Spanish historian Cesáreo Jarabo provides a compelling explanation to one of the most frequently asked questions concerning the history of the Americas: Indigenous peoples did not disappear due to extermination, but rather through a process of mestizaje and integration into Hispanic society. In a live interview with Tania Costa on CiberCuba, he explored this and other topics related to Hispanic identity and Spain's legacy in the Americas.
The question was posed by the interviewer herself: "At what point and how did the Indigenous peoples disappear in Cuba? I know there are descendants, but it's a fact they're no longer present." Jarabo's response was straightforward: "There's something called mestizaje. We gradually lightened them."
The Canary Islands: A Historical Precedent
To support his argument, Jarabo cited a precedent that predated the conquest of the Americas: the Canary Islands. According to him, the integration model was first applied there, and the outcome was similar. "I initially questioned this in the Canaries, as it was the first place. Before reaching America, we arrived in the Canaries. And of course, I studied it. I asked: where are the Canarians? Did they wipe them all out? No, sir. They mixed with them."
The Role of Baptism in Integration
Jarabo explained that baptism was the legal mechanism that facilitated this integration. "The moment someone was baptized, they became Spanish. And they were recorded as Spanish. Whether white, black." Through this act, anyone—regardless of origin—was registered as a subject of the Crown.
The conversation shifted to contemporary issues when the interviewer mentioned the so-called Descendants' Law, a Spanish regulation allowing Spanish nationality for descendants abroad. Jarabo advocates for extending Spanish nationality across the Hispanic world but warns of practical limitations. "If social security can support 40 million people, and suddenly 400 million enter, it collapses. And we're left with nothing."
Historical Context of Hispanic-American Relations
Jarabo pinpointed the year 1700 as the start of the "divorce" between Spain and Hispanic America, coinciding with a dynastic change that brought the Bourbons to the throne after the War of Succession. "From 1700 onward, actions were taken to separate us. Before 1700, the laws allowed Indigenous people to attend universities. Be aware, there weren't just one, two, three, or four universities."
His reference to Indigenous education is historically supported. The Hispanic monarchy founded the Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco in 1536 for Nahua nobility, and universities in Santo Domingo, Lima, and Mexico opened between 1538 and 1551. However, academic historiography clarifies that Indigenous access to these institutions was mainly restricted to native elites, and while baptism integrated them legally, it did not dismantle the caste hierarchies structuring colonial society.
Jarabo expands on these ideas in his books, La construcción de la América Hispánica and El fin del Imperio de España en América, where he argues that American territories were not colonies but provinces with the same rights as those on the Iberian Peninsula. He also shares these views on his YouTube channel, Pensamiento Hispánico.
Debating Cuban Identity and Spanish Loss
During the broader interview, Jarabo discusses the war of 1898 and the loss of Cuba, asserting that Spain was not defeated due to military inferiority but because of the disloyalty of its leaders and the actions of foreign interests.
Regarding Cuban identity, the historian claims, "Cuba was genuinely Spanish, radically Spanish," a perspective that contrasts with the prevailing view in Cuban historiography and has sparked debate among scholars on both sides of the Atlantic.
Key Questions on Indigenous Integration and Hispanic Identity
What does Cesáreo Jarabo say about the disappearance of Indigenous peoples?
Jarabo argues that Indigenous peoples did not vanish through extermination but through mestizaje and integration into Hispanic society.
How did the Canary Islands serve as a precedent for integration?
Jarabo suggests that the integration model first applied in the Canary Islands demonstrated how Indigenous peoples were absorbed into society through intermarriage.
What role did baptism play in integrating Indigenous peoples?
Baptism served as a legal mechanism that granted individuals Spanish nationality, thus integrating them into Hispanic society.
How does Jarabo view the relationship between Spain and Hispanic America post-1700?
He believes that from 1700 onwards, efforts were made to separate Spain and Hispanic America, a departure from earlier laws that allowed Indigenous education.