Before colonization, women were treated with much more respect in the cultures of Natives of the Andes. Both males and females had their own roles in society. They were not compared to make one more important or stronger than the other. Many examples were given in the readings and in class about the power women held in these societies, such as the passing of surnames from one gender parent to the same gender child, inheritance of land, etc. They were also sexually equal. Things changed when Europeans arrived on their shores though.
The treatment of women around the time of colonization was discussed in class this week. What most people learn in school is just that the Spanish came to the Americas and brought along their religion and customs. They imposed these things on the Native peoples of America, and it was supposedly better for everyone in the end. However, many horrible, even inhumane, acts were committed by the conquistadores. The native women were often raped and taken from their tribes. They were seen as below human because they were not “civilized”. But who were the “civilized” people in this situation? Obviously the Spanish could not have been. These things were happening all over the New World by all countries who were exploring and claiming the lands of the natives. The Portuguese were also very guilty of performing such acts in what is now Brazil. Not only were the women treated horribly, but the men were too. They were killed or enslaved, neither of which were good options.
The question of coercion was brought up in class. I believe women were coerced by the Spanish from the beginning. They were forced into doing things they did not always want to do and if they did not do these things, they faced severe consequences. So it is obvious that they were coerced. The Incan men were fading fast because of disease, murder, and enslavement. Women often had to marry Spanish men just because there was no other choice but to stay single and support themselves, which was near impossible given the status of women in society and the jobs they were allowed to have.
It seems to me that the Native societies were much more advanced morally than the Europeans were. The Europeans may have been more advanced as far as technology is concerned, but issue of equality between males and females remained a problem in Western culture until the early 20th century, and is still problematic today. These early Andean societies had already figured out that all people were equal and should be treated that way. It is unfortunate that women took a step back after the supposedly more advanced society took over the area.
