Summary Of An Unbearable Yoke By Sebastian De Segurola

The article “An Unbearable Yoke” details a series of exchanges between Spanish colonial officer Sebastian De Segurola and rebellion leader Tupaj Katari regarding the Siege of La Paz. The letters offer a first hand account on the power dynamic between the two parties. More specifically, the power dynamic shared between indigenous and colonial rule. Although indigenous people saw the Spanish as oppressors and Tupaj Katari as an admirable leader, Segurola rather dismisses his opposer and advocates their imperialistic command. As well as providing political context, the article is notable for sharing cultural information about the feelings, ideas, and identity withheld in Natives during the era of colonialism.

The letters are a window into the

For instance, during the era of colonization, Spanish culture in colonial land was heavy on Catholicism and caste systems as seen in the Philippines. These beliefs are further proven in the letters, as Segurola refers to the Catholic church throughout his response, indicating the influence religion had on colonial culture. Another cultural context provided by the text is the idea that the Spanish would forcibly assimilate Natives. Katari offers his perspective on Spanish influence, ridiculing it as “oppressed” and “tyranny”. From these claims, we can establish that Spanish culture in Latin America was controlling and authoritarian, doing more bad than good towards the Natives. The letters help grasp a further understanding of Spanish culture during colonial rule, but they are also valuable in that they give us insight on the culture of the land from the Natives themselves. Because of the lack of a proper writing system, nationalism, and poor education during those times, it’s hard to discern the voices of those under colonial rule. Katari however, despite being illiterate, depicts Aymara culture outside of Spanish influence. He emphasizes ideas of individualism through exclaiming “What is Gods is Gods and what is Cesars’ is Cesar” and nationalist identity through his alias of the Inca king “Tupac”. Katari’s quote about God sticks out because it demonstrates that although the majority of Aymara were poorly educated, they were still competent enough to conceptualize a message that compares Christianity to the exploitation done by Spanish officals. The belief that the Spanish had no right to encroach on Native land tells the reader that the cultural identity of the Aymarians at the time, was striving for individualism. Tupac Katari changing his name to Tupac also highlights a sense of nationalism in their culture, as it is named