Chapter1.2.rtf

8/14/2019 Chapter1.2.rtf

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• Usme Social Profile

Introduction

The legend says that in the year 1480 there was a Muisca princess who was kidnapped by

Ebeque, The Cacique o !baque1" The princes was the daughter o #aguan$achica, %ipa o the

Muisca Conederation o &acat'" (er na$e was !s$inia" Ebeque took !s$inia to !s$e, a

territory na$ed ater her, which could be translated as )lo*e nest+, )your lo*e nest+ or in recent

interpretations o Muisca language )your ho$e+" This was the place where their elt in lo*e" &ut

Ebeque was ro$ !baque, a Cacicasgo that was in war against #aguan$achica, so they were not

allowed to $arry" This is why they decided to run away together" Meanwhile, #aguan$anchica

threatened !baque and launched a ca$paign o*er the territory o the %aque in order to ind

!s$inia-"The legend does not clariy why Ebeque kidnapped !s$inia" (owe*er, the origin o

this legend can be traced to the ti$es o the war between the %ipa and the %aque, in which

Ebeque played a key role betraying the %ipa.

#aguan$anchica inherited a wealthy and powerul Conederation, so he took as a duty the

1 &eore the #panish arri*al in to Muisca/s land, it was di*ided in two big ederal territories that together $ade theMuisca Conederation" t the south there was the Conederation o &acat', its political power was concentred inwhat today is known as &ogot'" &acata/s political and $ilitary leader was the %ipa, and he had under his control$any cacicasgos, that were cities and towns with their own go*ern$ent, but under the ederal law o the ederalgo*ern$ent" t the north o %ipa/s Conederation it was the %aque/s Conederation" The political and ad$inistrati*esyste$ was the sa$e o &acata, but in there the political and $ilitary leader was the %aque, who wielded his powerro$ (una, nowadays known as Tun2a" 3&roadbent, 1546 7estrepo, 19

This translations and interpretations o the word !s$e were gi*en by !s$e acti*ist during $y ieldwork" :n so$erituals at !s$e e*en the Chyquy 3spiritual leader that is a priest and a healer at the sa$e ti$e9 o the Cabildo

Muisca de Suba, #ua ;ua :ngati*a <eusa, told us that !s$e could be translated in to the abo*e $eanings dependingon the conte=t"

- This legend is told by !s$e inhabitants and acti*ist in the or$ o a $yth that gi*es origin to !s$e" #o$e*ersions o the legend do not told that !s$inia elt in lo*e with Ebeque, but that #aguan$anchica 2ust culd not indher" >n this *ersion, #aguan$anchica was not yet the %aque, and &acata conederation was or$ed by his endlesssearch or !s$inia that was translated into $ilitary conquest ca$paigns" >ne o this *ersion can be ound in the$ost i$portant oral history reco$pilation $ade by ;erardo #antae 3189 known as The Usmeologist. : will $akea deep e=planation about #anta e and his work later on the te=t"

1



e=tension o the control that &acat' had o*er nearby territories" ;i*en that, he decided to attack

those territories that did not belong to the (una Conederation or did not ha*e cooperation

treats with the$" #o he chose to attack the <ation o ?os @anches with an ar$y o $ore than

-0000 warriors, and Ausagasug' was the irst Cacicasgo that he attacked" #aguan$anchica won

the battle and captured the co$$ander o Auagasug' r$y, !ata$a, who accepted the

?ordship4 o #aguan$anchica and with it he recei*ed the restitution o his #tate" ;uata*itaBs

Cacique elt that this attack was a *iolation o the peace treaty between the <orthern Muisca

Conederation and the Muisca Conederation o &acat'" Thereore, he launched an attack

towards &acat', but realising that his orces would be crushed by the %ipa/s ar$y, the Cacique

asked or help ro$ the %aque" :n the $eanti$e, Ebeque the Cacique o !baque $ade an alliance

with the %aque and launched an attack o*er &acata conederation ro$ the south and in*aded

!s$e and @asca" The %ipa reacted by $o*ing his troops towards !baque in order to tookEbeque and the %aque by surprise6 but $eanwhile the <ation o ?os @anches reacted and

lanched an attack o*er %ipacon and Tena, and ;uata*ita/s Cacique attaked Chia and Ca2ica, all o

the$ at the north" #aguan$anchica ought to ace both ar$ies in a war that took si=teen years" t

the end o the war, the %aque launched a big attack o*er Choconta in the northwest rontier o the

&acat' Conederation with an appro=i$ate nu$ber o si=ty thousand warriors" The %ipa went to

deend his territory with an ar$y o about ity thousand troops" This inal battle took nearly

three hours and e*en when &acat' ar$y won, the %ipa and the %aque died on it" 3Aern'nde

@iedrahDta, 15886 (errera ngel, 1-9"

Then <e$equene inherited ro$ #aguan$anchica5 the tittle o %ipa, he and the council o &acat'

decided to $ake peace with the %aque and the (una Conederation, but they decided that the

rebelled caicasgos $ust be reco*ered and punished" #o, <e$equene put Tisquesusa, his nephew

4 <ote to ;lenda. : wanted to write on that sentence so$ething like. !:E< CE@T> E? #EF>7:> GE#<;!<M<C(:C" &ut : could not ind a proper way to e=press it" : $ean, : wanted to say that !ata$aaccepted #aguan$anchica as his lord, but : don/t know i lordship is the proper way to say it, e*en$ore : get

conuced because the word lordship is used when describing a Aeudal #yste$ not a Aederal #yste$"5 @asca isa s$all town located at the southeast o &ogot'" >n @asca was ound the El Dorado Raft , one o the $osti$portant archaeological disco*eries about Muisca Culture" :t is a ;old igure that represents the ritual o coronationo a new cacique" >n this cere$ony the new cacique, entirely co*er by gold dust, sail in a s$all rat with $any goldand e$erald oerings that were thrown in to the water" Then the new cacique take a bath in to the sa$e waters,washing ro$ his body all the gold dust" n actual rat was ounded in ;uata*ita ?ake, near @asca" 3El Museo del>ro del &anco de la 7epHblica, 019

6 :n Muisca societies, e*en when the $an were the only ones that could ha*e political or religious power, the titles,land and property were inherited by $aternal line" 3&roadbent, 1549



and inheritor, in charge o a our thousand eecti*e/s ar$y and ga*e hi$ the order o a deiniti*e

deeat o Ausagasuga" Then the %ipa ordered to cla$p ;uata*ita and kill his cacique, and inally,

he reco*ered the control o*er !baque, !bate, #usa y AHquene 3&roadbent, 1546 7estrepo,

19" ccording to the legend the %ipa was ne*er able to ind !s$inia, but created a te$ple in

!s$e, and it beca$e a site o religious peregrination or the Muiscas, especially or the people o

&acat'" #o$e *ersions o the legend tell the story o a Foundation or Corner Stone that was the

place o origin ro$ all lie on earth"

The legend o the kidnap o !s$inia is i$portant or $any o the inhabitants o conte$porary

