While I was in Mexico a few years ago, I went and visited a city called Tepoztlan.
A native there who spoke the original Mayan and Aztec language Nahuatl. Told me that the people who were originally here looked like me. And that over time people just forgot that most of the slaves were actually taken from people that were already here. I had heard some rumors like this from what I had read a few times online, but I always took it as likely misinformation or likely fantasy.
As something certainly not worth serious consideration. But having a native who lives there, that actually speaks the language that the Aztecs and Mayans spoke, say this to me. Really shook me, and through many more experiences during my many travels, which I will write more about. I've realized many things you or at least I could not simply learn from reading things on the internet or from schools. I had to physically go to these places and see things for myself.
This is also not to discount the apparent fact that people were indeed taken from Africa, and the atrocities that occurred as a result of that. Such as us having records that over 1.8 million died, just from traveling on the ships. But to add more information to the story. Which as from what l experienced is not going to be found in your common history book. This however also doesn't mean that we should try to make up stories to fit whatever narrative we wish to create for ourselves or others. As we will just end up adding more noise to the already difficult to parse story of the reality that actually happened. If we wish to have any hope to elucidate the past, then we must honestly search for truth.
