Coloniality In Latin America Essay

Coloniality is the concept of power that is associated with the European control in Latin America. This concept is what formed the system of hierarchy that is seen in Latin America with the formation of the colonies by the Europeans. Coloniality has formed a legacy of colonialism in Latin America where social discrimination of the native people was prevalent, this caused different social, racial and political hierarchal layers to appear. The native people were seen as primitive and placed at the bottom of this hierarchal layer. Their goods and land were exploited, while the natives themselves were used for free labor. The racial, cultural, knowledge, and the social and hierarchal systems are all a major part of coloniality and its effect on Latin America.
In “The Idea of Latin America”, Walter Mignolo described the influence of coloniality on the native people as well as the African slaves in Latin American countries. Mignolo tells about the process of colonization as being an idea that certain people do not belong in history (Mignolo 4). This idea relates to the racist thoughts of the Europeans, and how the natives and Africans were
This satire showed the affects modernity and coloniality can have on a culture. It also displayed how the racist beliefs that nonwestern natives were seen as inferior or primitive and how they still live on in today’s society. Coloniality created this racist hierarchal system to label the natives as inferior to the Europeans. Their beliefs as well as religion were viewed as wrong in the eyes of the Europeans. In lecture, we have discussed the different European views of the Native culture. One of these views was their opinion of the native religious sacrifices and worship practices made them view the Natives as savages and in need of conversion to Christianity. The Europeans believed that Western culture was the only true modern