Answer to Question #149047 in History for Vince

Question

How did Ethnocentrism develop in Colonial Mexico

Answer 1

Ethnocentrism in Colonial Mexico

Introduction

The world is diverse, full of unique cultures, races, societies, religions, and ethnicities. The merging of these individual factors can lead to acceptance or rejection. When acceptance of other cultures, race or religions occurs, the society either adopts or assimilate them. However, when it is rejected, division among communities arise. Ethnocentrisms is the belief that one's ethnic group is superior to all others. Ethnocentrisms breeds prejudice and racism among members of society. The people who believe that their ethnic group is better than others found this belief is merely founded on their heritage. The above notion has made people believe that cultural ignorance thrives in most societies, hence ethnocentrism. This paper aims to look at ethnocentrism and its impact on colonial Mexico.

Although people are aware that ethnocentrism is a problem that festers in society, they are not aware of how often it occurs at both the social and political levels. During colonial times, ethnocentrism was a norm; it could be seen by the white men who oppressed slaves for their benefit. The white men considered their race superior, hence the term white supremacy. This term leads to the oppression and suffering of many people who were not white. Thus, colonialism is an excellent example of ethnocentrism. It can be argued that ethnocentrism developed in colonial Mexico due to colonization. The colonization of Spain resulted in a mixed heritage of indigenous groups, European and African roots. Most Mexican culture is based on Spanish traditions as Spain was the country that colonized Mexico.

The result of colonization was indigenous Mexicans and Hispanic Mexicans. The native Americans were captured and sold to prominent Spanish families during the colonial period. Spain believed that they were superior in every way to the indigenous people; hence, the native people were forced to abandon their cultures and take up those of the Spanish kingdom. As a result, in today's Mexico, many people prize Spanish ancestry, hardly remembering their indigenous roots, which also included Africans. Colonization itself is an ethnocentrism act. The colonized people are forced to abandon their culture as it is viewed as inferior and are forced to adapt and assimilate new cultures and ways of living to avoid oppression.

Conclusion

It has been established that ethnocentrism was a result of the colonization of Mexico. The native people were forced to abandon their cultures and identity and embrace new ones, leading to culture and identity loss. These were the consequences of ethnocentrism in Mexico. Ethnocentrism is not just an absurd practice, but it also has deadly consequences. It is a violent force that shatters human relationships. Despite our differences in culture, ethnicity, race, and religion, we are still part of the human race at the end of the day. We should avoid ethnocentrism as it leads to the unfair treatment of others in our society. Ethnocentrisms is a vast topic as even in a person's ethnicity; the division will still a particular person does not fit its criteria. If society cannot learn to embrace other differences, it can learn to understand them and tolerate them.