Declaration of the Mapuche people who do not surrender against colonization (now Chilean, Spanish and Inca before) who still don't allow their freedom and sovereignty

"Our people have been around for hundreds of years ... the first foreign incursion was from the Incas who could not extend their control beyond the river Copiapo ... the Mapuches did not pay taxes to them as they pretended .. .Then came the Spaniards who razed the main civilizaciones of America but could not do it with our people ... after 100 years of struggle they had to "agree" with the Mapuches (only example seen in the process of conquest) parliaments were broken by the Spaniards themselves, but the Spanish crown respected our territory, and recognized the Mapuche people as an independent nation ... then came the war of the sons of the invaders (Chileans), in their desire to have greater autonomy ... and 30 years later they tried to conquer our territory. On both sides of the Andes our people again raised their spears but we were defeated ... the invaders took away more than 10 million hectares that were given to German settlers, Italian, the troops taking part in the carnage and who made an incredible fortune and who today has the largest fortunes in this country. ., we were forced to change our names, not to speak our language, to sing their hymns, we were imposed their language, nationality ... they pushed us to poverty, overcrowding, discrimination, ridicule, humiliation, hunger .. .but our mapu encouraged us to continue and follow up ... when we began to get up, then the military dictatorship came ... 300 dead and missing ... thjey again seized our lands ...  in democracy ... our people remained discriminated and poor ... they say we are terrorists, they imprison and keep humiliating us ... BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER... WE HAVE OUR STRENGTH, WE WILL CONTINUE FIGHTING!!!!!! AMULEPE TAIN WEICHAN !!!!! "

The Tupi-Guarani Nations
D.Antón
About 3,000 years ago the Tupi-Guarani ethnic groups expanded across the tropical and subtropical forests of the east and southeast of the South American continent. The Spanish and Portuguese invaders called them "Guarani" in the southeastern regions  (current states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil, eastern Paraguay and the provinces of Misiones and Corrientes in Argentina, and  "Tupi" along the Atlantic coast of Brazil where they occupied discontinuously the coastal territory North to the mouth of the Amazon River.

While it is difficult to  accurately estimate the total Tupi-Guarani population, they were probably several millions, perhaps more than ten millions spread through about 5-6 million square kilometers.
Locally the tupi-guaraní societies were composed of many communities, some of which were very numerous (perhaps up to several tens of thousands).
The Tupinamba, who inhabited the Atlantic coastal areas, were described by the Portuguese invaders and their language served as a basis for the lingua franca of Brazil during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries .
Another important group were the Carios, who inhabited the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, the "Chiriguanos" (or "Ava Guarani ') on the eastern slopes and foothills of the highlands plateau (present Bolivia),  the Parana Delta Guarani (Chandules), the Tupinikin and Potiguara the northeastern coast of Brazil today, the Cocamas, the Ñengatús and the Omaguas in the Amazon, among others.
Tupi-Guarani communities lived in villages consisting of several longhouses, which were used for years until the termites or other causes of degradation determined their abandonment. At that time they moved to another place, where established a new village and "opened" terrain for new crops in clearings."Abandoned" areas gradually reintegrated to the jungle ecosystem.
The Tupi-Guarani longhouses, were large, housed a set of "extended" families, sleeping in hammocks in the large huts.
From the productive point of view, Tupi-Guarani were farmers and fishermen. They also hunted  and gathered in the rich forest environment.  They navigated rivers, lakes and coastal waters and traded in long canoes built from large hollow logs.

The Tupi-Guarani were warring nations and periodically fought their neighbors, leading to numerous conflicts between communities. The war caused many deaths, usually men, who perished in the actions themselves, or after being taken prisoners, executed and eaten ritually. The lack of men favored polygamous practices. The chiefs could choose second or third wives divorcing their first ones.  In turn, the widowed or divorced wives, would instructed younger men on sexual and family issues.

The traditional Guarani culture was (and still is) deeply spiritual. It manifests itself mainly through its  his ñande reko or "way of being", which was a full expression of their identity, which could be ñande reko katu (way of being authentic and true) and ñande marangatu reko (way of being virtuous). The Tupi-Guarani religious thought is structured around the search for the "land without evil". In that sense it is a "moving" village, and at the same time possesses a worldview rooted in nature.
Tupi-Guarani nations deeply suffered the conquest and the population declined sharply everywhere. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people were enslaved, especially to work in the sugar cane plantations of northeastern Brazil. Another important part of the population was "reduced" in religious missions, losing much of their ancestral religion and customs. Millions died from disease and repressive wars imposed on them by the Portuguese and Spanish invaders.
However,  many Tupi-Guarani communities  survived migrating and hiding deep in the jungle territories.

At present the Tupi-Guarani native world is constituted by several surviving nations: the Kaiová-Pai Tavytera  in Mato Grosso and Paraguay, Ava Chiripá en Paraguay, Mbya guarani in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay, Ava Guarani or Chiriguanos in the current departments of Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija (Bolivia) and Salta, Argentina, and the Tapieté and Guarayos in the Chaco region (especially in western Paraguay and southeastern Bolivia). There are also several surviving Tupi communities in the Amazon region and in isolated spots along the Atlantic coast of Brazil.
From the book "First Nations of the South", D.Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Imperial powers introduced property, money and greed in native America.

The destruction of real Utopias

Danilo Anton
When Pedro Alvares Cabral and his expedition came to America in April 22, 1500, the territory that later would be called Brazil, the first European contact with the Tupi coastal towns took place. The chronicler of the expedition, Pero Vaz de Caminha, left a vivid account of his experiences in a letter to King Manoel I of Portugal where he told the monarch the unusual features of the recently contacted peoples. In that country they men and women lived naked, without shame, healthy, acting spontaneousl.. It caught the attention of Caminha that although these people had none of the European crops and animals were "... stronger and better fed than us in all wheat and vegetables we eat ...". And then: "They are very well kept and very clean and remind me that the birds and wild animals, to which the air gives better plumage and skin that domesticated. Their bodies are so clean and so beautiful fleshy and could not ask for more." Besides clean and healthy they were generally described as very friendly and hospitable.