!s$e, and one sculpture was built in her honour" !s$inia is erected where the Io$asa Creek

3!E&7G9 crosses the &oyac' *enue8" #he is )totally naked in an oering posture looking

towards the rural one as a liberty sy$bol and pointing toward the $ost i$portant resource in the

locality. the water that springs ro$ the @'ra$o" The i$age has pictures o the $oon and the sun,

and their path is represented by the $oon phases and one sun centre which has deteriorated with

ti$e+ 3#al*e$os la !#M:<:, 0119" :t is a lucky coincidence that !s$ina is also pointing

towards the $ost i$portant archaeological inding in Colo$bia since #an gustin10. the Muisca

<ecropolis in B(acienda El Car$enB, the biggest preJColu$bian ce$etery that has been ound in

Colo$bia, and #outh $erica" This ce$etery has beco$e in a pi*otal place or the social

construction o $eanings and e$otional bonds with !s$e11" :t represents the crystallisation o

the hopes and KKK that !s$enians has e=pressed through constant social $obilisation" Airst, as

a contested territory in the preJColu$bian wars. then in the colonial period, when the #panish

Liceroy wanted to transor$ it into his personal Manor7anch 3hacienda96 then during the

7 E*en when there is no e*idence o a te$ple and when is concei*able to clai$ that the Foundation Stone is a $orea western concept deri*ed the Christian sy$bology 3Thurston, 119, : argue that !s$e could ha*e been a peregrination place because on it there was a ce$etery" This ce$etery is pi*otal in conte$porary !s$e and : willco$e back to it later on the te=t"

8 Aootnote georeerencing where it is"

9 >riginally in #panish, translated by $e"

10 E=plain san agustin, and quote reerences"11 The ce$etery was ound recently and so$e archaeologist clai$ that it is the $ost i$portant archaeologicalinding about Muisca culture" This disco*ery has generated $any conlicts, but has been also a political plataor$or the Muisca co$$unities in &ogota that ha*e N/integrated to the interlocution process as *alid political actors andthat they OThe MuiscasP renew their unda$ental goal. The they ha*e allowed that the $uisca co$$unities integratedialogue processes as *alid political actors and to renew its pri$ary goal. to be recognied as an ethnic group nati*ero$ the centre o Colo$bia with a $oral and historical continuity with the Muisca co$$unities o the present//"3;Q$e MontaRe, 01-9 <ote. >rignally in #panish, translated by $e"

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7epublican period when the go*ern$ent saw !s$e as a repository o natural resources6 and

during the second hal o the KK century, when it was the place o reuge or sur*i*ors o the

:ndependent 7epublic o Marquetalia16 and now when the $ultinationals and national

corporations want to put their hands o*er this land" Aollowing this narration, this thesis will try

describe the territory o !s$e, by telling its history GE#GE &S> and trying to gi*e *oice to

its inhabitants"

History of Usme

The reconstruction o the history o !s$e has been pro*ed to be a hard task" There are a

ew historical sources ro$ beore the 110/s, and $any o sources ro$ all period o ti$e are

related to the Tun2uelo 7i*er, the Construction o the Cantarana @ress and the (u$boldtE=pedition into the para$ount1-" Each o this sub2ects enco$pass a consistent, but s$all, body o

docu$ents that address !s$e only tangentially" (owe*er, it is possible to identiy our key

periods in !s$e/s history. preJ(ispanic, colonial, republican and recent ti$es"

The Pre-Hispanic Period. :nor$ation about the indigenous period o !s$e is scarcely,

and al$ost ine=istent" The only $entions that could be ound about !s$e by chroniclers like

?ucas Aernande @iedrahita whose works were published in 1588 by S"&" Lerdussen in ntwerp

and who wrote about the war between the %ipa and the %aque" <onetheless, the oral tradition

rural !s$e tells the legend o !s$inia" The local belies also recall !s$e as an i$portant

Muisca peregrination centre, thereore, the local population belie*e that !s$e was an i$portant

religious centre" Their oral tradition has been partially conir$ed by the recent disco*ery o the

greatest indigenous necropolis in #outh $erica, where, it is esti$ated, there are as $uch as

-000 gra*es 3&ecerra &, 0106 @alacio, 0119

The Colonial Period: :n the Colonial @eriod !s$e beca$e a s$all *illa" The

inor$ation about !s$e on this period o ti$e is e*en scarcer than in the preJ(ispanic period" :

12 : need to e=plain Marquetalia

1- : $ust check the e=pedition dates"

4



could not ind $any registries about !s$e at the <ational rchi*e14, nor $any 2ournal or diaries

about !s$e on this period" (owe*er oral history is a rich source o inor$ation about this period

o ti$e, and in that way the docu$ent $ade by ;erardo #antae 3189 beco$e an i$portant

reerence, because it co$piles the horal history o !s$e" #antae 3189 clai$s that !s$e was

an indigenous territory that acquired political 2urisdiction under the #panish regi$e when in

150 the Church o !s$e was ounded" &ut it was not till 111 when !s$e attained the status o

arroquia and it was na$ed #an @edro de !s$e"

#an @edro de !s$e was pri$arily a wealthy agricultural *illage where the peasants grew

crops o strawberry, potato and quinoa" The goods har*ested at !s$e $ade about 40 o the

local $arket o #anta AU, the capital o the Liceroyalty o <ue*a ;ranada" >n the other hand,

oral tradition about this period in !s$e, tells that it was pri$arily used by the #panish wealthy

$en as a git Vin the or$ o houses and landJ to their concubines, and to raise their illegiti$atea$ilies" :n that way they could ha*e their parallel a$ilies ar enough ro$ #anta AU to a*oid

the social and religious punish$ent that the adulterous relationships i$plied1, but at the sa$e

ti$e ha*e easy access to their hidden relati*es as !s$e was at less than one day o tra*el" The

$ost i$portant o these stories is the legend o the Celis #urna$e. N?as Marichuelas/6 which can

be traced to the short lecture )Una historia que deber!a escibirse "# Story that shoud be

$ritten%&&, by the historian SosU Manuel Marroquin in 18" ccording to Marroquin 3189, Gon

SosU #olDs y Aolch de Cardona Jwho was Liceroy o <ue*a ;ranadaJ had an aair with MarDa

?ugarda de >spina, $ore known as N?a Marichuela/" The *eracity o this aair is still a $atter o

discussion a$ong historians in Colo$bia, because Marroquin used loose sources to write about

#olDs" (owe*er, this story re$ains in the Colo$bian culture as truth, e*en $ore in !s$e where

the legend is taken beyond Marroquin writings" :n !s$e oral tradition states that the Liceroy

#olDs built a $anor in !s$e or )?a Marichuela+, so he could easily tra*el to see his orbidden

14 The <ational rchi*e keeps and e=tended collection o public records, correspondence, and docu$ents" lsokeeps pri*ate diaries and 2ournals, correspondence and docu$ents that are now o public do$ain6 as well as so$e

rare books and other i$portant docu$ents or the national history in Colo$bia"

