If respect is the pillar of indigenous societies, thoughtfulness is the foundation. Both pre-Hispanic and modern-day indigenous peoples maintain a very strong belief in spirituality. The cosmos in understood as the home for everyone and everything. Every living creature, tree, stone has a reason to be and a reason to exist, and has as much right to this earth as humans. Therefore, every action undertaken by indigenous peoples is carefully planned in order to maintain the cosmos balance undisturbed. Indigenous peoples strive to live in harmony among themselves and with the planet, understanding that we need it to survive. Therefore, they operate in a holistic manner, by always keeping in mind that whatever action they take can have a negative or a positive impact, and by trying to reduce said negative impacts as much as possible. Through thoughtfulness, indigenous peoples have developed a deep sense of empathy with other non-human beings, and an understanding that the world doesn’t only belong to them.
Inevitably, the result of living in respect, equality and thoughtfulness leads to balance within societies and with our eco-systems. As such, pre-Hispanic and contemporary indigenous societies live(d) in balance within their societies and with their environments. There is an absence of greed in the sense that people only take what they need, when they need it. Accumulating wealth, power and fame are foreign concepts to indigenous peoples. The epitome of this concept is found in the meaning of gold. Gold was not desired for its economic value or used as currency, but instead had an important cultural, ritual and symbolic role. Gold was linked to the spiritual forces of creation and transformation and was meant to return back to Earth with the burial of its owner, thereby concluding a cycle and returned both human and metal back to Earth, the Mother.