregard for the well-being of indigenous communities. I wonder what obstacles he faced in publishing his text. How much backlash did he receive at the onset of its release? I understand that he is aware of potential opposition as he mentions “others, out of sheer wrath, will throw away this book” (p. 360). Because he is critiquing a whole system that benefits the Spanish, I am curious if he was ever targeted or ostracized.
Guaman Poma spends a great deal of his text highlighting the flaws in the colonial system but I appreciate him also offering solutions. To some extent it reminds me of The Prince, by Machiavelli as he tells Lorenzo de’ Medici what he thought was the best way to govern. Only with Guaman Poma, he is not trying to keep the current system in tact but rather trying to create reform. In this sense, I am also reminded of Black Skin and White Masks by Frantz Fanon where he writes about the assimilation racist European society developed in the Antilles. Like Guaman Poma, Frantz Fanon in writing in French uses the language of the oppressor so that they may listen. However, a clear difference with these human rights authors is that Fanon eventually advocated for violent means to change the system in his following book “Wretched of the Earth.” I am curious as to why Guaman Poma chose this route of advocacy as opposed to what is seen around the world in other movements such as violent uprisings. My guess is because he sits in the unique position of being in the middle of both worlds, seeing that both societies have something to offer. His indigenous side offers culture but his European side offers values. He is thus an example of how these two worlds can complement each other as opposed to being in conflict.
Guaman Poma offers suggestions for improving governance and promoting social justice within the colonial context. In this way, he is reclaiming the agency of indigenous people, not grounded within a eurocentric ethnic framework but instead on a notion of what can arguably be considered universal human rights albeit through the lens of Christianity. His reflections in the last part of his chronicle reveal his deep concern for the welfare of indigenous peoples and his desire for a more equitable and humane society in colonial Peru. His work remains a powerful testament to the resilience and agency of marginalized communities in the face of oppression and injustice.
2 responses to “The First New Chronicle and Good Government (Pt. 2)”
I wonder how Indigenous societies of the time would have felt about his reclaiming of Indigenous agency? As shown throughout the book, it is clearly a work meant to serve their benefit and to try and convince the king that Indigenous peoples have undergone unnecessary hardship and that there are ways to right this. However, at the same time he victimizes these same people, portraying them as ‘poor indians’. Is it not slightly undue to portray them as such, ignoring any possible active resistance to the colonial projects of the time?
Hi Nicole, I really liked the comparison you drew to Fanon. As to why they come to different solutions is interesting. While im entirely speculating here there are probably a couple of contributing factors. First, the legnth of colonization, When Fanon was writing, centuries had passed under colonial rule, whereas Guaman Poma is still able to talk to people who remember times before conquest. Secondly, the audience probably plays a huge role. I can’t imagine the SPanish King would be too pleased to receive a letter stating all his shortcomings and how the Infigenous should rise up in violent revolt. Again though, its really hard to get into authorial internet in this work since we know so little about Guaman Poma, and his positionality in a colonial framework is so precarious