1 :n the Colonial @eriod, the #panish E$pire created a caste syste$ in its colonies in $erica" :n that syste$, thewhite #panish born in #pain were the $ost pri*ileged, ollowed by the white sons o #paniards born in $erica"Then the W:ndioW category located, being $ore i$portant than the black rican sla*es" t the botto$ o this syste$there were the people o $i=ed races like the $estios, who were sons o withe #panish and WindioW" The Mestiosconstituted $ore than hal o the population o the Liceroyalty, but its e=istence was ignored in #pain, arguing thatthis population did not e=ist because the union between races was orbidden by ;od 3;Q$e, 006 ui2ano, 0009"The ethnic and racial issues play a key role in the decoloniation and reconstruction o !s$e $ade by the acti*ist"Aor that reason : will do a deep e=planation o this point on the second chapter"



lo*e in pri*acy15" :n !s$enian oral tradition the legend goes urther, according to it the Liceroy

#olDs had $any other concubines, and or each one o the$ he built a s$all $anor in !s$e" Xith

)?a Marichuela+ and his other concubines, the Liceroy had a lot o children" (e was proud o his

ospring, and he wished that all o the$ could ha*e his surna$e, but i he ga*e his surna$e to

any o the$ the Church would punish hi$ hard" #o he decided to gi*e the$ a surna$e that

sounded al$ost like #olDs. Celis" That is the way that !s$enians e=plain the e=istence o the

surna$e Celis, which is co$$on a$ong traditional !s$enian a$ilies" >n the other hand, it is

i$portant to point out that the #panish tried to deJconstruct the indigenous $eanings about

!s$e, and the one o the high basin o the Tun2uelo 7i*er, by changing original na$es and

Christianising the population" Aor e=a$ple, the Tun2o was an i$portant $ythological creature

that li*es and deends the water, specially lakes and ri*ers" Aor that reason the Muiscas used to

gi*e the na$e Tun2o at The 7i*er that goes through !s$e 7i*er" &ut the #panish, despising theTun2o $yth and $aking a $ockery o the Muisca belie*es rena$ed the ri*er as Tun'uelo or

Tun'uelito which $eans ?ittle or #$all Tun2o. a Tun2o that has not the power deend his waters"

The Republican Period: The 7epublican @eriod o !s$e can be di*ided in two. one

beore and other ater the ci*il war o the 10/s" The history o !s$e beore the Ci*il Xar has

to do, $ainly, with the construction o the Cantarrana @ress" &eore the construction o the @ress

in the beginnings o the 0 century, !s$e and the rest o the high basin o the Tun2uelo, were not

under the 2urisdiction o &ogot'" &y then, the e=ponential growth o &ogot' $ade scarce the

potable water that lowed into the city" t the sa$e ti$e thousands o poor a$ilies in the big

city started to de$and their right to access the aqueduct, a clai$ or social and en*iron$ental

2ustice, because at that ti$e only the wealthy &ogotanian a$ilies had access to potable water in

their houses3>#>7:>, 009" The local go*ern$ent o &ogot' worried about the water situation

thought that the solution was building a press in the Tun2uelo 7i*er" #o the Colo$bian Aederal

;o*ern$ent ga*e 2urisdiction o*er the Tun2uelo 7i*er basin to &ogot', but not o*er the territory

o !s$e" ter $ore than 0 years o deliberation, the Cantarrana @ress was built in 1-8,

beco$ing the biggest undertaking o the Colo$bian engineering by that ti$e" (owe*er, by the

ti$e it was built the proble$s that it intended to sol*e were bigger than the capacity o the press,

16 The leyend is so i$portant in Colo$bian and !s$enian popular culture that in the second hal o the KK centurya neighbourhood na$ed (a Marichuela was built in !s$e, within the supposed boundaries o the $anor that theLiceroy ga*e to her $istress"

5



and it beca$e only one o $any inter*entions on the territory that only let behind social and

en*iron$ental inequality3>#>7:>, 006 #antaU, 189"

ter the assassination o Sorge Eliecer ;ait'n, the leader o the @artido ?iberal th, in 148

Colo$bia entered in a ci*il war between the ollowers o the party and the ollowers o the@artido Conser*ador" The @artido Conser*ador took control o*er the country with ?aureano

;Q$e, who ga*e to the police and the ar$y enough power to oppress the liberal ollowers" The

Chula*itas Jas the ar$y and the police where knownJ stole the belongings o the liberals, and use

terrible sadis$ and *iolence against the$" Many people was killed, raped and tortured by the$"

The *iolence was especially cruel in the rural areas" Many people ro$ (uila, at the south o

&ogot' $o*ed to the city, but inding no place to stay they $o*ed to !s$e, a place where they

ound peace"

s a response ro$ the state *iolence liberal people ro$ (uila and Toli$a decided to create the

:ndependent 7epublic o Marquetalia, a territory where the Chula*itas were orbid to enter, and

where they planned to li*e in peace" &y 151 the l*aro ;o$e (urtado, a senator son o

?aureano ;o$e, de$anded the control o the #tate o*er Marquetalia6 by 154 and supported by

the !nited #tates o $erica, the go*ern$ent launched a $ilitary operati*e o*er Marquetalia

that o*erwhel$ed the people that li*ed in there" The go*ern$ent esti$ate that Marquetalia had

1000 inhabitants and deployed a orce o $ore that 400 soldiers, and support ro$ the !"#"r$y who send helicopters and bo$bers that deployed napal$ o*er Marquetalia" &ut

Marquetalia only counted with 48 ighters, who had not ad*anced weaponry" s a result o this

conlict $any people ro$ Marquetalia look or reuge in #u$apa para$ount, near &ogot', a

territory that is shared with !s$e" ;i*en that the sur*i*ors o these 48 ighters ounded A7C

guerrilla, the people in !s$e was stig$atied by &ogot'/s inhabitants as part o guerrilla, a

stig$atisation that sur*i*es today" 1

th t that ti$e the @artido ?iberal was the representation o the socialist let, and it participated in the ?abour and#ocialist :nternational 3E*en so there was a Co$unist @arty in Colo$bia9"17 Dear Yaso and Glenda, the highlighted text ought to be rewritten, I have to look or !ore

inor!ation about it" I need to be !ore #re$ise, or exa!#le I need to ex#lain what is %oli!a

Grande and &uila"

'lso I need to $lari( and !ake a Dee# ex#lanation o the histor( o )an *uan de )u!a#a+

whi$h was also an inde#endent re#ubli$, the liberal and the $o!!unist guerrillas, and

ex#lain that in the ara!o there is still #resen$e o the guerrillas"



(a*ing all the abo*e in to consideration : will try to $ake a description o !s$e, and how it

is today" The proble$ that !s$enians ace day by day, and the eelings o belonging that tie

those people with their territory" The way in which !s$e acti*ist are reshaping the landscape in

!s$e by decoloniing their territory, by reterritorialisating their land and gi*e to !s$e a new

lie by using the patri$ony and the oral history as tools or building a new identity"

