Pajaro's Journey

"Buenos dias, clase!" began Sra. Orozco.  

 

Pajaro's class had just finished transitioning from the clase de musica to the clase de historia.  The class seemed to be in very high spirits, but Pajaro was especially so as he quietly hummed his favorite song they'd just rehearsed in music class.  His friend Alta was a great cantadora and never failed to hit the high notes.  Pajaro used to be able to hit those same notes too, but lately his voice had started to crack when he tried...usually loudly and embarrassingly.   

 

"We have just finished our unit on the Post-Classic Period of Guatemala's Pre-Columbian history and a study of regional kingdoms including those in Petén and in the Highlands.  We learned that their cities preserved many aspects of Mayan culture, but never equaled the size or power of the Classic Mayan cities," continued Sra. Orozco.

 

"One reason these kingdoms failed to equal the size and power of their Mayan predecessors was due to major factors occuring during the Spanish Colonial Period we are beginning our study of today.  Empezamos...let's begin..."  

 

"In Spain, newly unified through the marriage of Isabella I, Queen of Castile, and her husband Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, the plans of Christopher Columbus to reach India were approved and funded. Columbus made four voyages to the West Indies; each time becoming governor of the new territory and receiving more financing from Espana for his trans-Atlantic voyages.  He founded La Navidad, in what is present day Haiti, on his first voyage. The native Taino people destroyed La Navidad, but Columbus started a new town, Isabella, on his second voyage. By 1500, there were between 300 and 1000 Spanish settled in the West Indies. The Taíno people continue to resist; refusing to plant crops and abandoning their Spanish-occupied villages. Their rebellion progressed from civil disobedience to outright violence and ultimately to the near eradication of the Taíno people. In 1502, 2500 more Spanish settlers arrived. By 1508, there were 10,000 Spaniards living in 15 new settlements.  Beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and continuing for over four centuries, the Spanish Empire expanded across most of present day Central America, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and much of the Estados Unidos."

 

Eduardo raised a wing and, once called upon, asked, "Didn't we used to celebrate Columbus Day in Guatemala?  Why would we do that when his arrival in the Americas caused so much trouble for the native people he found already thriving here?"

 

"Excellent pregunta, Eduardo!  Columbus Day was observed throughout Latin America.  Dia de la Raza replaced Columbus Day in much of Latin America.  Here in Guatemala, we now celebrate the October 12 date as "Day of Resistance and Dignity for Indigenous Peoples."

 

"Following Columbus, the Spanish colonization of the Americas was led by a series of warrior-explorers called Conquistadores. The horse-mounted Spanish forces with their advanced weaponry exploited the rivalries between competing native nations. Some nations formed alliances with the Spanish to defeat their more-powerful enemies. The Spanish conquest was helped along by the spread of diseases such as smallpox which, while common in Europe, had never been present in the New World.  Disease reduced the native people to one-third of their original populous.  This brought about a labor shortage for plantations, mines, and general construction, so the colonists initiated the Atlantic slave trade.  African slaves were used to meet the need for labor and between 1524 and 1620, a total of 10,000 African slaves were brought to Guatemala. So, at the end of the sixteenth century, a large number of people started to be identified as mulatto.  During the Spanish colonial period, Spaniards developed a complex caste system based on race, which was used for social control and which also determined a person's importance in society.

This is where we will continue our discussion tomorrow... Are there any questions?"

 

Pajaro thought about what they'd learned in history class for the rest of the day.  He had heard of caste systems before, but usually in terms of other countries like India.  Never in his own...he was shocked!  But also intrigued.  He couldn't wait for the dinner table conversation this night!

 

"Pajaro," called his madre,"Ven a cenar, come to dinner!"

 

Dinner conversation revolved, as it always did, around what Pajaro had learned at school that day.  During this conversation, Pajaro learned that his padre guatemalteco (Guatemalan) was of mixed Spanish and West Indies heritage and his madre hondureña (Honduran) was of Mayan and African heritage.  He had long known that his parents had met in their teens through hermanos norteamericanos (sibling North American) birds wintering in Bosque San Diego La Barra National Park in El Salvador.  He knew that Sra. Orozco would assign a project for each student to create upon completion of their Spanish Colonial Unit.  She always did.  He decided then and there that his project would be researching and creating his family tree.  He couldn't wait to get started...  Where should his journey to self-discovery take him first?  Guatemala or Honduras?

 

Students:  Complete Research Guide 1 and decide if Pajaro should research his Guatemalan or Honduran heritage.  If you can't decide upon completion, do what they do in Guatemala and flip a coin to determine "cara o escudo" (face or shield).  This was one good thing the Spanish introduced to the New World...in addition to their beautiful language!