While reading Mesoamerican Voices I was amazed to learn how complex a culture existed among the different tribes of Mesoamerica. They had an incredible political infrastructure before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers and even after the Spanish arrived and conquered the territory, many tribes retained their political power and were allowed to govern themselves by the Spanish leaders. This was unique to me as my previous experience examining colonialism had almost exclusively examined North America and the way the English treated the Native American tribes of the United States was much harsher than the Spanish had treated the peoples Mesoamericans. This is not to say that the Spanish only treated Mesoamerican peoples well; like any history of colonialism, the Mesoamerican peoples faced a great deal of abuse and torment at the hands of their colonizers, but it shows that the Mesoamerican tribes had built an incredibly complex and progressive society, because I don't think the Spanish would have granted them power unless that they do not consider it necessary in some way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayPart of the reason was simply because there were so many people in Mesoamerica at the time. These tribes were some of the largest indigenous groups to ever exist. Some areas where the tribes lived were the most densely populated by indigenous people, requiring comprehensive and effective governance. This proved to be an advantage for the Mesoamerican tribes, because the Spanish were forced to allow them to govern themselves, even as the Spanish slowly took over. Essentially the leaders of each Mesoamerican tribe were the political authority of a given area, but they had to report to a Spanish supervisor. This allowed the political leaders of each tribe to defend and protect their tribe when the Spanish attempted to take advantage of them, as seen most clearly in a letter written to the Spanish king in which the Mesoamerican nobles demanded justice and a reduction in taxes and work that the tribes owed to the Spanish. Unlike the indigenous people in most examples of colonialism, Mesoamerican tribes retained a good deal of power and had a real political relationship that was uniquely respected by the colonizers. I was also amazed by the progressive gender relations among Mesoamerican tribes. Women were not treated as second class citizens in any way and there was seemingly equal respect for both sexes. Gender shaped Native responsibilities, but they were not concrete or inflexible responsibilities. Women held important roles as producers and sellers in markets and as healers in the community. Both men and women could own property, and in marriage, property and belongings were kept separate, so neither could take the other's property in the event of a divorce. Reading the will from that period was fascinating, because it showed the true freedom that women had. One woman specified in her will that neither her money nor her assets were to be transferred to her husband, because he had not supported her in life at all. In reality, she had lent him money that he had never repaid. Women could bring criminal and civil actions, which included inheritance disputes and wife beating. I gained enormous respect for the Mesoamerican people, noble enough to have gender equality as one of their defining social characteristics.