Meanwhile, Alberico Vespucci, the famous Florentine geographer, in his letters, was astonished at the freedom and innocence in native American societies   He noted that those societies knew no private property or money, and that they shared everything in common. They lived in a complete moral and social freedom, and communities worked harmoniously without kings, religion, temples, palaces or ídols.
John Hemmings says that the enthusiasm with which the native American communities, living prosperously without kings and churches, was something subversive in absolutist European societies . In 1500, Pietro Martire d'Anghiera said that among Native Americans, "the land belongs to all, like the sun and water. Mine and yours, which are the seeds of all evil do not exist for these people. They live in a golden age, and not surrounding their properties with ditches, walls or hedges. They live in open gardens, without laws or books, no judges, and naturally seek goodness hateful considering who is corrupt himself practicing evil ".
Magalhaes of Gandavo offers the following description: "In each house they live together in harmony without dissension between them. They are so friendly with one another that what belongs to one belongs to all. When one has something to eat, no matter how little, they share all their neighbors. "
The stories of the new companies began circulating in Europe. A paradise world had been discovered where nature had not been subdued, without kings, no slavery, no poverty, no pests, where there was no money, where all women and men were free and equal.
The logic of Native Americans was rigorous. A native old man asked Count Jean de Lery , "Why do you, French and Portuguese, come so far to find wood for heating? They do not have enough wood in your country? "Lery said that the wood was used to burn but to make tinctures, like they did. The old man continued, "I guess they need lots of it ..." The French responded effectively needed much, and that a trader could buy many crowded boats, and also had a host of other goods. The old man was thinking, and thought: "this very rich man, which you tell me ... do not you die? "..." If you die like all other people. " "And when you die ... what about things that leave?" ... "It's for their children or relatives ..." said Lery. The old man thought and then declared: "Now I see that you French are big crazy. Cross the sea and suffer great inconvenience, as we are told, work very hard to accumulate wealth for your children and relatives ... Did the earth that nourishes them, not enough to feed them too ?. We have, parents, and children whom we love. But we are sure that after our death the land that nurtured us we also feed them. Therefore we need not worry. "

The first chroniclers also noted the healthy life of the American people. References abound about the longevity of Americans. According to Vespucci, came to 150 years, Pigafetta, member of the expedition of Magallanes, stated that they could live 125 to 140 years. Jean de Lery himself attributed to the Tupinambá Guanabara a life expectancy of 100-120 years. Years later Jesuit Fernao Cardim said that the population of Piratininga (Sao Paulo) was full of old people over 100 years.
From: "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones-

Europe is not the West, the West is Amerrique

The invaders came from the East

D.Anton

European invaders who arrived from the East to Amerrique they used to call themselves "Westerners". It is an old hisstory that had taken place over a millennium. When the European Roman Empire was divided into two, the Oriental half was called East and the Occidental  West. At the time, Western Europeans thought they were the Westernmost peoples of the world.

For that reason and some others too numerous to list here, Western Europeans were accustomed to call themselves "Westerners". But this was not true. Far to the west, very far away, in the direction of the setting sun, across the ocean, there were hundreds of nations as old or even older than most European countries. Europeans did not know, but in the remote and real West there was a huge friendly and prodigal continent:  Amerrique.

Even crawling on the top of the highest mountains in Haiti or Cuba it is not possible to see the Eastern shore of the Sea-Ocean. For a long time most of the people who inhabited the coasts of Amerrique were not concerned with the possible existence of other people across the sea. Probably because of that they did not think not to cross the ocean to go and find them. For many years, perhaps more than three hundred thirty three generations, Amerricans and European remain isolated to each other with little or no contact between them.

But one autumn night in the Amerrican Lucayan archipelago, the islanders perceived the appearance of three large canoes, very different from their own, from where some strange men came ashore. They wore rare costumes and their language was incomprehensible.

They finally learned that the newcomers came from a continent that was beyond the sea to the East, which they called Europe.

Amerrique is the true Western World. The continent of the eagle, the toucan and the condor. The land of avati, of the beans and cassava, the inmense continent of llamas and turkeys, home to prosperous nations and very ancient wisdom, full of powerful gods and essential spirits.. Although Europeans, and many people that are not, say that Europe is the Western World, this is not accurate. For Amerrican people, Europe is in the direction where the sun rises. The ships of the invaders came from the East. And to the Levant they took gold and riches.

The New World is not new.it Is old. It is as old as the knowledge of nature that pervades. It is a continent where a great diversity of peoples have coexisted for a long time. For centuries and millennia Amerrican women and men learned through countless experiences and the elders taught many things young people.

This ancient Western world is the Mother Earth Mother for all its peoples. It is made of infinite places and times. In its landscapes the past permeates every breeze. The youth of today should know that they live in the Land of Many Names. It is the Turtle Island, the Land-where-the-wind-blows, Abya Yala, the home of the qwani and Kurupí, the Nuke-Mapu of the peoples of South.  and once for all it is our Amerrique .

From "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Native nations do not have real political rights

Today in America there are more than 40 independent countries but not a single native nation has been able to preserve its sovereignty.

Danilo Antón

Today we can hardly realize how far we've come. The  territorial countries of the American continent have stabilized, they are globally recognized, nobody dares to reject their sovereignty. The Canadian government is authorized to speak on behalf of the Inuit and Haida, the government of the United States can proudly say that the ancient Cheroki country is now divided into states and counties, as well as the ancestral lands of the Cheyenne, Lakota and Iroquois. With the old name of Mexico, which conceals an oppressive reality the ideological descendants of the Spanish colonial control the government, the economy and the culture, keeping in the ostracism the remaining First Nations in the country. Many still speak Nahuatl but its use is relegated to the most isolated and poorest sectors of the Mexican highlands. The Maya of Chiapas and Yucatan continue to suffer discrimination, living a long exile in their own land. Other Maya, together with the Lenca and Guaymi remain ignored and relegated in Central America without their nationalities recognized as such.

