Nature as a Victim of the Spanish Conquest: Bats

The way of perceiving nature is different in each culture. What happens to the perception of nature when cultures dash? This study analyzes the particular case of bats related to the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica. The objective of the work is to outline possible forms of managing or conserving fauna species that are feared or rejected, especially bats. Chiropterans were selected since they can be found on both continents and opinions about them can be contrasted. The methodology consisted of finding out how the bat is perceived in different Mesoamerican cultures and contrasting these perceptions with the Occidental world view, assumed to be negative. Results of this contrast show that the Mesoamerican opinion differed notably from the European view. For this reason, it is urgent to adopt aspects of the ancestral world views to achieve management that permits conserving the different bat species.