Nothing to celebrate on Columbus Day, but a lot to reminisce instead.
Today, October 12, marks the day when the Americas were “discovered”, except they were not discovered. They were invaded. Thriving societies existed way before the white colonizers set foot on the continent.
Archeological remains indicate that the earliest human settlements date back to 14.000 years. The oldest archeological site in the Americas is El Abra found in modern day Colombia, and the oldest known American civilization is the Caral–Supe, which flourished in 3200 BCE in modern day north Peru. Yet, American history is only told from 1492 onwards, and we still insist on celebrating Columbus for finding the West Indies, when in fact, that day marks the beginning of the end for civilizations that thrived for centuries. We cannot help but wonder how would the Americas look today if the white colonizers had never set foot on it? Some of the greatest human civilizations flourished in the Americas before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.
Some of the greatest human civilizations flourished in the Americas before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.
The Maya, the Aztec and the Inca are the best known ones, but there were many others. The Andean civilizations, of which the Inca are the most known one, are considered one of the five “pristine” societies in the world, that is indigenous and not derived from other civilizations. Andean societies are still considered some of the greatest astronomers, architects, and mathematicians. They managed to thrive despite the hard conditions that they encountered and developed functioning and well managed terrace and irrigation systems to cultivate the land. Their economy was built on a reciprocity principle instead of money and markets. Andean societies were notable for their mastery of textile weaving and for being capable of mapping the stars and translating the cosmos into woven patterns, a skill that necessitates complex mathematical knowledge.
A less famous pre-Columbian civilization that was perhaps the biggest and best organized confederation of tribes of the South American continent, was the Muisca civilization. Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you might know who the Muisca were learning about the legend of El Dorado. The Muisca left a significant artistic legacy in their amazing gold work, much of it unrivalled by any other American culture. Gold work was prevalent in ancient Colombia and used as a means of trade and in rituals. Gold was sacred because it represented the sun, the source of all life an Earth, and was never meant to be hoarded like a currency. Gold was meant to return to its cradle when the owner passed. A lot of the gold pieces that survived the Spanish invasion were found in graves. Still today, pre-Columbian cultures from modern-day Colombia are considered some of the best goldsmiths that have ever lived.
There is archeological evidence suggesting that all around the Americas, indigenous people had well developed commercial relations, and above all, a land and resource management system that for millennia allowed them to take what they needed to live, without destroying the eco-system. They knew how to live in balance with the Earth.
Indigenous people had well developed commercial relations, and above all, a land and resource management system that for millennia allowed them to take what they needed to live, without destroying the eco-system.
In their quest and thirst for gold, the colonizers brought these great societies to the brink of extinction and took with them precious and invaluable resources: codices and non-precious objects were burned, deemed unholy, and precious gold work, stolen and smelted to fund the greatest of human genocides. Some pieces, sitting today in museums, are a living testament of the skill, wisdom and talent of what the Americas were before 1492.
So let’s remember Indigenous Nations today and everyday, not only for the injustice, which they were submitted to in the name of greed, but also because today indigenous people and their knowledge about the environment are crucial for solving the climate crisis; because today indigenous people are still being slaughtered for gold in the Amazon, because today indigenous people are still displaced from their ancestral lands to make room for more mining projects and conservation areas. Let’s maximize their voice, because after all we all share the same home, this planet, and there won’t be an “us” without “them”.
Let’s acknowledge our true history and recognize that indigenous people in the Americas did not disappear, they are here, alive. They are fantastic and immensely talented artisans, influential activists, educated people who are utilizing the tools that they have at hand to fight for their right to live in peace and dignity, for their right to practice and perpetuate their cultures and traditions and for their right to their ancestral lands.
Let’s remember that there is no true sustainability without social justice.
Happy Indigenous Resistance Day!