Nation of the Alto Orinoco basin, Jibi, Yekwana and Yanomami, among others, suffer the aggressive character of the new colonization. The Amazon is a theater of imperial advances disguised as "economic growth". Several countries control the Amazon but nobody gave them the right to do it. The took it by force or as a legacy of European colonialism.

The control of these territories is based solely on the brute force that European imperial nations exercised for centuries by their own choice and discretion. Today these-territorial states are simply heirs of that history of abuse. Spain, Portugal, England, France and Holland invaded, occupied, enslaved, killed, raped, robbed and then established legal systems based precisely on that terrible legacy of violence and disrespect.

They introduced the property of the land, but they don't allowed to give it to the native peoples who inhabited ir for millennia. Instead, they are thoroughly devoted to divide the territory  among themselves, systematically eliminating its legitimate occupants or simply forcing them to remain as slave labor in the new parcels, plantations, farms and mines. Most of the current owners of American land base their right in this fraudulent origin.

Along with the land, the invaders seized the workforce of indigenous peoples. They were forced to serve the tyrannical foreign masters. Many of these nations enjoyed a wide individual freedom unknown in Europe. In a few decades of foreign domination would end it.

We are born free and united brothers, each is as lord as the other, while you are all servants of one man. I am the master of my body, I have myself, I do what I want, I am the first and the last of my nation .... subject only to the Great Spirit 1.

1 Explanation to give a ferret Baron Lahontan, referred to by J.Weatherford, Indian Givers, p.123

From Amerrique, Orphans Paraiso, Danilo Antón, Piriguazú Editions

How native-americans communicated through long distances

Language  of smoke signals

 D.Antón

 In America, many forms of communication were developed over long distances, many of which went unnoticed or were underestimated by Europeans. One of the main forms of long-distance communication were smoke signals. Peoples all over the continent developed a language based on fire and smoke that allowed them to communicate over great distances. The existence of this system was not lost on many chroniclers, which although never understood the meaning of this translinguistic language, they knew it was a very valuable tool in the hands of the nations of North America.

The existence of such a system was also identified in South America. An example of this occurred when ships arrived at Rio de la Plata, in the Spanish expedition of Sebastian Gaboto that was in Paraguay, more than a thousand kilometers away, they learned their arrival in a few days (ref.Anibal Barrios Pintos). Other exampleS were the large quantities of smoke signals (messages) that were perceived in South America, particularly in the Tierra del Fuego, by the first explorers, from which it derives its name.

Over time, this system was caricatured in films about "Indians" and cartoons. However, beyond cartoons and frivoliries, smoke communication was one of the most effective systems of intercultural communication that existed in native American human societies.

From: Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise, Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

The bearded invaders are not the children of Wiraqocha but the children of the Devil

 D.Anton

 Manco Inca Yupanqui was the son of Huayna Capac, probably born in 1515 in the city of Cuzco.

When Atalualpa troops took over that city, under the command of General Quizquiz, they killed the descendants of Huayna Capac, Huascar's supporters and anyone who might try to take the place of the Inca.

The Spanish invaders who arrived later imprisoned Atahualpa and then executed him in July 25, 1533 accused by "idolatry, fratricide, polygamy and incest."

Manco Inca Yupanqui had escaped from the armies of Atahualpa and collaborated with the conquerors in the belief that foreigners would free Cuzco from the "evil forces of Quito" who had killed his entire family.

He was named Inca by the foreigners but without any authority and fully controlled by them. He could not receive his subjects, or travel around the city, he watched the abuses committed by the Spaniards with noblewomen, the people and the Virgins of the Sun. It was clearly a hostage of the invaders. .

Due to mistreatment he decided to rebel and almost managed to expel the Spaniards from Cuzco (1536). When he did not succeed he took refuge in the valley of Vilcabamba (Willkapampa). He was finally killed and stabbed by a group of seven Spaniards who posed as their allies and betrayed (in 1544). Before leaving Vilcabamba Manco Inca Yupanqui sent a message to the inhabitants of the  invaded territories

"Brothers and children, I have gathered you to see the new type of people who have come to our country, those bearded men who are in this city. Because I said they were Wiraqochas which they seemed to be according to their garments, I ordered you to serve them and obey and serve them as myself.. I thought they were valuable people, thinking they were sent from afar, as always proclaimed by Tiqsi Wiraqochan, or God. But it is clear to me that everything turned out the opposite of what we expected, you should know this, my brothers, these people have shown many times since entering our country that they are not the children of Wiraqocha but the children of the Devil. "

After the death of Manco Inca Yupanqui the Vilcabamba rebellion would last another 28 years. In September 24, 1572 the last Inca, Tupac Amaru 1, was hanged in the Plaza de Cuzco and Spanish control over the former Tahuantisuyu was completed.

Ref. "Amerrique, Orphans of the Paradise", D.Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones.

America. a forgotten geography

 Danilo Anton

 Geographical categories used to subdivide, regionalize and interpret the Americas were built based on the political configuration of their states and their territorial boundaries internationally accepted.

These political units are called in several ways: countries, nations, nation-states, etc. We prefer to avoid the term nation or national, since virtually none of them meets the conditions of cultural and identity unit that are considered key elements to define a "nation" We prefer to use the term "territorial states" because we are dealing with "states" that control "territories".

These color maps include large political units such as Brazil, Argentina or the United States, which have areas of several million square kilometers and population of tens of millions of people and other very small, just a few hundred square kilometers and population of less one million (as some Caribbean island states).

In total there are more than 35 states in the American continent whose existence is fundamentally related to the history of colonization by European powers, modified in some way by subsequent geopolitical events. Of total there are 18 territorial-states that emerged from the subdivision of the Spanish colonial empire, and therefore use the Spanish language as an official language, there is a large territorial- state (Brazil) who has inherited undivided Portuguese colonial territories. To these several English language states must be added, two of which (the United States and Canada) have subcontinental dimensions and the rest are much smaller political units (eg Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other islands small) and a pair of territorial states related to the former French colonization (Haiti), French-speaking Canada and Dutch (Suriname and the Dutch Caribbena islands).

