Latin America
Mariah Fredregill
Political-
- Starting in the beginning of 1750, a very large portion of latin america was controlled by both Spain and FranceNapoleon’s invasions of spain and portugal
- meant that Latin America was ignored for the early 1800’s. In 1807 Napoleon took control of Spain and Portugal
- Between 1810 and 1825, most of Spain's former colonies had declared and won independence
- As a result of the Latin American revolutions, most Spanish whites returned to Spain
- In 1846 to 1848 the United States defeat Mexico and annexes the northern half of the country with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
- After independence in Latin America there were many great backlashes such as decimated populations, bankrupt treasuries, political instability, as well as various other problems.
Economy-
- Spanish and Portuguese mercantilism limited trade and migration in Latin America during the colonial period (to 1825) and political instability after independence impeded economic growth and foreign investment for many years after.
- Around 1870, Liberal government policies that were meant to ensure favorable conditions for economic growth actively sought to introduce new technologies and foreign investments. Unfortunately the national treasuries were often inadequate for this task, so Latin American political leaders enticed foreign investors to build railroads, wire telegraph lines, build or improve port facilities, and pour their money into mining operations to achieve their desired progress. A shortage of labor accompanied the shortage of money in many areas, so governments and investors recruited immigrants from Asia, the West Indies, and Europe.
- The transport of raw materials remained the region's primary exports well into the twentieth century
Religion-
- In Latin America, after the revolutions, the Catholic church remained very prominent in peoples everyday lives
- A Jesuit Reduction was a settlement of sorts for indigenous people in Latin America that was created by the Jesuit Order during the 17th and 18th centuries.
- In 1767 the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) were expelled from Latin America.
- Even though much of Latin America is catholic, a blend of Catholicism and Animistic religion was formed in Latin America due to their Indian heritage
Society-
- Colonies were very racially diverse with slaves and free people of various colors
- There was a lot of racial segregation even during the modern era. Classes were divided by how dark their skin was to which country they were born in
Intellectuals/Innovations/Inventions-
- During the late nineteenth century and increasingly after the turn of the century in Latin America intellectuals criticized liberal modernization strategies that favored foreign investors and the export market over local interests and equitable development strategies.
- Liberal governments gave generous concessions to foreign investors to build railroads and other infrastructure that would allow for further economic development.
- Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz was a female prodigy who spoke five different languages by the age of 16. She wanted to dress and disguise herself like a man to attend college, but was forbidden to do so. However, De La Cruz did write plays and poetry along with studying math and Natural Science. She was one of the leading minds of the 17th century, unfortunately she was not very well liked by her people because despite her intelligence, she was still a women. She was attacked so harshly that she was forced to abandon her work and sell all four thousand of her books.
Art/Architecture-
- Liberal governments gave generous concessions to foreign investors to build infrastructure that would allow for further economic development.
- A Swiss Jesuit named Father Martin Schmid was a leading figure in the reductions, was both an architect and a composer, and is generaly given a lot of credit for both the later architecture and the remarkable musical life of the reductions
Near Geography-
- Latin America as a whole a divided into several countries.
- Countries in South America are a part of Latin America, but so are countries close to South America such as are Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico.
- The Andes mountains and The United states of America are also not too far from Latin America