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| Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada stands in all his glory on the Plaza Rosario. Thief, mass-murderer, committer of cultural genocide...and hero. |
Bogotá, in contrast, just renovated a statue of conquistador and founder of Bogotá Jimenez de
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| A heroic Quesada painting hangs in the presidential palace. |
We try to respect human rights. Quesada hung his own soldiers, because, to avoid starvation, they killed and ate horses.
Today, Colombia venerates indigenous artworks in museums and cultural sites. Quesada stole indigenous peoples' gold and emerald treasures and sent them to Europe.
Not satisfied with his treasures, in 1568 Quesada set off on yet another conquering expedition, this time to Los Llanos, in search of gold. He started off with an army of 1,500 Indians and 400 Spaniards, of whom only 4 Indians and 64 Spaniards returned home.
Quesada doesn't seem to deserve much admiration. But there he is glorified on the plaza Rosario and in the presidential palace. And I haven't heard anybody, including even indigenous people, question the situation.
Go figger.
By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours
Posts
3 comments:
They should be celebrated. It's thanks to the Spanish that human sacrifices are not being made. Or that people are not eating each other. In indigenous were murdering each other. They colonised each other too. They were violent times all across the globe. That's before we even mention the advanced civilisation that founded and benefited all as a whole. You only need to see that there how many more people being born and living that Spanish created life. Please don't bring that North America liberal disease to the good people of Latin America. It's embarrassing enough to see in the US.
Hi Stuart,
You may be correct that some indigenous peoples treated each other horribely - but how does that justify the Spaniards barbarism?
And, did you ever hear that as many as 90% of Latin America's indigenous people were wiped out by violence, forced labor and Old World diseases.
So much for kind treatment.
Mike
Hi Stuart,
You may be correct that some indigenous peoples treated each other horribely - but how does that justify the Spaniards barbarism?
And, did you ever hear that as many as 90% of Latin America's indigenous people were wiped out by violence, forced labor and Old World diseases.
So much for kind treatment.
Mike
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