Besides the historical explanation that helps us understand why the various states emerged, it is not easy to find a logic to enable us to find an ecological, geographical, social justification and/or the , validity and essential legitimacy for their existence.

For example, none of these states has its own language different from its neighbors. As mentioned before, in almost all of them, the national language is an extracontinental language which is also shared by several other states of the American continent.

They are just pieces of old empires which crumbled by the vicissitudes of history. From the sociocultural perspective outlined above it is difficult to recognize differences of such magnitude as to recognize a good reason for rational validity of most of the so-called independent countries. There are obvious similarities between Argentina and Uruguay, Peru and Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela, the states of Central America, the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean, etc. There isn't either no large differences in their physical features or ecosystems. The territory of the Amazonian rainforest is shared by eight territorialstates (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam) and a colony (Guianne Française). The Chaco is shared by Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. The Andean chain crosses seven states (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina). It follows from the above: American territorial-states have no solid foundation in terms of physical-ecological or cultural basis, and can only be explained as a circumstantial product (yet durable) division and subdivision of the territories of the European empires. In other words, the territorial states replaced the former colonial provinces and represent a continuation of the old administrative divisions, and since independence carry the political, military, social and administrative baggage of their original empires.

Despite the essentially bureaucratic origin these territorial states have been legitimized by the world powers. When this happened they were authorized to sign treaties, to attend international conferences and participate in continental and global forums without their legitimacy beinf discussed.

To "justify" themselves as such, these states have sought to develop a legitimizing "patriotic" culture. It is an elaborate version of the circumstances of their origins in the "patriotic" framework. Sanitized history, heroes and anti-heroes, anthems and flags were created. After 180 years of Windependent” evolution territorial states have obtained an irrefutable legitimacy.

However, despite this apparent consolidation, the deeper reality is very different. The objective of this work is precisely to draw attention to the blatant inaccuracy of an approach that takes into account only those states ignoring the ancient nations of the continent, much more rooted in environments and territories and thus with a legitimacy that does not require artificial symbols nor false patriotisms.

First, America was ancestrally inhabited by very many nations of varying types and sizes since immemorial time. These people occupied territories and possessed their own clearly distinguishable cultures from their neighbors. They had (and still have) their own languages ​​and religions and cultural and productive practices

A conservative estimate put the number of inhabitants of the American continent upon the arrival of Europeans in an amount of approximately 90-100 million people. Some of these nations were very numerous, with populations of several hundred thousand or millions of inhabitants: Quechua, Aymara, Taino, Mapuche, Iroquois and other nations possessed very ancient cultures and had occupied their territories for several centuries, even millennia .

European empires invaded the territories of these native American countries based on their superior military force and "founded" colonies that eventually would become the future "countries"

The European invasion determined rapidly declining population figures. Some nations were completely annihilated (for example the Tainos in Haiti) and others saw their numbers dramatically reduced. However, despite this decline, many of these societies maintain large populations which preserve the central elements of their respective cultures.

This is the case of the large Andean nations of the Quechua and Aymara of several million people each. Other First Nations are relatively numerous: Maya, Purépecha, Mapuche, Nahuatl, Kuna, Guarani, Arawak, Toba, Iroquois, Navajo and others.

These people have their own language, customs and beliefs and have developed production practices adapted to existing ecosystems in their lands. However, in recognizing their national, political, civil and religious rights American First Nations are left aside voluntarily. No single territorial state matches any American First Nation. The Quechua are in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, but lack their own political expression. The Mapuche are in Chile and Argentina, but his language is not taught in schools, having lost most of their ancestral lands for over a century. Tobas are divided by the border Paraguayo- Argentina (Pilcomayo) and have no real possibility of participation in the politics of their respective "countries".

Geographers must begin to recognize that alongside the official political map, there is a real, different and profound cultural map that includes all surviving First Nations within their traditional territories.

This map has not been drawn yet. There are some "ethnographic" blueprints where the approximate location of indigenous peoples is given, or political maps that reduce First Nations to the faint outlines of their reserves, virtually indistinguishable from the limits of large plantations or mining concessions.

In reality, the true map of America is to be done. This map must clearly show all nations of America, without exclusions. It should show the Mapuche country. There are still a million and a half Mapuche, many of whom are reluctant to identify with the states who conquered and oppressed them: Chile and Argentina. The Mapuche nation failed to get their status. Nor has it been included on any map. This map should show the Guarani country. There are still hundreds of thousands of Guarani distributed in several hundred communities. Among them the M'bya Guarani scattered across the length and breadth of their old ancestral territory now occupied by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay. Also the Ava Chiripá, Pai Tavyterá / Kaiová on the western side of Alto Parana, the Ñandeva and Ava-Guarani in the western Chaco do not have sovereign territory or self-government. They don't even the right to travel in their own country without documents required by the governments that now control their former territories. Nor there is a map that includes the ancient nation of the Toba, related to current mocovíes and extinct (?) Abipones and Charruas. No map shows the Quechua nation. Its former territory: the Tahuantisuyu today is painted with

various colors corresponding to several countries: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina. Nor appears the Aymara nation, whose representatives have been divided into three countries (Peru, Bolivia and Chile) dividing the communities with artificial boundaries. The same can be said of the Arawaks and Caribs scattered throughout the South American forests or the Southern Chaná (Terena and Guana).

Similarly, there is no map of Central America or Mesoamerica painting the territory of the Kuna in the Isthmus of Panama and neighboring islands, and the Maya area in Guatemala, Mexico and Belize, or the country of the Nahuatl in the valley of Mexico. or the Purepecha nation in the Mexican state of Michoacan. In the map the Navajo nation or the Iroquois Confederacy are absent. The beautiful home of the Haida, the archipelago of Haidaway was named until recently in a grotesque and unfair way with the irrelevant name of Queen Charlotte Islands.

