Singer Arcángel sparked debate during his concert at the Movistar Arena in Madrid. Facing the Spanish audience, he described the demand for apologies from America to Spain as stupidity. He defended the conquest by highlighting the construction of streets, schools, and churches as the foundation of modern education. His statements divided the attendees.
The conquest as infrastructure: streets and schools of the 21st century 🏛️
From a technical standpoint, Arcángel's argument focuses on the transfer of urban and educational models. The cobblestone streets and aqueduct systems implemented in the 16th century facilitated the development of urban centers. Religious schools, though limited, introduced a literacy system that evolved into today's universities. However, critics point out that these advances came with violence and exploitation, a cost the singer omits from his narrative.
Arcángel, the historical urban planner we didn't know we needed 🤣
Now it turns out that, besides singing reggaeton, Arcángel is an expert in colonial urban planning. According to him, the conquerors only wanted to leave schools and pretty streets. He forgot to mention that they also brought taxes, diseases, and the occasional temple burning. But hey, if the next concert includes a history lesson with PowerPoint, we might just sign up. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for an apology for the slow wifi.