A Brief History of Latin America Ancient Civs., Europeans, and
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A Brief History of Latin America Ancient Civs., Europeans, and Independence
Once Upon a Time (before Christopher Colombus)
Three Native American empires in present-day Latin America Maya Inca Aztec
Maya
Dominated Southern Mexico & northern Central America
AD 250-800
City of Tikal: present-day Guatemala
Greatest Mayan city
Priests and nobles ruled
Skilled in mathematics
Calendars (end of the world, 2012??????)
Predicted solar eclipses using astronomical obs.
Glyphs: picture writings carved in stone to honor deities & record their history
POLYTHEISTIC society: Belief in multiple gods
So, What Happened?
Abandoned cities for unknown reasons
Ideas of collapse: drought, warfare led to sharp decline in pop. Spanish took over in 1500s
Now: archeologists are studying this area
Uncovered ruins of roughly 40 cities Glyphs, however, remain largely untranslated
Temple ruins = popular tourist attractions
Today: descendants live in S. Mexico, n. Central America, practice subsistence farming
Subsistence farming: producing just enough food for a family or village to survive (not for profit)
Chichen Itza: Maya temple
Aztec
Central Mexico, 1300s
Capital: Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City)
Aztec farmers grew crops on chinampas, or floating islands made from large rafts covered with mud from the lake bottom
Structured class system
Headed by emperor & military officials
Priests: performed rituals to win deities’ favor & ensure good harvests
Majority at the bottom: farmers, laborers, and soldiers
Maize (eventually corn), tomato, xocoatl (chocolate)
Defeated by Hernan Cortes (1521), beginning of Spanish Mexico
The Aztec performed sacrifices to the Sun God, Huitzilopochtli,each day. The “sacrificed” were mainly prisoners
Inca
Also around 1440s Andes Mountains (South America)
Ecuador to central Chile
Capital: Cuzco (Peru)
Ruled through central government headed by an emperor
Built massive temples, fortresses, system of roads, irrigation systems
All roads went through the capital city of Cuzco!
Domesticated the alpaca & llama, used for wool
No written language, used oral storytelling
System of record-keeping: quipu, or a series of knotted cords of different colors & lengths; each knot represented a different item or number
Conquered by Francisco Pizarro (1535)
Original Incan road
Machu Picchu
Invasion of the Europeans!
Spanish & Portuguese began colonizing after Christopher Colombus’ discovery of the “New World”
God—spread Christianity throughout new areas
Glory—competition among European countries
Gold—riches!!
European colonies eventually arose
Hernan Cortes (1521): Aztecs
Francisco Pizarro (1535): Inca
Both men were CONQUISTADORS: conquerors
Brought with them diseases; as this killed Natives, Africans were transported to the area to cover labor shortage
Characteristics of European Colonies
Spanish: highly-structured political systems under royally appointed officials (also known as a viceroy)
Spanish + Portuguese colonies = Roman Catholic Church
conversion of natives to Catholicism
Hospitals & schools set up by missionaries
Ecomomies
Natural resources (Spanish: gold & silver mining; Portuguese: metals made into Brazilwood)
Cities & towns built, served as trade centers & government seats
Native Americans used to work in plantations & ranches. Eventually replaced by African slaves
Colombian Exchange
Independence Movements
Began in the late 1700s because resentment against European rule was building
Wealthy European colonists wanted self-rule, lower-class wanted more rights
Native Americans & African slaves wanted freedom
Revolutions in the US (American Revolution! Yay America!) and France (with Napoleon) inspired them
Napoleon defeating Spain Spain weaker VIVA LA REVOLUCION!!!
Latin American Revolutions
Sources of DiscontentLate 1700s 1.
Viceroys- Spanish governors
2.
Peninsulares- Spaniards living in LA
3.
Creoles- straight Euro. descent
4.
Mestizos- Native + Euro.
5.
Mulattoes- Afn. + Euro.
6.
Zambos- Native + Afn.
7.
Amerindians- Natives ALL distrusted one another
Haiti’s Struggle
French-ruled
Sugar & coffee plantations = 1/2 million slaves lots of $ for France
25,000 free (but not equal) mulattoes
Haiti’s Struggle
Revolted in 1791
Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture
Former slave, but educated
1804: Complete independence
Haiti became the FIRST country to abolish slavery in the western hemisphere
Mexico’s Fight
Father Hidalgo: El Grito de Dolores 1810: cry for independence encouraged lower class (mestizos) to fight for indep. and more rights Hidalgo was executed Fr. Jose Morelos led fight (later executed)
Creoles (pure Span. descent) against rebels at 1st
1820: new govn’t in Spain scared Creoles fought with rebels won in 1821
Set up monarchy 1st, later a republic long road to stability…
Simón Bolívar
1810: Bolivar led revolt in Venezuela form republic
Went on to Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia republics
Joined Jose de San Martin
Leader in Argentina & Chile
Wars ended in 1824
Tried to unite lands into Gran Colombia
Biggest problem: Power struggles caused huge civil wars turn to military
Panama Canal
Isthmus perfect place to connect oceans
Ferdinand de Lesseps (Suez Canal) tried but failed
Disease, geography, $
Bunau-Varilla asked US pres TR (1901) to aid building
Panama Canal
Panama was part of Colombia at time
Col. refused to give up land
Panamanians revolted, US helped them
Panama gained independence (1903)
Canal began in 1904, until 1914
US owned until 1999
Dictatorships: Pattern
As the countries fought for indep., power went to new people
European & indigenous hist. stressed rank & privilege
So ppl of power and strength were natural fit
Enter the era of CAUDILLOS (dictators)
Dictatorships
People are unhappy REVOLT
Option A: the military puts out revolt and resumes power to keep order
Option B: rebels win & put in someone military/wealthy don’t like military coup
Dictatorships
Chile Military coup over threw dem. socialist govn’t in 1973 Led by Augusto Pinochet Ruled harshly, human rights violations Over 100,000 either killed, imprisoned, or tortured Ruled until 1990! (remained in charge of army) Died in 2006 while awaiting trial
Cuba Fidel
Raul
Like others, ppl were discontent with govn’t
Cuba- gap b/w rich and poor Revolution led by Fidel Castro set up Communist State with military dictator (1959)
Ruled until 06-08 left Raul (brother) in power
Change
Venezuela:
Coups lasted into 90s, one even by current leftist Pres. Chavez
Electorate voted him in b/c he was a strong ruler in a time a of crisis
2012: re-elected again!
Mexico:
Mid-90s gave rise to Zapatista rebels
Fight for indigenous rights spreads
2000 marked PAN take over (Vicente Fox)
Felipe Calderoncurrent
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