In a rare instance, history offers us a glimpse of life in the New World colonies from the perspective of someone who knew it best, a native. Guaman Poma, an elitist Andean describes Incan society under the new system consisting of corregidores in an account written to the Spanish king. His goals when writing his account were to criticize the actions of the Spanish towards the Natives and to get them to turn their backs on their malicious ways so that they could return once again to glorifying God's name. One way in which Poma effectively gets his point across is through the contrasts he makes between the Natives and the Spanish (a technique that Las Casas implements in his Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies). By including the dualities
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However, Poma's style of writing which is reflective of a European document, his devotion to Christianity seen in his call to God and the Pope, and his appeal to the Spanish king leads him to take on more of a European persona. Poma also does not deem the Natives completely innocent as he continuously refers to them as “old pagan Indians who strayed from the true path” (Pg. 99). More times than not he sympathizes with the Indians in a strategic move. On page 99, Poma writes that none of the Indians he has come across are greedy, liars, or disobedient. He then goes on to say to the Spanish, “but you have all these ills among yourself” and mentions how they have their own idols of silver and gold (Pg. 99). Poma knows that the Spanish have negative thoughts about the Natives. The most popular one being the idea that Indians are sub-human. In this case, Poma elevates the status of the Natives and lowers the view of the Spanish below that of the ones they see as so inferior. In resorting to this form of rhetoric, Poma possibly hopes the Spanish will feel so repulsed at the thought of their actions putting them below their inferiors that they will decide to change their behavior towards the Indians and return to the mission of evangelizing their
However, Poma's style of writing which is reflective of a European document, his devotion to Christianity seen in his call to God and the Pope, and his appeal to the Spanish king leads him to take on more of a European persona. Poma also does not deem the Natives completely innocent as he continuously refers to them as “old pagan Indians who strayed from the true path” (Pg. 99). More times than not he sympathizes with the Indians in a strategic move. On page 99, Poma writes that none of the Indians he has come across are greedy, liars, or disobedient. He then goes on to say to the Spanish, “but you have all these ills among yourself” and mentions how they have their own idols of silver and gold (Pg. 99). Poma knows that the Spanish have negative thoughts about the Natives. The most popular one being the idea that Indians are sub-human. In this case, Poma elevates the status of the Natives and lowers the view of the Spanish below that of the ones they see as so inferior. In resorting to this form of rhetoric, Poma possibly hopes the Spanish will feel so repulsed at the thought of their actions putting them below their inferiors that they will decide to change their behavior towards the Indians and return to the mission of evangelizing their