Spanish Hegemony

After taking this course I have come to learn that those that were colonized or enslaved were not just victims that accepted their fate. They did not idlily sit by and let their entire existence be wiped out. Even though it was not always trying to escape, rebelling, or killing, there were other ways in which the enslaved and colonized resisted or dealt with Spanish hegemony. There are those that tried their best to accommodate to Spanish life, while others took it upon themselves to confront the government with a riot. Regardless of how it was done, a resistance to Spanish rule in any form is proof that the natives and slaves understood that they were being mistreated.
Although the slaves in Brazil had many options on how to survive their brutal way of life, rarely did they gain …show more content…
Religious cults provided the slaves with security and began popping up in Brazilian African communities. However, internal conflicts made this difficult with the clashing of different backgrounds and religions. Soon after that confraternities came about. Their purpose was to encourage faith and help those in need. Such groups helped regulate relationships between those that were separated by skin color, economic power, and cultural backgrounding. This was accomplished by organizing celebrations, confessions, masses, and communions. In these confraternities, Africans were allowed to practice two religions at a time, as long as they did not intersect when it came to rules, setting, or physical space. Since religion had been so important to the Spanish, this was the perfect way to defy its power. Unfortunately, the seemingly peaceful organization was not exempt from internal conflicts as well, leading to a divide in the people based on social status. When all seemed lost, some slaves turned to suicide ad murder. Being more common in the city than in