Latin America’s legacy of colonialism is older than that of either the United States or Canada, and centuries of colonialism and genocide still inform how Indigenous communities are treated. While Indigenous tribes are unique and diverse, they are grouped into wide categories for data collection purposes—when their numbers are even included in statistical analyses. Excluding their lived experiences from data is just one way in which Indigenous Peoples are still being eradicated today. Use the following resources to learn more about Indigenous Peoples in Latin America.
Introductory Resources
Start here for statistics and data on Indigenous Peoples, an interactive map of tribal lands around the world, and the importance of Indigenous land acknowledgment and the right way to do it.
- Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an Inclusive, Sustainable and Just Future International Labour Organization
- Interactive World Map of Native Land Native Digital Land
- Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Native Governance Center
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples United Nations
Colonialism
Latin America’s long colonial and genocidal legacy is complicated further by its frequent dictatorial forms of government in several countries.
- Toppling Statues Isn’t Enough in Latin America Foreign Policy
- Averting Ethnocide: Indigenous Peoples and Territorial Rights in Crisis in the Face of COVID-19 in Latin America Oxfam International
- Indigenous Communities and Social Inclusion in Latin America United Nations
Discrimination
Indigenous People in Latin America report higher incidences of discrimination than non-Indigenous People, regardless of age or gender.
- Discrimination Against Indigenous Peoples: The Latin American Context UN Chronicle
- No Country for Old, Indigenous Women: The Challenge of Discrimination in Latin America and the Caribbean United Nations Development Programme, Latin America and the Caribbean
Education and Language
Indigenous Latin Americans have the least access to education. As in indigenous cultures across the globe, Latin American Indigenous People are also at risk of losing their unique and original tribal languages in the shadows of colonization and assimilation.
- Right to Education Still Elusive for Native People in Latin America Inter Press Service
- Latin American Indigenous People Fight for the Survival of Their Languages Latin American Post
Human Rights
Latin America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for human rights workers, and violence against the Indigenous community rooted in colonialism and dictatorships is also well documented.
- Defenders of Indigenous Rights in Latin America International Funders for Indigenous Peoples
- Toward a New Paradigm of Human Rights Protection for Indigenous People International Journal on Human Rights
- Monitoring Anti-Democratic Trends and Human Rights Abuses in the Age of COVID-19 WOLA Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas
Pay Gap
Throughout Latin America, Indigenous People experience a large wage gap, keeping them entrenched in poverty, which is also higher for Indigenous communities.
- Bridging the Indigenous Wage Gap in Mexico Cornell Policy Review
- Indigenous Latin America in the Twenty-First Century The World Bank
Work
Indigenous People in the Latin American workforce not only experience a pay gap; they also face discrimination and fewer opportunities for advancement.
- Labor Market Discrimination Against Indigenous Peoples in Mexico: A Decomposition Analysis of Wage Differentials Iberoamericana
- Gender and Ethnic Wage Gaps in Latin America at the Turn of the Century Inter-American Development Bank
- Unearthed: Land, Power and Inequality in Latin America Oxfam
Further Resources
Reports, data, and statistics; ideas for societal and workplace inclusion; political representation.
- Behind the Numbers: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America Americas Quarterly
Includes checklists for inclusion for the public and private sectors. - Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: Statistical Information Congressional Research Service
- The Indigenous in Latin America: 45 Million with Little Voice Global Americans
- We the People: Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean Inter-American Development Bank
- Reports Latin America Working Group
- The Situation of Latin America’s Indigenous Population and the Impact of COVID-19 United Nations Development Programme
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