Modernity and downfall of isolated civilizations

            The introduction of modern technology and philosophies in Macando from colonials and gypsies in One Hundred Years of Solitude reminded me of when Europeans from the new world came to America and influenced the Native Americans. In the novel, gypsies bring normal items from the modern world, but seem to be new inventions to the citizens of Macando. Because they are so isolated, they have never seen such innovation and modernity. The introduction of all of these items cause excitement throughout the town and even an obsession for people like Jose Arcadio, who is determined to figure out how all of this technology works and wants to use them to gain more knowledge of his surrounding world. As we know, the influence of these new inventions and ideas into the town was not a positive one, as it eventually caused the downfall of the Buendia men and the rest of the city. When I read this, I immediately thought of the poor Native Americans a couple of centuries earlier who were in the same situation. Europeans crossed the seas bringing guns, swords, armor, disease, luxury items, and new food. Many of the natives became obsessed with some of these and eventually caused the end of many of their traditions of hunting and gathering and living off of the land. Disease was probably the biggest factor however. Small pox brought from Europe contributed to a die of over a third of all the natives. If they didn't die trying to fight off of Europeans from taking their land, they died from deadly disease for which there was no cure at the time. Similarly, Macando had the insomnia plague, the civil war (influenced by outside philosophies), and an obsession for items they had no use for, which led to a change in their culture. This loss of traditional culture led them stray away from their common values and caused disagreement and ultimately the downfall of the town. The event that was the final end for the Macando civilization was the construction of the railroad connecting the city to the rest of the nation. From this came businesses and companies from all over the world that drove the town to destruction.