1. Demography of Latin America:
a. Spanish conquest of Native Americans
Spanish cities,
coasts
Indigenous
Peoples ("native Americans") are major population in mountains
Náhuatl
is the Aztec language in Mexico
Aymara
language is widespread in Bolivia, Peru
Quechua language (1 - 2)
is widespread
70
indigenous languages in Central America
Argentina, and Southern Colombia
b. "genetic integration" of populations,
many mestizos
people can
choose cultural identity
many countries
with 40-50 percent Native American
c. migrations from Africa (Caribbean,
Brazil)
Asia (Jamaica,
Trinidad-Tobago, Guiana)
England, German
(Argentina, Chile)
2. Iberian Political Culture
a. traditional Aztec, Mayan, Inca
culture cut off
(contrast to China, Japan)
traditions
of empire, conquest, human sacrifice
b. absolutism of Spanish/Portugese
monarchy
very different
from the British common law
and parliamentary
traditions in North America
c. Roman Catholicism -- values of
hierarchy, discipline
3. Revolutionary traditions of Simon Bolivar (1810-25)
a. national independence to give more
power to domestic elite
b. military rule, the man on horseback
c. no particular value attached to
democracy or equality
4. Social Structure
a. extreme gap between the wealthy
land owners and the poor
latifundia (like a plantation), minifundista (like share croppers)
b. patron-client relations
wealthy patron provides protection, food
poor client provides work, votes, may result in rural stability
c. highly polarized social system,
may result in unstable politics:
powerful elite, rooted in rural control, also in urban business and military
-- wants to rule dictatorially
rural poor, often substantially indigenous
-- sometimes resists with guerilla violence
urban working class, often strongly unionized, also urban underclass
-- resists with demonstrations, strikes, political campaigns
5. Political trends in Latin America, Dec. 2005 are shown in this map
6. Impact of the United States
The U.S. has intervened directly with
military in most Central American Countries
has influence in many South American
Countries
In South America, U.S. influence is generally less direct, involving military and economic aid, training of military, and CIA influence
U.S. INTERVENTION IN CENTRAL AMERICA IN PAST CENTURY
Cuba
1899-1902 U.S. military rule
1906-1909 U.S. troops support Cuban gov't
1919 U.S. army writes election law
1962 Bay of Pigs invasion thwarted
Haiti
1915-34 U.S. intervention
1994 overthrow of Cedras, bring in Aristide
Dominican Republic
1916-1924 U.S. military govt
1965
Puerto Rico
1898 - present U.S. control and commonwealth
Grenada
1982 overthrow of leftist government
Mexico
1846-48, U.S. attacks Mexico, takes Texas, NM,
AZ, CA
1914 U.S. seizure of Veracruz
1916-17 Pershing punitive expedition
1915 U.S. military occupation of..
Guatemala
1954 overthrow of Arbenz government
1980's CIA support of military
Honduras
1905? U.S. marines intervened to end civil war
1923 U.S. marines intervened to end civil war
Nicaragua
1856 U.S. involvement in civil war
1912-1925 U.S. marines "invited" to stabilize
situation
after 1928 U.S. troops gradually withdrawn
1932 election under U.S. supervision
1985-89 U.S./CIA sponsored "contras"
attacked Sandinista govt.
1990 election under U.S. supervision
Costa Rica
no direct U.S. intervention
Panama
1903 U.S. support for independence war from Colombia
1903 U.S. given canal zone permanently
Jamaica, other British colonial islands (except Grenada)
no U.S. intervention