Custom essays on Activities of Amerindians in the colonial and modern periods

Based on the information provided by Townsend Malitzin Choices, Arzans Tales of Potosi, Burns Conflict and Creation and Brenners The Wind that Swept Mexico, explain the main roles and activities of Amerindians in the colonial and modern periods. Be specific and provide economic, social, and political examples, and properly cited references.
Amerindians used to play an extremely important role in the life of Mexico before the European colonization and shortly after it, whereas today the role of Amerindians has decreased substantially because of the assimilation and the overwhelming impact of the western culture brought into Mexico by Spaniards and developed by their descendants. As the matter of fact, historically, Amerindians were treated as second-class citizens inferior to those of European origin. However, in the time prior to colonization, Amerindians living on the territory of modern Mexico had developed great civilizations, which impressed many researchers and allowed local tribes, such as Aztecs and Mayas, to establish huge and rich empires controlling a large part of the territory of modern Mexico. In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that by the time of the European colonization Maya’s civilization had already been in decline because the largest state-cities of Maya were either abandoned or in decline in the result of wars, deterioration of the environmental situation, poor crops and the overall decline of the Mayan civilization, although actual reasons and causes of the decline of the Mayan civilization are still unclear and uncertain. Nevertheless, Maya influenced consistently the neighboring tribes, accelerated trade in Mexico and built outstanding cities, which ruins and remnants can be still found throughout Mexico. In such a way, Mayas influenced socioeconomic and cultural development of tribes living in Mexico for decades ahead.
The similar effect had Aztecs on the local population. Aztecs had created a huge empire on the territory of modern Mexico. They established control over neighboring tribes and maintained their power in the region until the arrival of Europeans. In such a situation, the European colonization had a disastrous impact on Amerindians to the extent that it destructed the cultural heritage of such great civilizations of Amerindians as those of Mayas and Aztecs. Obviously, Amerindians were the native population of Mexico and they defined the development of the region creating their own civilization. The European colonization became the turning point after which the original, authentic Amerindian civilization had started to decline until it had died out completely by present days.
In actuality, Amerindians represent a considerable part of the population of Mexico but they have totally lost their cultural heritage and their cultural identity. They are not Amerindians culturally but ethnically. What is meant here is the fact that Amerindians have undergone the process of assimilation, in the course of which the European culture and civilization has replaced totally the authentic Amerindian culture. In the past, Catholicism had replaced local religions and traditions, whereas today Amerindians do not have their own culture or religion different from that of Mexican of European origin. In such a way, Amerindians represent just an ethnic group, which has lost its past cultural traditions. In this respect, it is quite noteworthy that over the half of Amerindians do not even know their native language. Instead, they speak Spanish as the rest of Mexicans do. The language is probably the most evident marker of the assimilation of Amerindians and effects of such assimilation.
On the other hand, today, Amerindians attempt to play an important part in the life of Mexico at different levels, from regional to national ones. Moreover, they attempt to integrate into the socioeconomic and political life of the society. In such a way, it is possible to speak about another side of the assimilation. To put it more precisely, after the assimilation of Amerindians, they have started to integrate into the life of the society actively. As a result, today, Amerindians are more and more involved in the political life of Mexico. They attempt to take leading positions in the political elite of the country. The same trend can be traced in business for many Amerindians start developing their own business and they start entering the upper-classes of the Mexican society.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that after decades and centuries of decline of Amerindians culture, Amerindians have evolved and started to integrate into the Mexican society, becoming an integral part of the new society and new civilization, although the ethnic or cultural identity of Amerindians has been virtually lost.

 
References
Arzan, (2008). Tales of Potosi. New York: Routledge.
Burn. (2005). Conflict and Creation. Chicago: Routledge.
Brenner. (2007). The Wind that Swept Mexico. New York: St. Martin Press.
Townsend, (2002). Malitzin Choices. New York: Random House.