Transcript Historical Overview presentation

WORLDS COLLIDING!!!
3 Peoples

 Europeans, Africans, Native Americans
 Latin America, today, is a collection of those three
cultures
 Modern Latin America – Many Symbols of Unity
that come from Western European Connection
 Politically – Capitalist, Nation-States
 Linguistically – Romance Languages Dominate
 Religious – Overwhelmingly Roman Catholic
Activity

 Sit with three people around you, and try to combine
your cultural backgrounds.
 Pretend you will have to live near or with each other –
which traditions would you keep? Which would you
lose? Why?
 Think in broad themes – Language, food, religion, living
arrangements, cultural traditions, family structure, value
on education, methods of employment, etc
 Make a list of what your “Country” would have, and why
Division

 Racial and Cultural Difference – Native American
Presence in Mexico, Central America, and the Andes
 Caribbean and Brazil – Dense African populations
 Argentina and Uruguay – Large European
populations from immigration
Eclectic Collection of Peoples
and Traditions

 “Latin America” – Even the name doesn’t make
sense – came from the French in the 1850s and
focused on the “Latin” Countries of Europe
 21st Century Latin America - Mixture of countries
that gained independence from France, Spain, and
Brazil, and territories that have their own unique
culture but are not independent (Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands)
First “Americans”

 By 12,000 BCE, humans
inhabited Americas –
From Canada to Tierra
Del Fuego
 Settlement in Monte
Verde, Chile changed
the view of inhabitation
of the Americas
Mayan Map

The Mayans

 The culture's beginnings have been traced back to
1500 BC.
 The Height of Mayan civilization was between 600
and 900 AD.
 Mayans were an urban people, but they built their
cities in rain forests
Mayan Writing
devised a complex
style of hieroglyphic
writing that has yet to
be fully deciphered.
Maya words are
formed from various
combinations of
nearly 800 signs.
Maya Technology
 The Maya, for example,
were so advanced in
mathematics and
astronomy that their
calendar was the world's
most accurate until this
century. They could also
predict solar and lunar
eclipses.
 The Maya calendar was
adopted by the other
Mesoamerican nations,
such as the Aztecs and the
Toltec.
The pyramid was used as a calendar:
four stairways, each with 91 steps and a
platform at the top, making a total of 365,
equivalent to the number of days in a
calendar year.
Agriculture

 The basis of the culture was farming, which included
not only the cultivation of maize, beans, squash, and
chili peppers, but also "cash crops" of cotton and
cacao.
Religion

 The most revered deities (Gods) were Itzamna and Ix
Chel, father and mother of all other gods, and the
rain god Chac. Kukulcan was the Mayan name for
the feathered serpent, god of the ruling caste.
 Ceremonies revolved around their calendar
 Human Sacrifice – blood letting, sometimes human
hearts
TIKAL

Downfall

 Insufficient food supply, earthquakes, pestilence,
invasion by outsiders, internal rebellion or a
combination of these factors have all been suggested
as possible causes for the fall of the Mayan eminence.
What appears certain is that by 900 AD the Maya's
numerous ceremonial centers had been abandoned.
Aztec map

Aztec

 Prior to the 15th century, the Aztecs were a marginal
tribe living on the edge of Lake Texcoco, the site of
present day Mexico City
 Leading a highly codified government was an allpowerful emperor who exacted taxes from the
conquered and distributed land to his people,
especially the warriors.
Tenochtitlan

 By 1473, after subjugating neighboring tribes, they
ruled the largest empire Mexico had ever seen. Their
capital of Tenochtitlan, set in the lake, was a
picturesque city of pyramids, mile-long floating
roads, aqueducts, animated marketplaces, and one
hundred thousand residents.
Tenochtitlan

Government

 Leading a highly codified government was an allpowerful emperor who exacted taxes from the
conquered and distributed land to his people,
especially the warriors.
Aztec Calendar
-The Aztecs used a Calendar similar to
The Mayans. It had a 365 day a year
Calendar.

-In the mythology of the Aztecs, the
first age of mankind ended with the
animals devouring humans. The
second age was finished by wind, the
third by fire, and the fourth by water.
The present fifth epoch is called
Nahui-Olin (Sun of Earthquake), which
began in 3113 BC and will end on
December 24, 2011. It will be the last
destruction of human existence on Earth.
Aztec Writing
The Aztec Language
was based on
symbols representing
writing.
They would combine
symbols to create
sentences.
Mythology
According to an
Aztec myth, the
white-faced
Quetzacuatl - their
most important god.
He is the god of
intelligence and the
god of creation.

Inca Map

Inca

 Between 1200 and 1535 AD, the Inca population
lived in the part of South America extending from
the Equator to the Pacific coast of Chile.

