How did Spanish colonization affect Indigenous peoples in Argentina?

Spanish colonization profoundly and destructively impacted the Indigenous peoples of Argentina, leading to significant population decline, displacement, and forced labor.12

Impact on Indigenous Populations

• Forced Labor and Servitude: Sedentary agricultural groups, such as the Diaguita in the Northwest and the Guaraní in the Mesopotamian region, were conquered and forced into labor systems. Many were divided into small groups and sent to work in Peru or the Río de la Plata area. In some regions, Indigenous people worked as virtual serfs, and Roman Catholic Church missions (reducciones) played a central role in organizing this labor.21
• Conflict and Extermination: Indigenous groups who resisted, particularly nomadic hunters and gatherers, faced violent conflict with Spanish settlers. Many of these groups were eventually exterminated or driven away from their ancestral lands.12
• Demographic Collapse: The Indigenous population, estimated at 300,000 before European arrival, was drastically depleted by the colonial period. By 1810, Indigenous people accounted for only about 30 percent of the total population.32
• Social Integration: Due to a scarcity of Spanish women, European men frequently took Indigenous wives, contributing to the emergence of a mestizo population. Over time, Indigenous peoples were increasingly pushed aside to peripheral regions or absorbed into the dominant population.12