Latin American History & Culture: Colonialism, Independence, and Identity

Common Latin American Experiences

legacies of colonialism, neocolonialism, imperialism; transculturation of European, African and Indigenous cultures; Tensions with the northern hemisphere over resources and sovereignty

Transculturation

exchange of traits or influence between two cultural groups; response to acculturation (giving up part of your own culture in order to embrace another)

Pigmentocracy

wealth/social success can be mapped against skin color

Mapping the Geopolitics of Contact

Early perceptions of the Americas were long lasting; Academic imperialism made the later US seem superior to Latin America; prejudice against non-agricultural societies; only major civilizations in LA were studied

the Popol Wuj

Collection of Tzijs that form the largest surviving record of pre-Columbian societies; turned into written form in 1550s which represents the western value placed on solidified history; Popol Wuj used as context rather than for its own merit

Intro to the Fifth Sun

Fifth Sun story is an Aztec story about a man sacrificing himself to bring light; Aztecs used an oral history that gradually transitioned to a written history with the Spanish arrival; demonstrates how cultures changed because of Europeans

Present View of Indigenous Culture

Technologically outmatched; high idea of indigenous culture with ignorance towards contemporary culture

Florentine Codex

Combination of pictures, spanish and nahuatl that tells Aztec history

Colonial LA

History of Spanish Colonialism: 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas; 1492 Columbus; Colonial governments- 2 viceroyalties in Lima and Mexico City that control almost 9000 miles; institution of draft labor

Colombian Exchange

Term coined in 1972 that described the flow of goods after the Spanish arrived; food and crops mainly to Europe but wheat, wine, and livestock went to Americas

Foundations of Race and Colonialism

Establishment of racial categories: Criollos, Chinos, Mulattos, Mestizos, negros; race is a tool of social domination; early slavery was just prisoners of war and gradually turned into a race issue; no indigenous elslavement

African Slavery in LA

Between 7-10 million slaves went to LA, use of race and religion as a basis for slavery- story of Noah and Ham

Spanish and Portuguese Power

beginnings of globalization; establishment of colonies; marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella; treaty of tordesillas; beginning of future markets fueling naval expeditions

Extractivism

Pulling out wealth and destroying the environment in the process, purely for profit

Theological Basis for race

Christianity as the best religion; making other races/religions "enemies of the faith"

Encomienda System

royal grant/request; basis of trust in a financial sense

Origins of Latin American Independence

Historia Patria storytelling; gradual build of tensions over time rather than a sudden shift; failures of the crown to manage so much territory effectively; extractivism; inability to cover racial divides

Early Liberalism

turning emancipation into real political language; free and independent nations

Why Americanos

Americanos: People colonized by Europeans; formation of a collective identity; LA independence movements included non-whites which separated them from US independence; basis for later African decolonization

Liberalism

first used in 1808; free and independent nations; challenging the idea of how leaders should be chosen; secularization

Historia Patria

great man narrative; Ignoring a more convoluted history; Helps create patriotism

Early 19th Century

Rise of liberal movements; civil wars; secularism; rise of positivism

Positivism

the belief that all knowledge should be derived from scientific observation; led to the rise of eugenics theories

Poverty of Progress

Rush to modernize and switch to capitalism; brought in foreign investment but also pushed raw material exports and economic imperialism; elite dominance over lower classes; hacienda system grew; infrastructure like railroads were used to support exports rather than people

Political Citizenship

Post-independence LA countries were all republics; liberalism shifted to conservatism so that elites could maintain power; rise of the concept of the citizen- a part of a nation; low voter turnout and weak elections made military route to power common

Caudillismo

populist leaders in the mid 19th century; mainly military leaders; used portraiture, biographies, and the nuestro america mindset to hold power

reading national subjects

increased amount of reading in LA; reading as a form of socialization; shift of newspapers from elites to common people; rise of novels

Print

Print media helped spread liberal ideologies to the masses; lectors- readers of newspapers in cigar factories; literature began to express the common voice

Industrialization

inherently tied to colonialism; exports were re-imported at a higher price creating massive trade deficits; economic imperialism

Sociability

How the public sphere connects people and local interests; Democracy does not necessarily create sociability if elected officials do not represent local interests

Frontier Crossroads

1823 Monroe doctrine- promised to protect NA and SA interests; done without consulting LA- US interventionism; rising concerns over Andrew Jackson and westward expansion; Formation of Texas and the later expansion that drove the Mexican American war

LA in the 19th Century

Americano identity; Latin identity rising out of heritage from romance language; Nuestra America mindset and anti US interventionism

Platt Amendment

Letter from Roosevelt demanding a Spanish withdrawal from Cuba in 1898; act of US as a hemispheric power

Nuestra America

Jose Marti reflection on US interventionism; government must be born from the country not based of European ideals; "there are no races"

LA at War

Changing depictions of Cubans in media to fuel US interventionist efforts; belief that Cuba was dirty and needed to be fixed

Resource Curse

Resource-rich countries have a harder time industrializing because of lack of necessity

Filibusterism

Using militias to take control of territories; US using these military expeditions to take control of Latin America after the Mexican American war; Most important example was Walker taking Nicaragua; Sparks Latin American common identity when there was new concern over US imperialism

Independence movements as grassroots movements

Movements don't start from nothing; Series of separate revolts and discontent that build into large movements; Anchored by leading figures