sure, i’m not claiming to be objective, just pointing out that che isn’t the solely bad or controversial figure that some in the thread were making him out to be either—and obviously perceptions will vary wherever you go. like you say, an insurgency existed in colombia for a long time, but the current president is fairly well-liked, fairly left wing, and a former insurgent himself as well. though FARC eventually became a harmful thing in its own right, it arose from dictatorship and military interference (as well as foreign, american interference). like most things, communism and communists are more complicated that being wholly controversial or wholly uncontroversial. generalizations are hard to make with complicated things.
like you say, it’s easy to praise any one civ’s accomplishments while ignoring their crimes.
Yeah, it really does depend on the perspective some one is trying to "evaluate" a particular historical figure. (Btw, there's still armed insurgency in Colombia due to everything I mentioned. The guerrillas originated back in the 1960s due to a bipartisan political arrangement between the Liberal and Conservative parties, were the system did not allow any alternative political party to have any chance at the elections. It was similar to the current US political system, were no alternative parties could ever dream of political participation. There was no dictatorship per se when the conflict began, it was more like a rather un-democratic democratic system of two party State, so to speak. Also, the current president of Colombia is not very well liked by most of the population nowadays. He was back when his government started, but not anymore. He was part of the M-19, a far less bloody and minor guerrilla who signed a peace agreement decades ago, so he was more accepted than say, having a president that was formerly part of the FARC or ELN).
However, this forum shouldn't be about current political events, so I'd like to answer
@Krajzen's proposal of naming a Native civ for each region of Latin America.
- Native civ from Argentina/Chile/Uruguay area which is not Mapuche: The
Charrúa could work, though they might be mechanically similar to the Mapuche. We could also have the
Diaguita, who built Pueblo-like towns in the dessert areas of Northern Argentina and Chile, they were also quite skilled with painted ceramics. They also fought against he Inca when they arrived and managed to preserve their culture despite the Incan and Spanish conquests. They could both be in Exploration Era.
- Native civ from Brazil which is not Tupi: The
Marajoara could be included as an Antiquity Era civilization from the Brazil region. They would have been contemporary with the Mississippians and were gone when the Portuguese arrived. They built rather large earth mounds and towns at the mouth of the Amazon River. The
Ticuna, who are known to be extensive navigators of the Amazon River and its tributaries, could work as another Exploration Era civilization centred on navigable rivers. Still, I think the Tupi are the best choice to represent indigenous Brazil.
- Native civ from Colombia which is not Muisca: We could have the
Zenú as an Ancient Era civilization. They also built various earth mounds on the swampy Caribbean areas of Colombia. They managed to built rather complex drainage systems to control flooding and improve irrigation. They had rather large settlements but most were decreasing in size when the Spanish arrived. Their language remains unclassified, but they might have been ancestors of various other indigenous groups in Colombia, such as the Muisca. The
Wayuu could work as a Modern Era civilization from the region. Some researchers claim that they might have been descendants of the Taíno, due to their language belonging to the same Arawakan family and being very similar to the Old Taíno language. In that sense, they could represent a Modern Era alternative for Caribbean and Central American indigenous civilizations. They are known for their fast adoption of European horses and weapons, similar to American prairie indigenous groups. They even had trade relationships with the Dutch over in Aruba and Curaçao, from whom they got weapons to fight the colonists of New Granada.
- Native civ from Venezuela: I think the best option for this region would be the
Carib peoples as a whole, representing those indigenous groups who speak Cariban languages. They could also work as an Ancient Era predecessor to the Taíno/Arawak, due to the later conquest or settlement of the Caribbean islands by the Arawak from mainland South America. The Carib were famous for their navigation, many Venezuelan cities and towns have Cariban names and tales of their legendary chiefs have become part of Venezuelan folklore. Chief Guaicaipuro is one such character that could even be included as a leader in the game. The Carib would also cover the region of the Guyanas and parts of Colombia. Various Carib groups were amongst the enemies of the Muisca.
- Native civ from Ecuador: The Inca pretty much fill that role, tbh. Most indigenous groups from Ecuador rapidly adopted Quechuan culture and languages after the Inca conquest, which is why you see Ecuadorian natives who aren't Quechua or descendants of the Inca who speak Quechua as their native language. However, the Cara culture, or
Caranqui, might work as Ancient Era predecessor to the Inca. They, together with the Kitu people, were the founders of the city of Quito and ruled it as a fairly important Andean city up to the Inca conquest. The Spanish wrote exaggerated accounts of them and referred to them as the Kingdom of Quito. The Cara and Kitu peoples led a strong resistance against Huayna Capac, but were mostly conquered by the Inca when the Spanish Arrived.
- Native civ from the area between Guatemala and Panama (Maya don't count): The
Miskito could work as a Modern Era civilization from this area. They inhabited the eastern coast of Nicaragua and managed to avoid Spanish conquest through diplomacy with English and Dutch colonists. They adopted guns and tried to "westernise" by adopting a monarchical form of government (the Mosquito Kingdom) with European noble titles. However, after being disputed by Spain, Colombia and the British, they ended up becoming a British protectorate in the 19th century, but their monarchy kept on existing. They were later incorporated by Nicaragua and Honduras. We could also have the
Kuna of Panama, a Chibchan indigenous group related to the Muisca. They are know for having migrated from Central America into South America using the Darien Gap, which is a rather unhospitable region. They could have a bonus related to harsh terrains due to this fact. They might be either Ancient Era predecessor to the Muisca or Modern Era successors to them.
