The first fact that astonished me in the recent reading was related to the contradictory nature of relationships between Spaniards and Natives. Despite the economic dependence of the two nations, the connections were built upon the distribution of the balance of forces on the frontier in which Native groups remained unconquered. The economic relationships of exchange were merely based on the fact that Chile had no overwhelming need to conquer the territories. The idea of gaining economic profits while on the edge of war shocks me.
The second thing that struck me after readings are how difficult it is to overcome the traditional legal establishments’ rules. The indigenous population needed to reconceptualize to ensure the republic of Indians and the Spaniards had similar and equal rights. Based on readings, all the attempts to consolidate the populations with the diverse nations striving for liberalism requires significant efforts from the mentioned populations and government. Establishing legal equality for previously stigmatized countries requires enormous resources, time, and effort. It was astonishing that the liberal projects in Latin America, which seemed ethically correct in practice, were complicated to realize.
The third thing that struck me is that the results of the postcolonial struggles of indigenous people are relevant even for the twentieth-first century. Today, only a few native people can declare having equal rights. Despite decades of fighting for equality and legal justice in treating different nations, the desired outcome is yet to achieve. The failure of the historical struggles of the free nation formation in Latin America makes the current equality-oriented government actions more valuable. It is relevant that the political agenda includes addressing the issue of the indigenous population’s rights. However, it is still shocking that marginalization is such a deep-rooted societal problem.