Usme Geography:

Location of Usme and its biggest problems

The Wlo*e nestW !s$e, is located as the southern gate to the big city" Thousands o ood and

goods arri*e ro$ ?os ?lanos through !s$e e*ery single day" Thousands o persons cross thisland e*ery single day, tra*eling ro$ &ogota to ?os ?lanos >rientales18, ro$ the (igh

Mountains to the e*erlasting *alley, ro$ the big city to the countryside Jand to the SungleJ" t

the north, &ogota. the big city arose urious and ull o pride, threatening !s$e" #he1 is co$ing

to clai$ the land that she thought belongs to her" Xith the big buildings, the uncountable

quantities o people, the anony$ity, the noise, the pollution, the rage and the poorness" Aro$ the

northwest co$e the $ining $ultinationals and the illegal quarries" They want to take the water

and the land6 they want to dig big wounds in to the $ountain6 they want to stealth ro$ the *eins

o !s$e Mountains. they do not care about the consequences or the people or the en*iron$ent"

t the west, at the ri*erside o the Tun2uelo in Ciudad &oli*ar is GoRa Suana" Aro$ there co$es

the ilth o the third biggest sanitary landill o ?atin $erica, illing the air with pollution, the

water with poison and the health o the !s$enians with diseases"

@oner el $apa aquD"

1- ?os ?lanos >rientales 3in English Eastern @lains9 is the e*eryday na$e gi*en to the >rinoquDa <atural 7egion oColo$bia" ?ocated at the east o Colo$bia in the boundaries with Leneuela is known or its i$portant role in theindependence o Leneuela and Colo$bia" :n recent years it has beco$e an i$portant @>?> or Colo$bianecono$y6 especially because the cattle ar$ing and the petroleu$ e=traction"

19 .ogota is a e!ale

8



Going to Usme

Figure number )* Usme&s Church. + $as built in the Colonial eriod and is located in the to$n centre. This icture $as taen by me on --th of ctober -/)-.

The eeling o going to !s$e is a little bit strange or the urban newco$ers" : you go ro$

the downtown o &ogot', where you are in the $iddle o the skyscrapers, a$ong louder anduncountable noises. $illions o people walking, running, talking, screa$ing, breathing, riding

skateboards, playing $usic, stealing, selling in the streets" :n there the s$og, the unpredictable

weather, the cars, the thets, the police, the business$an""" Iou ha*e to be on guard" nyway, the

$a2ority o the people ha*e to use public transport to go to !s$e ro$ &ogot'/s downtown and

*ice *ersa"

The tra*el in public transport ro$ &ogot'Bs downtown to !s$e takes about 1" hours" :t is

possible to $ake it either by &us or by Trans$ilenio0" :n &us you take the 10th a*enue and then

2/ 0 %rans!ilenio is essentiall( a highend subwa( or !etro that ha##ens to o#erate on

the sura$e using vehi$les with rubber tires" %he stations are like rail or subwa( stations,

with !ulti#le doors, levelboarding to vehi$les, are $olle$tion at the station entran$e,

ele$troni$ inor!ation signs showing arrival ti!es or vehi$les, glass door #artitions

between the stations and vehi$les, and !an( other a!enities" 3n !aor trunk lines,

%rans!ilenio uses two dedi$ated lanes in ea$h dire$tion" %his enables lo$al servi$e on

the inside lane and ex#ress servi$e on the outside lane, so that #assengers $an $hoose



&oyac' *enue, or ?os ?lanos *enue" :t is si$ilar to the trip that the one taken by people

tra*eling in pri*ate car" :n Trans$ilenio, one $ust take the ( route that takes Caracas *enue

and arri*es to !s$e Central #tation 3 ortal de Usme9" Aro$ there it is necessary to take a bus

towards Usme Centro, which goes to the Usme ueblo, in the center o !s$e" Either way, public

transport is $ost o the ti$e o*ercrowded" <oteless it is a$aing the change in the landscape

while you go to !s$e" s a researcher : preerred to go by Trans$ilenio, it was easier, aster and

saer" #o : will describe how the landscape change when you go by Trans$ilenio.

Sust 0 $inutes tra*eling towards the south ro$ downtown, the landscape change

dra$atically" The skyscrapers are behind you and at both sides o the street you start to notice

another kind o buildings. selJ$ade houses o 4 or loors" >n those houses li*e ro$ 4 to 8

a$ilies 3so$eti$es $ore9 one or two per loor" Each one o the loors was built when one o the

a$ily $e$bers ha*e children or get $arried" t the top o the buildings they always let theoundations or another loor 3Ceballos 7a$os, 0059"

little bit urther in trip you start to see the shanty towns o &ogot', they lie in the

$ountains at the west o the road6 they are a$aingly bigY They grow bigger and stronger with

the *iolence in rural Colo$bia" (ouses $ade o cardboard, tinplate and stolen bricks ro$

constructions and de$olitions in other ones o &ogot'" Xithout water, sanitation, electricity or

e*en walk paths people in there has to sur*i*e by any $eans necessary 3Ceballos 7a$os, 0059"

Xhen you begin to get used to the urban land scape at the south 3the shantytowns at the west and

the selJ$ade buildings at the east, the landscape changes again"

#uddenly the shanty towns are replaced by quarries, and the selJ$ade houses at the let are

replaced by s$aller, go*ern$ent built houses" t the west, $any go*ern$ent ounded houses

$i=ing up with shanty town patches" Meanwhile at the east the big (olci$ and the huge Ce$e=

quarries are protected by big ences" &oth, the ences o Ce$e= and (olsing has been co*ered

with beautiul graities by !s$e and Ciudad &oli*ar acti*ists6 on those pictures #i$on &oli*ar

rise his hand against both $ultinational corporation, so$e indigenous leaders are parying o*er

the route that is best or the!" It also greatl( redu$es travel ti!e or #assengers,

#arti$ularl( when $o!#ared with !ost light or heav( rail s(ste!s, whi$h have onl( one

tra$k in ea$h dire$tion, thus #reventing trains ro! #assing ea$h other" In the

downtown area, a !aor street was $onverted to transit and #edestrian use onl( below

right, enabling thousands o workers #er hour to a$$ess the downtown b( transit and to

have a sae and attra$tive #edestrian walkwa( to a$$ess their oi$es" .us 8a#id

%ransit oli$( enter, 2//7

10



!s$e, so$e ar$ers are working the soil, there are so$e antiglobaliation slogans, Che ;e*ara

is s$oking his pipe, etc" : ound strange the act that in two years the two big corporations ha*e

not erased the graities ro$ its ences" :$$ediately ater the (olding quarry, there is a big ar$y

base where the artillery is trained" Aro$ there departs the N 0atallon de alta monta1a/ 3the (igh

$ountain battalion9, who is responsible or $aintaining the guerrillas and other ar$oured groups

away ro$ the $ountains at the west o &ogot'"

