The vulgarity and brutality of the conquest had often been unbelievably grotesque, unreal, insane – to the point that I decided to name it a \u201cmagical imperialism\u201d (or call it \u2018magical colonialism\u2019 if you wish).<\/p>\n
Great cultures created by Mayas, Aztecs and other native people – cultures much more advanced than those of the Europeans, have been crushed, tricked, cheated, and finally forced into submission. Local gods were \u2018sent to a permanent exile\u2019 and Catholicism, under the threat of death or torture or both, was forced down the throat of everyone.<\/p>\n
Yes, Western colonialism often takes truly bizarre, surreal, forms. What example should I provide, to illustrate \u2018magic imperialism\u2019? For example, this one: in Cholula, near the city of Puebla, Spaniards slammed their church on top of the biggest (by volume) pyramid on Earth – Tlachihualtepetl. It is still sitting there, even now as I write this essay: the church is sitting on top of the pyramid, unapologetically. Local authorities are even proud of its presence, promoting it as a \u2018major tourist site\u2019. I hope, one day, UNESCO includes it in the \u201cmemory of humanity\u201d list, as a symbol of cultural vandalism.<\/p>\n
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