The new color map of the American continent is pending. Of course we are still many other things to correct, recognizing rights, reviewing the history. However, geographers can and must do our fair share in this necessary remaking of the geographical geography of America. Blur boundaries, draw new colors, have a fresh look at the old territories and the nature around them. Perhaps that is the first step in building a new society where all will accept and recognize human diversity.

SYNTHETIC REFERENCES

Anton, Danilo, 1997 Amerrique, Orphans of Paradise, Piriguazú Edciones

Anton, Danilo, 1995 Piríguazú, Rosebud Ed. Montevideo

Anton, Danilo, 1995 Globalization and nation-states in Latin America; Presented at the Seminar on Globalization in Plainfields, Vermont, August 1995

Crosby, Alfred, 1988: Ecological Imperialism: Ed Review, Barcelona.

Weatherford, Jack, 1988: Indian givers "Ballantine Books, New York

Weatherford, Jack, 1993 "Native roots" Ballantine Books, New York

Wright. Ronald, 1993 "Stolen continents", Penguin, 1993, Toronto

Blog in Spanish:            daniloanton.blogspot.com

Crossing the Ocean- Sea

Danilo Anton

The small fleet departed from Palos on Friday, August 3^rd, 1492, setting course for the Canary Islands, on the initial phase of their planned itinerary.

The first leg of the trip was quite eventful. A severe storm damaged “La Pinta” and it was left behind. The two remaining ships arrived at the island of Gomera where they remained for two weeks. After a brief crossing to Gran Canaria they were rejoined by “La Pinta” and returned to Gomera for the final outfitting before the ocean crossing.

On the morning of September 6, 1492, the three ships began their daring leap to the unknown horizon. Immediately after leaving Gomera, they crossed a Spanish carabel from whose crew they learned about the proximity of a Portuguese fleet. The news complicated the situation. The Admiral knew the dangers he was facing. The Portuguese, very defensive of their oceanic territory, might stop and arrest them.

Columbus’ brother, Bartholomew, had been appointed Chief Cartographer of Portugal. Both because of these family ties and his previous links with the Portuguese kingdom, he could be accused of spying for the Castilians and executed.

It was apparently at this moment that Columbus decided to keep his navigation records in two different diaries. In one he wrote the real positions, in the other fake data to confuse the Portuguese in case they were detained.

We know of only one of those diaries. It reached us through a copy made a few decades later by Bartolome de las Casas a few decades later using documents from Ferdinando Columbus’ libraryⁱ.

In a South-Southwesterly direction

According to Luis Coin, who researched the issue in depth, the ships did not travel West, as stated in the known journal, but South-Southwest (therefore toward the area under Portuguese control) aiming to find the right winds. Evidence supporting this theory is very convincing. First, during the initial days of the trip, Columbus’ diary mentions a countercurrent which does not exist West of the Canary Islands, but is found Southwest of the archipelago (particularly from July through October). Secondly, at that moment he noticed that the ocean water was less salty. That does not occur West of the Canary Islands, but it does to the South and Southwest, as a result of a rise of deep, cold, fresher water of polar origin which happens at exactly that place. As a result of this upwelling the sea is very rich in fish, particularly schools of thon and other species, as described by Columbus in his chronicle. This fertility cannot be found in the central Atlantic, contradicting known diary statements. Another anomaly took place some days later, when the sailors saw tropical birds in the middle of the ocean, 500 miles “West” of the Canary Islands. Curiously, Columbus was not surprised. The presence of these birds could easily be explained if the path of the ship was South-Southwest instead of West.

Coin found several other incongruent aspects in the Las Casas copy: an inaccurate position of the Sargasso sea, progressions in excess of 4.5 nautical miles during the night, advances of 55 leagues during calm days, and crew members swimming in the sea while the boat was travelling fast.

Turning West

According to Coin, the turn to the West took place at about 20^o or 19^o latitude North, that is, seven degrees (800 km) South-Southwest of the Canary islands. This hypothesis is compatible with the later “perception” Columbus had of navigating between two islands in the Diary entry of September 19 and the subsequent sighting of the coastline on September 25^th, barely 20 days after his departure from Gomera. The island would have been Sombrero, in the Virgin Islands group. On the following morning, the land was lost to sight.

New sightings took place afterward: on the dawn of October 1^st, Martin Alonso Pinzón saw a flat island, probably of the Turks and Caicos group, but Columbus refused to go there. He prefered to reach the mainland by taking advantage of the favorable winds. On October 7^th the “La Niña” crew observed the semblance of an island, but its profile was lost when the leading carabel arrived. Some days later the island of Guanahani appeared in the distance. On October 12, as is well known, Columbus and his crew disembarked and “took possession” in the name of the Kings.

The research work carried out by Coin clearly demonstrates the inaccuracies and secretiveness of Columbus’ log. In order to ensure his control of the situation the Genoese sailor kept part of the information to himself. Likewise, we can assume that he may have acted in the same way with his diaries of other trips, hiding data he did not want known by others (such as the name Amerrique).

The secret of Juan de la Cosa`s map

In Juan de la Cosa’s map, prepared after Columbus’ return from his second voyage, many features of the American continent are included: the coasts of South and North America, Cuba, Haiti and other Caribbean islands. Curiously, the Central American region, which represented a key element in understanding the configuration of the continent, was deliberately covered by a figure of Saint Christopher. We do not know what information was concealed by the image. Maybe it was the way to the Western ocean beyond the Central American isthmus. Or possibly the location of the gold mines of Amerrique. It was at that moment that information about these wealthy lands began to reach Europe.

Three years later, in 1503, during his fourth trip, Columbus did visit the coasts of Amerrique. He enthusiastically described the riches of the country, but in no place did he mention the Costa Rica, the land-where-the-wind-blows, Amerrique.

A covert operation

His reticence is understandable. Columbus was a very secretive person. He always kept the most important pieces of information for himself. He did that all his life, but more so when he had been displaced from the governship of Hispaniola and betrayed by so many. He let the Kings know that the new western lands were very rich in gold, but he did not provide any specific information that could lead anybody to find them. Most particularly, he concealed the designation of the golden land: Amerrique.