Incan Government

 The Inca society was arranged by a strict hierarchical
structure.
 The Highest Level the Sapa, high priest or ruler, and
the army commander at the top.
 The temple priests, architects and regional army
commanders were next.
 The two lowest classes consisted of artisans, army
captains, farmers, and herders.
 Farmers provided most of the food for the rest of the
population. They had to pay tax in the form of gold,
which were distributed to the higher classes.
Inca Agriculture

 The Inca developed drainage systems and canals
to expand their crop resources. Potatoes,
tomatoes, cotton, peanuts and coca were among
the many crops grown by the Inca.
 Llama were used for meat and transportation.
There was more than enough resources available
for everyone. Increased subsistence levels led to
a growth in the Inca population.
Inca Technology

The Incas had an incredible system of roads.
One road ran almost the entire length of the
South American Pacific coast.
Since the Incas lived in the Andes Mountains,
the roads took great engineering and
architectural skill to build.
On the coast, the roads were not surfaced.
The Incas paved their highland roads with
flat stones and built stone walls to prevent
travelers from falling off cliffs.
Columbian Exchange

 Begins, obviously, with Columbus
 Diseases were the most influential “exchange”
 Smallpox, chicken pox, typhus, measles, whooping
cough, measles, mumps
 Between 1492 and 1650, it is POSSIBLE that disease
killed 90 percent of the first “Americans” – over 20
million lived in the Americas before 1492.
 What affect does this have? Where do the people
think diseases come from?
Bradford

 “The good hand of God favored our beginnings,”
Bradford mused, by “sweeping away great
multitudes of the natives … that he might make
room for us.”
 William Bradford
Crops and animals

 East to West
 Wheat, barley, Rye, sugar, bananas, citrus fruits, rice,
cotton
 Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs
 West to East
 maize (corn), potatoes, cassava, beans, squashes,
pineapple, tomato, avocado, etc
 Potatoes and Maize had the most significant effect

Disease

 Hit by wave after wave of multiple diseases to which they
had utterly no resistance, they [the indigenous peoples]
died by the millions. Disease spread from the paths of
explorers and the sites of colonization like a stain from a
drop of ink on a paper towel. In fact, in North America,
disease spread faster than European colonization. When
Hernando de Soto explored the Mississippi Valley in the
early 1500s he found large, thriving cities connected by
networks of trade. By the time Rene-Robert de La Salle
followed de Soto’s footsteps in the 1680s, those cities had
evaporated.
Globalization

 How is modern globalization similar to the
Columbian Exchange?
Latin America – Shaping up!

 Why does revolution happen? Where does it come
from?
 What can help make a revolution successful?
 What have been some successful revolutions in
modern world history (post-1600)
Seeds of revolution

 Revolutions in Latin America were not started by
indigenous people – they were started and won by
those that settled there
 Why – a huge chunk of the indigenous population
had died
 The “settlers” had been there for almost 300 years
ALL about status/Background

 Creoles vs. Peninsulares
 Europeans felt like they were better than anyone
born in the New World – think about the American
Revolution
Different Folks, Different strokes
 Look at the Island of Hispaniola – DR and Haiti –
why don’t they like each other?
Haiti

 Where does the word “Creole” come from?
 The Haitian Rebellion and Revolution became a
symbol of possibility all around Latin America
 1789 – 1804 – Many firsts – first place in Americas
where slaves were freed, first former slave
Revolutionary – Toussaint L’Ouverture, and first
successful revolution in the Americas
Important Cultural Developments in Europe that
affected Revolutions in the Americas

 Different Rulers – Bourbons vs. Hapsburgs – less
personal touch from the French
 Enlightenment Philosophies
 Real birth of Radicalism
 Death of the “Serf”
“Americans today and perhaps to a greater extent than
ever before, who live within the Spanish system, occupy
a position in society no better than that of serfs destined
for labor.” – Simon Bolivar
Why Everything
“exploded” when it did….