The trip continues towards the south and ater a while there is nothing $ore than orest" >ne

is tra*eling in the $iddle o the nati*e orest or about twenty $inutes and then the go*ern$ent

unded houses beco$e part o the landscape again, but this ti$e all around you6 you are arri*ing

to !s$e Central #tation" :n so$eway, or $e, it eels like going out o &ogot'. the changes in

the urban landscape, the long trip, and then when : got down ro$ Trans$ilenio to take the

W!s$e CentroW &us, : s$ell dierent scents, : eel a dierent weather" :t eels like the chaos andconusion o the big city has been let behind"

#urrounding !s$e #tation there are $any go*ern$ent unded houses" ll o the$ looks

alike, it eels like all o the go*ern$ent housing in &ogot' ha*e the sa$e design" They are -, 4 or

loors buildings, each loor has $any apart$ents o or - bedroo$s, they are really s$all" :t

not inrequently that the building co$pany sell the$ in uninished. without paint, loors and

so$eti$es without toilets, hands basins, sinks or kitchen sto*e 3Ceballos 7a$os, 0059" ll o

this BaccessoriesB would increase the price o the houseapart$ent, and under the Colo$bian

go*ern$ent unded housing sche$e a one this houses could not be o*er the price o si=ty $illion

Colo$bian pesos 3$ore or less thirthy thousand ustralian dollars9. :n Colo$bia there is not a

public housing policy, instead the go*ern$ent gi*es to poor a$ilies a subsidy up to ten $illion

Colo$bian pesos, and help the$ to get a credit with *ery low interest rates with pri*ate banks

3Ceballos 7a$os, 0059" Those houses and units blocks put in the landscape a terracotta colour

that $ade a strange contrast with the green that surround the houses" Aro$ the bus stop you can

see a big $all. the happy ace o the global capitalis$ that want to coJopt !s$e" &ehind the $all

$any selJ$ade houses, and up to the $ountains green and brown patches o potato crops"

<or$ally it will takes around 0 $inutes to get in to the W!s$e CentroW &us, the people who

11



take that route are dressed $any ti$es with 0otas antaneras1" #o$e o the people carry big

bags ull o goods that they bring ro$ the city" :n so$e occasions you can see old $an wearing

W RuanasW. handcrated wool ponchos, one o the $ost i$portant sy$bols o Colo$bian peasant

identity" Xhile you are in the bus, tra*elling to )!s$e Centro+ you take a big a*enue with an

a$aingly great gradient angle. The bus is cli$bing ro$ the 500 to 800 $eters o high" Aro$

side to side o the a*enue, there are selJ$ade houses ro$ to 4 loors, you eel like in any

other working class neighbourhood in &ogot'" (owe*er when you look towards the north

3backwards in the bus9 you can see &ogot'. The big city lies below !s$e. she is e=uding noises,

pollution and hate" :t is possible to see a reddishJgrey cloud o s$og abo*e the city6 the

skyscrapers see$s ar away, the chaos and conusion lies behind you" <ow you eel going out o

the city, the air eels dierent, e*en inside the bus"

ter a while you arri*e to a high point in the route, and the bus start to descend, ro$ this

point it not possible see the city any$ore, the selJ$ade houses begin to scarce and are replaced

by ar$s, crops and orest" Sust a little bit urther on the route, in ront o the asis 0us Sto2-

$ore than three thousand Muiscas are resting in the eternal drea$" :t is call (acienda el Car$en,

the biggest preJcolou$bine ce$etery in #outh $erica 3?a Co$unidad de !s$e Z <aciQn

MuiscaJChibcha, 019" :t was disco*ered when Metro*i*ienda dug in to the earth to build the

oundations or big housing buildings" Metro*i*ineda started to ound bones and preJcolu$bine

arteacts in the e=ca*ations, howe*er they and the local authorities tried to hide those disco*eries

to the public because they wanted to sell the houses they planned to build 3@alacio, 0119" &ut

the local co$$unity ought against the co$pany and the go*ern$ent and eight hectares o this

land has been declared cultural patri$ony o the city6 and an archeological park is going to be

built in there3&ecerra &, 0109" <ow the struggle is because the !s$enians want that thirty $ore

hectares where the archaeologist belie*e there are $ore to$bs are declared patri$ony as well 4"

21 @LC boots that are widely used by countryside workers and ar$ers in Colo$bia

22 I have to su##ort this with so!e bibliogra#h("

2: ;eed to be georeeren$ed"

24 %his is a #ivotal dis$ussion a!ong the a$tivist, I was #resent in !an( o the dis$utions

around &a$ienda el ar!en, and what should be done with it" %he a$tivist told !e the

histor( o the so$ial !obili+ation against the $onstru$tion in &a$ienda el ar!en, in that

struggle so!e a$tivist were killed o D<)''8<ID3), and !ost o the! were threatened b(

#ara!ilitar( grou#s" 's i!#ortant is the &a$ienda el ar!en I will $o!e ba$k to the

1



[now the Muisca Ce$entey is a peregrination place or indigenous people, en*iron$entalist,

!s$e inhabitants and occasional hippies" The place is a lat green land where the :C((< and

the <ational !ni*ersity has $ade so$e e=ca*ation" :t is possible under certain circu$stances

take a look to those e=ca*ations, and there are so$e $o$$ies that lie with their past li*e

belongings. 2ewels, clothes, cera$ics, weapons, etc" :n all the ti$e : spend in !s$e : was only

able to enter to this sacred place once, : elt a strange energy running through $y body, : was not

araid nor e=ited, and : elt like : was entering in a place where : should be in peace with the

uni*erse" > course, all o this eelings were e=acerbated by the indigenous ritual : was

participating, with all the peasants, Muisca Chyquys, and a Xitoto sha$an that was a

representati*e o the ><:C, so$e en*iron$ental acti*ist and so$e go*ern$ent delegates" That

day all the people interested in the ce$etery was going to debate the uture o the necropolis in

the Cabildo de atrimonio en Usme, it was part o the de$ocratic plans o the new &ogot'/s$ayor, ;usta*o @etro3?a Co$unidad de !s$e Z <aciQn MuiscaJChibcha, 019"

Ai*e $inutes ahead in the route you enter to s$all town, it looks alike to any other s$all

town in Colo$bian ndes. s$all plaa in the centre, at the southwest it is the church and the

Salon Comunal 5, at the southeast there are $any Tiendas and Fritangerias8 where the people

use to hang out6 at the northeast there is a *iew point ro$ where it is possible to see three iconic

places or the people in !s$e. The sanitary landill GoRa Suana, and the Cantarrana @ress and

;e$ro#olis =uis$a later on the %hesis"

25 3rgani+a$ion ;a$ional Indigena de olo!bia ;ational Indigenous 3rgani+ation o

olo!bia"

26 )alon o!unal $ould be translated as o!!unit( &all" It is the #la$e where the lo$al

$oun$il have its !eetings" 'lso it is used b( the #eo#le as a .an>uet or .allroo! b( the

$o!!unit("

27 ' Tienda is a s!all gro$er( store that looks like a $onvenien$e store" %he( are widel(

s#read in olo!bia, and the( are used #ri!aril( b( lown in$o!e #eo#le who bu( s!all

>uantities o ood" In Tiendas it is #ossible to bu( one s#oon o salt, sugar, $ooking oil and soon" 3n the evenings, nights and weekends the( also is used as a bars where the #eo#le who

live nearb( use to drink beer and s#irits like Aguardiente.