However, he was not able to hide the name from the members of the crew. By late 1503, when the survivors returned to Europe, the news spread like gunpowder. A new land, rich in gold, had been discovered west of the oceanic islands. The native name was Amerrique, perhaps America. In a few months everybody knew about it. On the far reaches of the European world, people started using this new word for the Mundus Novus. In 1507, when Jean Basin and Martin Walseemüller published their famous Introductio Cosmographiae, the name America was already widely known and used. Almost certainly Basin and Walseemüller did not know where that name originated. Perhaps they believed that it came from the first name of Vespucci, the author of the famous letters, may be they’ve got their information from unknown contemporary sources, or simply they invented it.

That was the beginning of the fraud.

i Ferdinando Columbus was Christopher Columbus’s second son.

From the book "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Blog in Spanish daniloanton.blogspot.com

            Tempests, Gods and Devils

Danilo Anton

The invaders came from the East. They arrived in large ships and occupied the Taino, Carib, Ciboney and Guanatabey Islands. They seized lands and peoples. From the summits of her mountains, Amerrique witnessed their arrival

“Eighty-eight days had passed and the terrible storm had not left us. I did not see the sun or the stars....my vessels were taking water....the sails torn...people very ill... frequently confessing one another...” Then “The storm came back... for nine days I was lost without hope. Never had eyes beheld the sea so high, ugly and foamy... I paused on that sea turned to blood, boiling like a cauldron over a great fire. Never had the sky been so awful. One day the night burned like an oven and threw flames of lightning ... so furious and frightening that all believed the vessels would be melted...” and the fatigue was so great “... that in some the heretical idea took hold that we were under a spell”

“I am lost.... Isolated in this sorrow, ill, awaiting death every day and surrounded by a million savages, full of cruelty, and our enemies. I do not have a single hair that has not turned grey and my body is sick and worn out.... weep for me whomsoever feels charity, truth and justice.”

Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean-Sea had arrived in Amerrique, the “Land-Where-the-Wind-Blows”.

Amerrique was not only the land of the wind, she was also the Rich Coast, the Costa Rica, or as they say in a local native tongue: Huzgalpa or Huigalpa, the Country of Gold.

Columbus, Vespucci and other Europeans who arrived at her shores were attracted by the shining metal, the abundant gold, originating in the many mines o the interior.

The Admiral himself would say in his Diary of the Fourth Trip:

“The gold is excellent, treasures are made from it, whomsoever has it can do as he pleases in the world and can send souls to Paradise”.

From "The Fraud of the Millenium", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones
 Blog in Spanish:   daniloanton.blogspot.com

Amerrique, the ancient mountains have changed

D.Anton

Amerrique, the mountains, the continent

The Sierra de Amerrique has changed considerably since the times when the Amerrique people lived there.The old forests have been logged, only small patches remain on the steep slopes or in the bottom of the valleys. Cattle has taken the place of deers and jaguars and large haciendas ganaderas have replaced the ancient farming communities.

In addition, several centuries of gold mining have taken its toll. Most fluvial placer gold fields were exhausted, a large number of quarries dot the landscape and many mine shafts have punctured the ground surface.
However, there are still innumerable signs of the past if we want to see them. Some are too obvious to be ignored. Those enigmatic stone faces speaking undeciphered words, the wide diversity of ancient artefacts and tools, and specially, the descendants of the ancestral nations and their rich web of surviving oral traditions. The lineage can be perceived in their unmistakable features. In many ways, the Amerriques are still alive in present-day Nicaragua.                          
What About Now?
It is impossible to change history. America has become a melting pot of cultures and visions. Many Africans and Europeans have gradually become adapted to the new lands, and today, in large measure, they can be considered native populations in their own right. The present cultural and demographical configuration of the continent is a reality.   Similarly, the name of the continent has become an accepted word, like Africa, Asia or Australia. Any attempt to radically alter the social make up or change the designation of the land would probably be a waste of time. However, we can still do many things to exorcise the old injustices and revert the degradation. Perhaps we can start with the name of the continent itself.  
America is many things for many people, it is the land-of-the-blowing-wind, the expanse of the forests, the Mother-Earth, the spirit of the jaguar, the continent of the blue skies. 
Somehow, all these elements are embodied in the word America.  Our home. 

Adapted from the book: "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

daniloanton.blogspot.com

The Devil of the Silver Mines

Danilo Anton

 The Devil has come. No doubt. Across America the news spread. The Devil with pale skin and iton clothes. Those who thought they were the good gods were wrong. Actually, they are devilish demons who worship metals that grow in the depths of the Earth. It is rumored that feed on silver and gold, shed their iron skin every year and do not know about love and tenderness. "

In the bowels of the Andean plateau, where the sunlight never reaches and the cooling breezes don't arrive, in the deep galleries where silver and tin are extracted Quechua and Aymara prepare their offerings for Uncle Devil and his wife, China Supay. Uncle prefer coca leaves, tobacco and chicha. China liked sugar canes..

The Devil and his wife control the world of metals where the money is found. So everyone knows: "Money is a thing of the Devil."

The money is not obtained through work, or love, or solidarity. It is achieved through a blood pact with the Devil: The k'araku. The k'araku is a golden contract that only is made for money. In that way the Spaniards who conquered this land obtained their wealth. So they could kill hundreds of thousands with impunity, and above it, get rich. Although Pizarro promised to respect the life of Atahualpa he did not hesitate to kill him. As a reward for this crime he inherited the riches of the Inca Empire. Drug traffickers, who negotiate with the suffering of others, make millions of dollars with cocaine. The miners have learned these truths in their own lives. They risk of dying in a cave or getting silicosis. Despite working hard and producing much mineral they don't get any riches.. Meanwhile, others who live far away and never worked in the mines live luxurious lives of millionaires. These inequalities can be explained only by magic and sacrifices to the Devil. In that way the gringos have money. Surely. There is no other logical explanation. These people have managed to get the favor of the Uncle and China Supay.

