The "Idyllic" Colony

In the novel, "100 Years of Solitude," the Buendias, along with a group of several other families, travel in search of a new homeland. The homeland that would soon be known as Macando. As we discussed in class and as Marquez intended the new settlement gives off a biblical Utopia type world at the beginning with a "seemingly" perfect system for running the small town with no conflicts. The group headed by the Buendias have come across a tract of land that they form their community with and are not the least bit plagued by any sort of conflict (at the beginning). In fact, it is a rather long time before the town even builds a cemetery because of the lack of death.

Does colonization actually lend its self to beginnings of perfection in reality? Over the course of history, especially in the Americas, colonization has to lead to mass suffering and tribulations on the part of the colonizers. In fact, it seems to be just the opposite process, where the community starts off in distress and most of the time cannot bring itself back up to a point of stability or a point where the new born does not outweigh the dying.

For example, take the colony at Jamestown. The Virginia company sent colonizers there in the early 17th century and immediately regretted the decision to settle in hopes of finding gold and suitable farm land. Within several days of setting up camp, the group was attacked by a native group of Indians. In an attempt as protection, a fort was set up, but constant raids proved too much for the colony to handle. With an already weak supply of everything including men, the ragtag group of survivors puts their focus on producing for the company. Disease and famine decimated the already beat down group. Even with several years of attempts by the company and crown to save and flourish the town, Jamestown ultimately ended up almost completely becoming farmland for neighboring settlements.

Similar cases of disease, famine, and hostility from natives can be found all throughout central and South America. Rarely did anyone group ever find the "promised land" or simply find land that did not pose an immediate threat to the lively hood of the colonizers.