2- ' Fritangeria is a restaurant s#e$ialised in a olo!bian #o#ular kind o ood? Fritanga. It

is a !ix o riolla otato, lanteind #ork bell( $ra$king, bee lungs, hori+o, .lood )ausage,

and other kinds o sausages@ all o the! should be ried, in )#anish Freidos or Fritos¸ ro!

where the na!e Fritanga $o!es" Fritangerias are #o#ular in working $lass neighbourhoods

an in rural areas" Fritanga is an extre!el( greas( ood, with ex$e#tional levels o $holesterol

and $arboh(drates"

1-



!s$e ce$etery 3the christian one96 at the northwest are the town hall and the $ost a$ous

bakery in town. anaderia la Florida, where they ser*e the $ost tasty ta$ales, which could be

an indicator o the Toli$a heritage in !s$e" The houses in the town are ha*e create a $i=ed

landscape where so$e go*ern$ent ounded houses wea*e together with colonial and traditional

peasant houses" The terracotta bricks o the new houses behind the pastel colours o the colonial

high houses $ade o clay and wood and the houses bareque-0" This place is called !s$e @ueblo.

The town o !s$e" (ere, the #!Ls, the co$pact, and the lu=ury cars o the city are replaced by

big trucks that the peasants use or transport their crops" The te$perature is colder and wetter

than in &ogota, but the air is resher and the noise is dierent. :n !s$e @eublo is the sound o

the birds and the wind the ones that you hear" >n the #undays and holidays, the plaa get

crowded" @eople ro$ all o the nearby 3eredas-1 gather together in !s$e @ueblo to ha*e so$e

un6 there are so$e s$all carni*al ga$es at the plaa where the youngsters co$pete each other,the a$ilies go together to the fritangerias to ha*e lunch. they eat traditional peasant plates like

gallina, morcilla, chori4o, longani4a, bofe, chicharr5n, huesos de marrano, lechona, sancocho,

2a2a criolla, etc\ The $ales go to the Tiendas and drink re$arkably big quantities o beer and

so$e o the$ Chicha-" #o$e o the$, especially the bachelors, begin drinking on #aturday

aternoon. the pay day" nyway, the $ayor part o the people go ho$e at dusk and only the

really drunk people get behind while the tiendas are closed" :t is not surprisingly that tienda

owners are a$ong the wealthiest people in working class neighboorhoods and s$all towns in

Colo$bia 3Cite lgo al respecto9"

round !s$e there are $any hills illed with s$all ar$s" #quare patches o dierent tones

o greens and browns $ake the landscape look like a quilt that co*ers all the space between the

Tun2uelo 7i*er at the west and the ?os ?lanos *enue at the east" The dierent kinds o crops

and their growth gi*e to the patches their colours. strawberrys, onions, dierent kinds o beans

and the $ost i$portant o all potatos"

29 %a!al is a ti#($al ood thatA" %he( are ti#i$al ro! %oli!a Grande 8egion"

:/ 'nd s#e$ial kind o $la( used b( the indigenous to build their houses" %he Bareque was

later ado#ted b( #easants as a $onstru$tion !aterial"

:1 %he urisdi$tional ter! or a neighbourhood in rural areas"

:2 'n indigenous er!ented drink !ade ro! $orn like a whine !ade o $orn" Bhen it is

distilled is $alled Guarapo.

14



The @ara$o o #u$apa, the biggest para$o o the Xorld, is ollowing the sa$e route up to

the south" :t is between -0 and 4-0 $eters o high6 thereore the te$perature ne*er reaches

$ore than 8 Celsius degrees, and is co$$on that in the nights reaches 0 degrees6 the hu$idity is

*ery high3E$ Z Castillo, n"d"6 >spina 7odrigue, 00-9" That is why (arold, one o the

en*iron$ental acti*ist in !s$e always says to newco$ers that. );oing to the @ara$o is like

going into a cloud+" (is description is *ery accurate when you cli$b high in to the @ara$o there

are s$all water drops loating in the air, so$eti$es they are so thick that create a dense og in

where the *isibility is e=tre$ely diicult" The @ara$o o #u$apa is so big that it goes ro$

&ogota to the border o the #tate, where Cundina$arca li$its with Meta and (uila at the south"

The @ara$o is the ho$e o $any ende$ic e=pecies like the #pectacle bear and the Condor"

E*en$ore, ro$ #u$apa $any Colo$bian ri*ers born--" Those ri*ers deli*er potable water to$illions o people in Colo$bia and are ha*e a pi*otal i$portance in the $aintaining o other

ecosyste$s" ?ikewise or !s$enians the @ara$o has an i$portant role in the construction o

identity, in there the peasant $o*e$ent had a big inluence in the irst hal o the KK century

when the people took possession o the (acienda #an Suan, ounded a town and pushed the #tate

to create rural policies that pre*ent the concentration o land 3re*ise $endeley hay estan las

reerencias9

t the east, and crossing the ?os ?lanos *enue, there is the <atural @ark Entrenubes

3$ong the Clouds9" !s$e shares the 2urisdiction with the localities o #an Cristobal and 7aael

!ribe !ribe" This park represents or !s$enians a *ictory against the $ining co$panies,

because it stands between the quarries and the Cerros >reintales, protecting the last" The park is

not as colder and higher as the @ara$o, but is high up in the $ountains and is the ho$e or $any

ende$ic auna and lora" !nortunately the biggest threat to the park co$es ro$ the $ost

*ulnerable people" :n Colo$bia an intense and prolonged war conlict has let displaced $any

a$ilies ro$ the countryside, where $any o the warlords ha*e been e=panding their do$ains

o*er the land by took it ro$ the people" The a$ilies that are orced to lea*e their ar$s and

ho$es arri*e to the cities where there is not a place or the$" ?acking o all the skills to cope

with the urban lie $any are reduced to the be ho$eless, $any go to the natural reser*es and

:: ;a!e all the rivers that born in )u!a#a+"

1



build their ho$es in there, creating the big shanty towns that are usually seen in a trip towards

!s$e ro$ the downtown o &ogot' 37angel, 0059" >ne o the ones where they are

establishing new setle$ents is inside the Entrenubes <atural @ark" That situation create big

tensions a$ong !s$e acti*ists who looks the shanty town like an in*asion but who do not want

put in danger those a$ilies, but integrate the$ in to the society by $aking the$ responsible o

the care o the <atural @ark -4" >ne o the e=a$ples o how to integrate while trying to $aintain

a balance with the <atural @ark and the orest reser*e in the $ountains co$e ro$ the locality

that li$its at the north o !s$e, #an Cristobal6 one o the shanty towns in #an Cristobal has

being transor$ed in a )Ecobarrio+ an )EcoJneighborhood+" &y replacing the bricks and the