The Demon of the miners has horns like goats, blood-colored eyes, mule ears, two black fangs and daggers instead of teeth, they reflect the weak light of the galleries. Like European kings he has a crown on his head where with a poisonous snake. Altiplano people have learned their lesson. More than four centuries of oppression and suffering have taught them. The conquistadors did not bring God but the devil. And for this reason, they make their Diabladas every year. From Oruro to Potosi the ancient ´people of the mountains and plateaus never forget to present their their offerings and ceremonies to the Uncle and China..

Outside the mine, outdoors, in the land where the wind blows and rains and snow falls, there the spirit of Pachamama reigns, Mother Earth. With the help of the Virgin Mary and the Saints, the Pachamama allow plants to flourish, crops to mature and children are born, Pachamama is good. Pachamama has nothing to do with money. Pachamama is Amerrique.

From "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Amerrique, the Word

 Danilo Anton

 We can begin this work in many ways and all of them would be valid. Many are the rights and wrongs the America has suffered historically since the times of the European invasion. We could talk about the sacred and green landscapes, the respect for the generosity of Mother Earth that native people had almost everywhere. We could start talking about some of those things. However, for the mere purpose of making us understand from the beginning, sio you know that we mean, we will start referring to the word, the proper name that identifies our land: America.

In their devaluation of indigenous people of the continent the invaders and their intellectual successors have endeavored to steal or hide many things, perhaps to minimize the genocide. We will start with the name “America” which in reality should be called Amerrique or Amerrisque.

This was done through a systematic"conspiracy" of “illustrious" people who viciously devoted thousands of pages to show that in fact even the name is America ia nor American.

These “indians” are so unimportant that not even their own name deserve! According to them the name America come from a Florentine gentleman named Amerigo Vespucci, who, after his travels and with the help of several generations of writers for many years, left us among other things his own name so we could finally name ourselves ...

We had a hard time realizing this great basic fraid. However, at last, as with so many things the hard truth is reappearing unstoppable. I think it was not by chance, perhaps with help of those old spirits who witnessed so much and somehow are still here.

Whatever it is, little by little things are clearing up. The old Sierra de Amerrique, the Lenca land of the "amerricanos" Amerisque lands are coming back in force..

The underlying assumption of our work is that the name America does not come not in any way from the name of Mister Vespucci and instead arose of the heart of the great continent from ancient authentically American roots.

The word actually comes from "Amerrique" Lenca-word of a Mayan dialect which means "the place where the wind always blows" or "the place of the intense life" or better "the living Earth". The name designated (and still does) a mountainous area of ​​the present Republic of Nicaragua, now called Sierra of Chontales or Chontaleña. It should be noted that in relatively recent times the name was also used to identify a native American nation that inhabited this area: the nation of the Amerriques, related to the Lencas with Maya ethnic roots. The confusion in Europe about the characteristics of these "new lands" spread to the future use and origin of the name. In the following pages we will try to show that America is an Aboriginal name, the Florentine explorer Vespucci, who is credited with "parenting" the adjective, it was actually named Alberico and Americo was a nickname (maybe a pseudonym) that was added in later times. We will try to prove in the end, that fortunately, we can correct historic inaccuracies and apparent inconsistencies starting with the name of the land.

The central work of compilation and analysis of the issue to whom we owe most of the information ewas the French geographer Jules Marcou who in the 1880's held with solid foundations, based on own observations and information from other scholars, that the name America actually comes from an area of ​​the current Republic of Nicaragua called Amerrique Mountains or Sierra de Amerrique.

Marcou work presented his work under the suggestive name of "New research on the origin of the name America", it ​​includes data and findings of several authors as Thomas Belt, Henry H. Harrisse and Lambert and build a very plausible scenario.

According to Marcou, the word Amerrique is a Mayan (Lenca) word naming the mountain range that separates Lake Nicaragua of the humid plain of the Caribbean Coast. Marcou quotes Le Plongeon, a specialist in Mayan and Central American languages, who said that the word Amerrique meant "the land where the wind blows". He added that sometimes the “ique”, “ik” and “ika” meant not only "wind" or "air", but also "the spirit that breathes" or simply “life”. Accordingly, the word Amerrique could also mean "the place of the spirit that breathes", or perhaps "the living earth".

It is noteworthy that Amerrique appears designated as such in numerous maps, (eg in the Larousse dictionary and others), and in some studies and references. According to Thomas Belt, who was a geologist who worked in the area in the 1870s, the chain that divides the basin of Nicaragua River Blewfields river (sic; the current name is Bluefields) is called "Sierra Amerrique "or" Amerrique range". This area coincides with a number of gold deposits that the author of this work was able to visit in late 1980. According to Belt, the region of the Sierra Amerrique was formerly inhabited by a Lenca nation marginally related with the Mayan people. The president of Nicaragua, Don. Ad. Cardenas, meanwhile, in a letter sent to Don Manuel Peralta on May 22, 1886, stated that this mountain range was inhabited by "a tribe of Indians called the Amerriques, now reduced to a small number of individuals" but that it was "formerly of some importance." Mr. Cardenas added that "these Indians Amerriques have had more or less frequent communication with Cape Gracias a Dios and the entire coast of the Mosquitos" According to Belt, quoted by Marcou, the similarity between the name of the Sierra and the continent appeared to be very strange.

Moreover, it is interesting to remember that the name Vespucci was Alberico (in Italian) or Albericus (in Latin). In XVI century italian language all Americo related patronimics (including Amerigo, Americus or Americo), were not used as a derivative of Alberico. Moreover, before the publication of the map of Jean Basin in Saint-Die, none of these appellations (Amerigo, Americus, Américo) appear in any document of recognized authenticity. It appears then that Alberico Vespucci only became known as "Americo" in the decade of 1500- 1510, most likely around 1505.

