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A Map of Latin America
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A Caudillo
Charging into Battle |
After a long series of battles, Latin America has finally gained its independence! The people rejoiced. Everyone thought it would be great to be ruled by their own country! But after they finally got their wish, they realized that for everyone except those at the top of the social classes pyramid, life hadn't changed in the slightest. As one Mexican man said, "Independence is only a name." So, once the government had shifted, other things that were meant to improve and tighten the country, such as constitutions, began to pop up from country to country. Now independent from Europe, people called caudillos rose to power - these were defined as able to command the loyalty of enough troops to seize and hold power. The very first of these rulers was named Dr. José Gaspar Francia. The caudillos seemed to hold position well, considering that they were the beginning of a new era for Latin America; new legs to stand upon.
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| A Drawing of Caudillos |
Countries as a whole reacted very differently to the change in government. Many places wanted support from other countries. But this was impossible to do if there was debt involved, which in most cases, there was. Porfirio Díaz, a caudillo of Mexico, wished to build the economy of the country, and figured that he could do this using foreign investments. So he paid of all of Mexico's debts, changed the laws to attract foreigners, and even offered them deals on oil reserves. Mexico wasn't a very popular country to Europeans at the time, so he had to work hard to try to change that image. However, this wasn't something that every Latin American country had to do! Brazil, Argentina, and Chile were favored because of their great political abilities which insured their credibility and ability to pay off their loans. This time was called the "Search for Economic Health" because each country had to find its feet under new government. And with new government comes a new economy. Overseas trade, agriculture, slavery and service, all of these had an impact.
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| A Slave Begging for Freedom |
Independence really only affects the top portion of the social classes pyramid in Latin America. Slaves were still harshly mistreated. Indians still shunned. The suffering still in poverty. Why would independence matter to them? It didn't. But to the majority of the people, it was a huge difference. For once, people were united as a country. But racism and judgment still existed - there was no getting rid of that. For instance, how you dressed yourself immediately gave people an impression or image of you. A man in Quito once said, "No gentleman will be seen walking in the streets of Quito under a poncho. Hence citizens are divided into men with ponchos and gentlemen with cloaks." In other places, wearing an artisan jacket proved your support for the dictator, while a long frock of an aristocrat meant the opposite. Slaves, freed or otherwise, were still shunned, mistreated, and ignored. Women still were treated inferiorly to men. As Madame Calderón de la Barca said, "I asked a lady the other day if her daughter went to school, and she replied: 'Good heavens! She is past eleven years old!'. After eleven, girls were taught to sing or sew. Many girls never attended a school.
So, the life of a free man was very different from a life a man owned by Spain. No matter if the results were good or bad, the independence of Latin America was a large part of their history and should definitely be recognized.