?T with recycled wood they are reducing the weight o the houses while $aking the$ energy

eicient 3the houses are war$er and brighter96 They are creating urban ar$s, using rain water

and special de*ices or catch the hu$idity in the air and transor$ing it into portable water,$aking co$post, creating an eicient septic tanks that produce $ethane which is a renewable

energy source" nd the $ost i$portant, they are acting as a established border between the city

and the orest, taking care o the natural reser*e 3#alaar 019" (owe*er, those pro2ects o #an

Cristobal are 2ust proposals in !s$e, where the #hanty town co$$unities is not well assi$ilated

in to !s$e co$$unity-"

:n the way to !s$e *ia ?os ?lanos, 2ust crossing the Tun2uelo ro$ !s$e and at the sa$e

latitude than Entrenubes @ark is the #anitary ?andill GoRa Suana, The Aourth biggest in ?atin

$erica where 81"8 tons o waste are deposited e*ery day 3<oguera Z >li*ero, 0109" GoRa

Suana is not :n !s$e but in Ciudad &oli*ara, a locality that has a huge rural and periJurban one

that shares $any characteristics with !s$e but with bigger a deeper proble$s. deeper po*erty

and hardest *iolence" The ?and ill is in Tun2uelo/s ri*erside, in the &oundaries o Ciudad

&oli*ar and !s$e, as was pointed out beore it can bee seen ro$ the !s$e @ueblo @laa, and to

a nai*e obser*er it looks like a *i*id green patch o grass in a hill that looks brighter than the

others hills" &ut the ilth is hidden under that beautiul green where, according to the $ost

opti$istic statistics, 2ust in 005 there was al$ost 5 $illions o tons o all kind o garbage 3#C#

Engeeners9" The irst ti$e : went to !s$e @ueblo in 00 : had to take a closer look ro$ the

:4 It was told to !e b( Cs!e environ!ental a$tivist"

:5 It was so!ething I $ould observed on !( ieldwork"

15



plaa to GoRa Suana, to be able to see the s$all u$es that e=pel the $ethane and other gases

product o the deco$position o the garbage" #o$e o the$ e=pel a white gas, that according to

!s$e @easants is the $ost dangerous one 3Aield worknotes9" &ut it was not till : went to the

landill when : realie o its $agnitude6 in there big trucks, those whose wheels are twice the sie

o a a*erage $an, looks like toy cars" The odor in the air was so strong and asphy=iating that :

elt nausea" :t was an apocalyptic *ision, : elt o*erwhel$ed by the sie o the landill" &ut the

sie is not the only worry about the landill or !s$e acti*ist6 the $anage$ent o GoRa Suana

has been deicient ro$ its oundation in 18 when the landill was built in a rush" -5

The Tun2uelo ri*er denotes the boundaries o !s$e at the east, crossing it is Ciudad &oli*ar,

Identity in Usme

Gisensos, acuerdos, conlictos y dierencias entre las identidades ca$pesinas e :ndigenas de

!s$e"

‘Usme is like frozen in time’: The Modernity/Coloniality Project in Usme

To be able to $ake the abo*e description takes $e a lot o eort, not only because it was

ti$e consu$ing and physically e=hausting, but because it i$plied the deJcolonisation o $y

episte$ology, the deconstruction o all the preconceptions and pre2udices that were e$bodied in

$y &ogotanian $iddleJclass habitus" &eore going to !s$e : thought it was 2ust another poor

locality in &ogota. ull o proble$s, *iolence and\ Moreo*er, !s$e was ar away ro$ $e, it

was a place : ne*er thought beore $y inal year o undergraduate, place that did not e=ist

beyond the $aps, a place that : ignored e*ery single ti$e when : pass through it to go to $y

wie/s ar$ in ?os ?lanos >rientales" : e*en ha*e a blur o a kid that was taking photos o theurban one o !s$e ro$ his lu=ury #!L when all the people going to ?os ?lanos >rientales

ro$ &ogota were in an endless traic 2a$, it was in a (oliday weekend when $any people ro$

$iddle and upper classes go to ?os ?lanos to their su$er houses" (owe*er when : went in ound

-5 : will do a deep description o the histopr o GoRa Suana later on the te=t"

1



a totally dierent place that the one : pre*iously i$agined" :n one hand the urban one that one

can see ro$ ?os ?lanos *enue is surprisingly s$all co$pared to the re$arkably enor$ous

rural one6 and in the other hand it was the une=pected peasant and indigenous identities that lies

deep in to !s$enians, which not only gi*es to the en*iron$entalist struggles in !s$e its

kindness, its orce and its peculiarity but also its dissensus and its weakness"

&ut e*en when : was able to see !s$e/s singularity and rush down so$e stereotypes :

had about working class and poor localities in &ogota, there was another kind o preconceptions

and pre2udices that : had to o*erco$e-, those ones were e*en hardest to o*erco$e because they

were rooted $ore deep in to $y habitus, in to the episte$ology that gi*e sense to $y sel. in to

$y soul" Those preconceptions are part o the episte$ology o the pro2ect $odernitycoloniality

in which : ha*e been born and raised" pro2ect that was coopted by the creoles white elites in

Colo$bia to gi*e sense to their authority, to $aintain and e=pand their pri*ileges and power o*erthe indigenous, $estios and rican descendant people that inhabit the Lirreinato de la <ue*a

;ranada in the $o$ent o the independence]cite^CastroJ;o$e00_"

Today : still re$e$ber what the thought ca$e to $i $ind when : went to !s$e during

00 the ti$e : was working in $y honours thesis.+!s$e is roen in ti$e"+ :t was a place inside

&ogota, one crowded, big and ast paced #outh $erican $etropolis where neither the

de*elop$ent nor the $odernity had arri*e" :n one hand there was not the urban inrastructure :

took ro$ granted. aqueduct, water sanitation syste$s, big buildings, cars, shops etc" :n the

other, it is a place that look like a s$all town in Colo$bian ndes, the sa$e type o places that

ro$ a western perspecti*e looks like roen in ti$e" &ut on this idea. !s$e is Aroen in Ti$e, is

hidden the dark side o the $odern pro2ect, the coloniality6 and it negates the si$ultaneity o

ti$e that the subaltern episte$ologies ha*e 3$ignolo9" My preconception with !s$e are also an

e=a$ple o one big tool o do$ination that the $odernitycoloniality western pro2ect use to

colonise $erica. the transor$ation o the space into ti$e "

ccording to Massey 30009 the $odernity pro2ect has created an equi*alence between

#pace and Ti$e, which allows the negation o $ultiples tra2ectories and histories" >n this way

the Xest can si$ply says that there are places that are backwards in ti$e, places that with the

ti$e will going to be like western places, will going to catch up" :s on this conception space that

the the concept o )de*elop$ent+ has been adopted by ?atin $erican countries who with the

