One of the most successful acts of brainwashing in human history has occurred in Latin America, as most of the brown-skinned inhabitants profess an affinity with Spain, despite looking nothing like Spaniards. The vast majority of these people are evidently of Indigenous American descent, although many would never dare to identify as such. This is due to the fact that there is a certain stigma around being an indigenous person in Latin America. In colonial times, native people were looked down upon, and obviously their cultures were nearly eradicated at the hands of the Europeans. Basically, the whiter an individual was, the more rights he or she had. This created a society in which it was socially beneficial to associate oneself with being European. These societal norms were no accident, as the Europeans, particularly the Spanish, deliberately created a caste system where Europeans were at the top and indigenous people were of a lower class. As a result of the social climate, and the increased interactions between Native American populations and Europeans, intermixing ensued. This further complicated matters, as the caste system became more complex, and groups could advance their status by interbreeding with Europeans. The results of this widespread use of systematic racism can be seen to this day. People of Latin American origin generally identify more with being Latino or Hispanic rather than being Indigenous American. This can sometimes be a conscious effort, but is often due to ignorance. Many so called Latinos simply do not know that they have substantial Native American ancestry, and inherently identify with Spain because of the use of the Spanish language. In addition to this, most notably in the United States, people are unaware that Latino is not a race. If a person originating from Latin America was questioned about his or her race, he or she would probably exhibit some confusion and just say Latino or Hispanic. This answer ignores the fact that Latinos can be of any racial background as long as they have origins in Latin America. This manner of ignorance is mostly demonstrated in the United States, which is home to a very racialized society. The typical Latino has a brown face with very distinct features, yet chooses to identify with the white people who oppressed his or her ancestors. It seems completely asinine for these people to look in the mirror and not see the face of an Indigenous American person, but the effects of this system of racial discrimination have taken their toll. This damage needs to be reversed, and the key is for Latino people to acknowledge their indigenous roots. Most so called Latinos should proclaim their true identity as Indigenous American people rather than associating themselves with the people who oppressed their ancestors.
It is clear that Latinos are quite a unique group of people. They are distinct from most other human groups because they include people from all different ethnicities. Latinos can be of Native American, African, European, or any other ethnic heritage. Many people are unaware of this fact, and continue to think that all Latinos just have brown skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. This is the most common phenotype for Latinos to have, and the misconception that all Latino people look like this speaks to the reality that the vast majority of so called Latinos are in fact Native American. This concept can be difficult to grasp, as many people believe that there are only miniscule numbers of Native Americans left, and that they all live in secluded areas separated from other groups of people. This false idea is slightly indicative of the nature of the United States, where there is some degree of truth to it. However, it can be eradicated through the realization that there are indeed other Native Americans outside of the United States, and that Latin America in particular is full of them. Furthermore, the status of Latino people as the largest minority demographic in the United States certainly dispels the myth that there are barely any Native Americans left. It is truly quite ironic that large numbers of people still think that Native Americans are nearly extinct, when perhaps the largest minority group is Native Americans. When one sees brown faces all around them, such as in California, and does not make the realization that these people are indigenous to the Americas, it is clear that there is a disconnect. Another thing that is ironic is that many so called Latinos are oblivious to their indigenous identity in spite of the fact that their appearance so explicitly demonstrates their Native American origins. People may oppose the sentiment that Latinos are in fact Indigenous American people for a number of reasons. The reality that many Latinos are mixed with other racial backgrounds contributes to the rejection of Latinos identifying as Native American. In this sense, those who reject the indigenous identity among Latinos are holding them to an unrealistic standard of supposed racial purity. The truth is that there are very few completely homogenous ethnic groups on the planet. Almost all people are mixed with multiple ethnicities. Even the tribal native groups in the United States are mixed, oftentimes more so than Latinos. Just because many natives in the United States live on reservations and have been more fortunate in being able to retain their traditional customs does not mean that they are racially homogenous. Widespread admixture has occurred throughout the Americas since the Europeans arrived. Vast numbers of so called Latinos exhibit Native American physical characteristics. Because of this, people need to acknowledge the fact that many so called Latino people are of the Native American racial group. It is almost amusing really, how people of predominant and visible Indigenous American ancestry in Latin America try to claim that they are white, yet numerous white southerners in the United States try to claim that they are Native American. The claims of these white southerners are dubious to say the least, but it is just ironic how someone who looks fully of European descent attempts to claim an indigenous identity while people who look completely of Native American ancestry try to claim that they are European. It is a recurring trend for white southerners in the United States to falsely state that they have Native American blood. These assertions are made for a variety of reasons. Sometimes these people claim that they are native to garner a sense of legitimacy and entitlement to the land which they value so much. Southerners in the United States have always harbored a fondness for the land upon which they reside, and claiming an indigenous identity would strengthen their ties to it. It is also amusing how most of the time the people who make these false claims state that they descend from the Cherokee Nation. This is due to a few reasons. First, the Cherokee Nation has a lower blood quantum requirement for tribal membership compared to most other groups in the United States. This is illustrated by the fact that many Cherokee tribal members do appear to be primarily of European ancestry, which would make it easier for white southerners to make the claim that they descend from this tribe. In addition to this, unrecognized branches of the Cherokee tribe have been established that have been proven to have no genetic trace of indigenous blood. Another reason why white southerners claim to have Cherokee heritage is because the Cherokee, along with a few other native groups, were considered to be ‘noble savages’ by the Europeans. This was due to the Europeans’ perception that the practices of these tribes more closely resembled the practices of Europeans. Regardless, it is just humorous that white people would claim to be Native American, while visibly indigenous looking Latinos would claim to be white. This clearly demonstrates the falsified identity of Latinos as well as the extent to which their mindset has been shaped by centuries of oppression and discrimination against Indigenous American people.
If Latinos actually came to the realization that they are indeed Native American, that would relieve a lot of the pain that has been caused since the beginning of European settlement in the Americas. Latino people consistently try to claim that they are akin to Spaniards, although most Spaniards would reject this. Also, the majority of people on earth would not recognize most Latinos as white, and they are evidently thought of as a people of color. Latinos constantly attempt to be something they are not, and they do not realize that their true ancestors have beautiful cultures and traditions that should be celebrated and not disrespected. If Latino people bonded through their indigenous identity it would bring the Latino community closer together and pave the way for success for Latinos in the United States as well as in Latin America. This unification would be great for Latinos and for humankind as a whole. It is always important to remember who you are and where you come from. There is an unbelievable amount of irony in the reality that the majority of the so called illegal immigrants coming into the United States from Latin America are in fact indigenous to the Americas. What makes this more ironic is that the individuals who are making the assertions that these people are illegal immigrants are indeed descendants of people who immigrated to the Americas from Europe. These European settlers did not ask permission of the Native Americans to steal their land, decimate their cultures, and create a nation that would eventually deny access for indigenous people to migrate into. The truth is that Europeans were living in the dark ages of feudal Europe and pouring their excrement into their streets while Indigenous American people were basking in the prowess of their magnificent civilizations. The so called illegal immigrants that these descendants of European invaders are referring to are in fact part of a long line of the original inhabitants of the Americas who have lived in this land for thousands upon thousands of years. Ultimately, most so called Latinos should acknowledge and profess their actual identity as being Indigenous American people.