 In a word – Napoleon
 Countries needed to focus their attention at home
LATIN AMERICAN
REVOLUTIONS
CAUSES
LEADERS
EFFECTS
PROBLEMS OF
THE SPANISH EMPIRE
THE
ENLIGHTENMENT
CAUSES
THE
AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
THE
FRENCH
REVOLUTION
PROBLEMS IN THE
SPANISH EMPIRE
* Political Disempowerment:
Spanish colonies were run by the Council of the
Indies, a group appointed by the King that met in
Spain and sent its directives across the Atlantic.
Those directives were carried out by the viceroys,
officials appointed by Spain to govern the colonies.
* Economic Disempowerment:
Spain had the first right to colonial goods and resources.
Excluding all competitors, economic policy was set for
Spain’s maximum benefit.
SOCIAL HIERARCHY
Creoles:
People of pure
European blood
But born in the
New World
Mestizos:
Indian +
Europea
n
blood
CAUS
P
C
M&M
Peninsulares:
Native Spaniards
Mulattos:
African +
European blood
I&A
Indians and Africans
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
BEFORE: Kings are placed on the throne by God. Only
God can remove them.
* Government is based on a contract
between the ruler and the ruled.
* Government exists to protect
the citizens’ natural rights of life,
liberty, & property.
* If the government violates
the natural rights of the
people, the citizens have a
right to revolt against that
tyranny.
CAUS
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
* Napoleon crowns himself emperor
of France in 1804.
* In an attempt to rule all of
Europe, he puts family and friends
in charge of the territories he has
conquered.
* In 1810, Napoleon puts his
brother Joseph on the throne of
Spain. The Spanish royal family
flees.
B
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LEADERS
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LEADER
S
SIMON BOLIVAR
* Elite Creole planter
Military General
* Called the “George Washington
of South America.”
* Liberated territories of modern day
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
& Bolivia
* Plan for a federated Latin America
was crushed by political in-fighting.
JOSE DE SAN MARTIN
LEADER
S
* Creole officer who had
trained in European armies.
* Liberated Argentina from
Spanish control.
* Met with Bolivar in
Guayaquil in 1822. While
Bolivar favored democracy,
San Martin felt only
monarchy could work.
Turned over command.
* Died in obscurity in
Europe.
LEADER
S
MIGUEL HIDALGO
* Highly educated Creole priest assigned to town of Dolores.
* September 16, 1810: El Grito de
Dolores.
Hidalgo rang the church bell and
called
upon his mestizo and
indigenous parishioners to take up
arms against the Spanish.
* Led a rag-tag army toward Mexico
City, unleashing mass slaughter of
peninsulares in path.
* Never made it to the capital -Captured and shot in 1811.
JOSE
MORELOS
*Mestizo Priest who took over
from Hidalgo.
* Much more successful general
“With three such men as Jose
Morelos, I could conquer the
world.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
* Established a congress which:
*Created a declaration of rights
*Abolished slavery
*Declared equality of classes
*Captured and executed in December 18
Effects of all
this
fighting?
What was
the solution?
EFFECTS
- Political
- International
- Economic
- Social
POLITICAL:
THE CAUDILLOS
* By 1830, nearly all Latin
American countries were ruled
by caudillos.
* The upper classes supported
dictatorship because it kept the
lower classes out of power.
* The lower classes did not
have experience with
democracy. Dictatorship
seemed normal.
INTERNATIONAL:
THE MONROE DOCTRINE
“The American continents…are henceforth not to be considered as
subjects for future colonization by any European powers.” - James
Monroe, 1823
The Monroe
Doctrine
* The War of 1812 with Britain had shown the U.S. that
some-times revolutionary victories could lead to sequels.
* The U.S. had political and economic interests in
keeping Europe out of the Western hemisphere. From
1823 on, it would be the U.S.’ backyard.
* Though the U.S. did not have the muscle to back up its
threats, Great Britain agreed to support the Monroe
Doctrine due to its new favorable trading position in Latin
America.
ECONOMIC:
ONE-CROP ECONOMIES
* Now that trade was not restricted to
the mother country, the U.S. and
Great Britain became the new
countries’ major trading partners.
* A colonial economy
continued…Latin America mainly
exported cash crops and raw materials
while importing manufactured goods.
AN IMBALANCE OF TRADE
* As the imbalance of trade grew, Latin American countries took out
large loans from the U.S., Britain, and Germany to build infrastructure.
* When the countries could not pay back their loans, foreign lenders
gained control of major industries in Latin America. (Similar to the
World Bank in Africa)
THE QUESTION OF LAND
Bolivar compared the Americans to serfs before the
revolution. What changed afterwards?
* Once the Spaniards were expelled, the new governments
seized their lands and put them up for sale, BUT….only the
creoles could afford to buy them.
* Thus, the creoles replaced the
peninsulares at the top of the social
pyramid, but other classes remained
at the bottom of the ladder.
SUMMARY
POLITICAL
ECONOMIC
SOCIAL
BEFORE
Dictatorship of the
Council of the Indies
and the Viceroys
AFTER
Dictatorship of the
Caudillos
Unequal trade
relationship with Spain
benefiting
Unequal trade
relationship with Great
Britain and the U.S.
benefiting
Native Spaniards at the
top of the social ladder,
followed by creoles, and
with the rest of the
population at the bottom
Creoles at the top of the
ladder with the rest of
the population at the
bottom.
BOLIVAR’S LAST WORD
* Simon Bolivar had taken up the cause of independence
hoping to establish a new order where Latin American
countries would be free, democratic, and federated (in
agreement to work together.) Instead, upon his death, he
saw a world in which dictators ruled and disunity reigned.
Disgusted by what he saw, he gave this warning to future
generations:
“America is ungovernable for us.
He who serves a revolution plows
the sea.”