- nd : had to, because it is a constant process that : belie*e will ne*er end"

18



support o the !# ha*e been creating pro2ects o econo$ic and social )de*elop$ent+ that do not

include subaltern tra2ectories 3Escobar KKK9" That is the kind o power that the equi*alence

between ti$e and space ha*e" Massey 3KKK9 pointed out that since the e*ent that Xest called

)the disco*ery o $erica+, Xestern hege$onies con*erted space in to ti$e saying that $erica,

rica and Easter societies were not only in a dierent place, but in so$e point back in the

wester ti$e line" &y doing it they negate that those other places ha*e its own histories, its own

tra2ectories and its own possible utures, dierent that the ones proposed by the Xest"

The con*ersion o space into ti$e has a big i$pact in the logic o coloniality, specially in

the episte$ological do$ain" &eore going deepert is i$portant to clariy what is the logic o

coloniality" s Mignolo 00 points out. )The logic o coloniality can be understood as working

through our wide do$ains o hu$an e=perience. 19 the econo$ic. appropriation o land, and

e=ploitation o labor, and control o iance6 9 the political. control o authority6 -9 the ci*ic.control o gender and se=uality6 49 the episte$ic and the sub2ecti*epersonal. control o

knowledge and sub2ecti*ity" : 3"""9 Each do$ain is interwo*en with the others, since

appropriation o land or e=ploitation o labor also in*ol*es the control o inance, o authority,

states o gender, and o knowledge and and sub2ecti*ity") 3page 119

#o$e can argue that the coloniality has inished in the K:K century in $erica and in

KK in rica, but they are conusing colonaility will colonialis$, which are two dierent things

that howe*er are in a E#T7EC( relationship" The words o Mignolo are really e=planatory on

this point. )Coloniality, as a ter$, the is $uch less requently heard than W$odernityW and $any

people tend to conuse it with Wcolonialis$W" The two words are related, o course" Xhile

Wcolonialis$W reers to speciic historical periods and places o i$perial do$ination 3e"g"

#panish, Gutch, &ritish, the !# since the beginning o the twentieth century9, WcolonialityW reers

to the logical structure o colonial do$ination underlying the #panish, Gutch, &ritish, and !#

control o the tlantic econo$y and politics, and ro$ there the control and $anage$ent o

al$ost the entire planet" :n each o the particular i$perial periods o colonialis$ J whether lead

by #pain 3$ainly in the si=teenth and se*enteenth centuries9 or by England 3ro$ the nineteenth

century to the Xorld Xar ::9 or by the !# 3ro$ the early twentieth century until know9 J the

sa$e logic was $aintained6 only the power changed hands+ 3$ignolo 00, page 9"

:t is precisely the con*ection o space into ti$e that allowed the Xest to create a structure

o do$ination o*er the episte$ology, o*er the sub2ecti*ity o the people that inhabit places like

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?atin $erica, like Colo$bia, like !s$e" Xhen the #panish E$pire arri*e in to

Tawan$anchicu, and na$ing it $erica"-8 Xhen European societies called this e*ent )The

Gisco*ery+ they negated the alternate tra2ectories o the precuolo$bine societies in that inhabit

those lands" The christianis$ had a big role in the negation o the alternate tra2ectories" The

#panish and @ortuguese $issionaries went to the N<ew Xorld/ to teach i$pose their cos$ogony

and episte$ology to the indigenous" The pre$ise were that all the hu$ans need to accept the

western god" : any person, co$$unity or society negate western religious they were not hu$an,

they were not ci*ilisations 3$ignolo, Escobar and Castro ;o$e, ui2ano9"

The NGisco*ery/ also plays a pi*otal role in to the de*elop$ent o the illustration6 without

$erica there is not illustration,no $odernity" :n that way : agree with a pi*otal state$ent $ade

by Escobar3KKK9 and Mignolo3009. The Coloniality is inherent to the Modernity, each one

depend on the other. there is no $odernity without coloniality" Aurther$ore, Coloniality is notonly a part o the $odernity pro2ect, it is the core o the $odernity pro2ect, it is the Modernity

itsel but it is the darkside o it. Modernity and Coloniality are two aces o the sa$e coin"

: will use the sa$e argu$ents that Mignolo and Escobar used to #>#TE<E7 this

state$ent" :n that way : will show how the logic o $odernity is the sa$e, that the logic o

coloniallity, and that can be e=pressed in our do$ains. 19 the econo$ic. appropriation o land,

and e=ploitation o labor, and control o iance6 9 the political. control o authority6 -9 the ci*ic.

control o gender and se=uality6 49 the episte$ic and the sub2ecti*epersonal. control o

knowledge and sub2ecti*ity" : 3"""9 Each do$ain is interwo*en with the others, since

appropriation o land or e=ploitation o labor also in*ol*es the control o inance, o authority,

states o gender, and o knowledge and and sub2ecti*ity"

;i*en the surplus o goods produced by the e=plotation o labor o ricans and

$ericas and the appropiation o land in $erica, European societies had surplus o goods,

e=pressed in plate, gold and other co$$odities that open spaces o >C:> and incenti*e the

co$$ercialisation o status sy$bols like paintings" Those spaces and growth in the art $arket

-8 >n the e*eryday language $erica is reered to the !nited #tates o $erica" >n this $erica will ha*e thesa$e $eaning that $erica has or all the inhabitans o ?atin $erica, who$ ro$ a border thinking perspecti*ecall $erica to all the continent" Aor us, ?atin $ericans, it is oensi*e the use o the words $erica and$ericans as a way to designate the !# and the !# people, we belei*e that we are as $ericans as they are, that$erica is a big, di*erse continent with $ultiple trayectories" :n that way, when : reer to $erica : a$ talkingabout the whole continent, and when : reer to !nited #tates o $erica : will use the !#"

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allowed the artisans and thinkers to lourish in the si=teen and se*enteen century" :n that way was

the control o the econo$ic in $erica which allows the illustration in $erica" &ut with to

ha*e control o the labor orce and the land in $erica the Europeans $ust re$ain as be the

authority in their colonies, and or that reason in the si=teen century the #panish created a strict

cast syste$ that allows the$ to ha*e a control o*er the gender and se=uality" This cast syste$

was well supported by a the Theology o the Christianis$ that states that christians can only

@7>CE7 with christians, and that e*en when there indigenous can be recei*ed in to

christianity 3arican desendant where not allowed till the inal years o se*enteen century, cause

the #paniards stated that black people ha*e not soul9 they were not originally christians and they

ha*e the wage o their parents sins" Thereore, they were 3castro ;o$e9

&y saying that precolou$bine socities were in a pre*ius stage

han per$itido que las co$unidades $uisca se integren a los procesos de interlocuciQn

co$o actores polDticos *'lidos y que renue*en su $eta unda$ental. el reconoci$iento co$o

grupo UtniJ co originario del centro de Colo$bia con una continuidad histQrica y $oral con las

co$unidades $uisca del presente" Esto

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