What happened to Vespucci at that time that was important enough to change his name to from Alberico to Américo ? The answer to this question is probably related to something that happened after own Vespucci travels beyond the western ocean. During his first voyage, from 1497-1498, Vespucci visited the Mosquito Coast in Nicaragua near Cape Gracias a Dios and then at Cape Camaron on the southern coast of Honduras. In those places, the locals had a certain amount of gold, probably from the Sierra de Amerrique. Surely, Alberico Vespucci was among the first Europeans to hear the name Amerrique referred to an area of ​​the mainland. Probably the name was also heard by the explorers Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, Juan de la Cosa and Juan Díaz de Solís who visited the Nicaraguan coast in 1498. The name went to Europe with the sailors that accompanied these expeditions and its use became widespread.  

Translated from "Amerrique, los Huérfanos del Paraíso", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones

Why America and not  Columbia?  (Second Part)

 History of a little known fraud

Danilo Anton

6) A secret expedition arrives to the shores of Amerrique

The King Fernando, who was never at ease with the titles and prerogatives that the Crown had given to a foreigner, decided to find out from trustable sources the characteristics and potentiality of the new lands, without the intermediation of Columbus.

With the financial help of the House of Berardi, now under the responsibility of Alberico Vespucci, he decided to organize a new expedition under the command of experienced and trustable Spanish sailors.

The selected captain was Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, who had been in charge of La Niña during the first Columbus trip.

The other vessels went under the command of Juan de la Cosa (who had also participated in Columbus 1st trip, and had revealed to be an excelent cartographer) and Juan Díaz de Solís. Alberico Vespucci was going to accompany the expedition in his double character of representative of the financing agency and prestigious geographer.

7) The Medici Bank financed the Atlantic travel

The Medici Bank was the most important commercial and banking conglomerate of Europe during the last half of the fifteenth century and beginning of the sixteenth.

Heirs to the financial acumen of the Knights of the Order of the Templars, the Medici built an economic empire of great power and historical projection. In a large measure, the origin of the Medici’s fortune was due to their role as administrators of the Pope properties, as well as to the monopolies obtained thanks to their relations with the Church authorities, and clever lobbying in the corridors of the Council of Constance during the second half of the fourteenth century and the first decades of the fifteenth century.

When the Moorish kingdoms of Andalusia were defeated, and the Atlantic commercial routes to Madeira, the Canary Islands, Africa and the Indies were open, the Medicis were present in Seville commissioning expeditions and buying and selling slaves, gold, ivory, fabrics, and other profitable products.

After 1489 their representative in Seville was Gianeto Berardi, recommended by Alberico Vespucci himself, who has met Berardi during his first trip to Seville in that same year.

After the fall of Granada and the first trip of Columbus to America, the House of Berardi, channelled its investments towards the financing of transatlantic expeditions to the Indies. Important sums were lent to the Crown with high interests (above 10% per annum) with the expectation that they were going to be timely repayed with the riches obtained from beyond the seas.

8) King Fernando’s expedition arrives to the new continent

King Fernando’s fleet left the port of Cadiz on May 10^th, 1497.

After crossing the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea, the vessels arrived to the coast of Cariari in September or October of the same year.

From the sea, the explorers were able to discern the outline of distant mountains and a long straight sandy coastline.

Perhaps, this was the Asian continent mentioned by Columbus, or more likely, as Vespucci suspected, the view of new lands, separated from Asia by still wider seas.

9) The natives of Cariari wore gold ornaments

The boats landed on a large white sandy beach which ended in a rocky point (probably the present port of Limón). Local natives, who inhabited wooden and straw houses, approached the Europeans with a friendly attitude. They told them that their country was called Cariari (today Costa Rica). They wore various golden ornaments, such as necklaces and bracelets, arousing the greed of the sailors.

10) Amerrique awas the land of the gold

When the Spaniards asked what was the origin of the jewels, the native informers pointed toward the far away mountains, repeating the word: Amerrique.

11) The existence of a new continent was proved

The fleet continued its route due North along the Central American coastline, the Gulf of México and Florida. This route proved them that Cuba was an island and not an Asian peninsula as Columbus thought. A few months later, Juan de la Cosa would draw the first map of the continent showing clearly the two Americas and the Caribbean lands, depicting Cuba as a separate island.

After 17 months of travelling they returned to Spain in October 1498, providing the King with a detailed report of their experiences and observations.

A few weeks before the arrival of Yánez Pinzón to the peninsula, Columbus had left for his third trip (initiated in June 1498), from which he would return in chains a couple of years later.

Yánez Pinzón expedition was recorded for posterity in the second letter of Vespucci, written in 1504 and published in 1506, eight years after the end of the trip.

12) The news spread in the sailors circles of the Spanish ports

After the fleet arrived to Seville, the 150 sailors who had participated in the trip, starting telling their story in the Andalusian taverns of the sea ports. A new land had been discovered, its name was Amerrique. In the Castilian-Mozarabe argot of Southern Spain, the word was pronounced “America”.

13) The name America was known throughout Europe

The news spread very fast through the Italian ports, in Genoa, Florence, Pisa, Venice and Naples, and from those cities to the rest of the continent. In the years 1500 through 1502 there were many people in France, Germany and even England who knew that there was a very rich continent with plenty of gold on the other side of the Ocean. Its name was America.

14) Florence and Machiavello government

By the end of the fifteenth century, Florence, the capital of Tuscany was the main financial power of Europe. She was the home of the Medici Bank, who was the administrator of the Pope properties, and had made a fortune charging a very important commission for their services.

15) The politics of Florencia

Recently, the events of Tuscany’s politics had weakened the Republic facing its traditional adversary: Genoa. In 1494, Fray Savonarola, an austere and sectarian monk had taken power in Florence, and four years later, when Savonarola was executed in the public square, a new Gonfaloniero (president) was installed, Piero Soderini. The secretary of state of the new government was a young and intelligent administrator called Niccolò Machiavelli

From the books "Amerrique, Orphans of Paradise"  and "The Largest Fraud in History" of Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones