Latin-American Studies

The relationship of Latin America with the rest of the world has always been interesting and complex because the countries belonging to this part of the world are viewed and treated uniquely by the rest of the world, even by their neighbors. How and when all this began cannot really be pinpointed at once. History only shows that the development of Latin America is very different from the other parts of the world. The countries from this region reached their current status because of the hardships they all had to go through in the past  The history of Latin America is interesting because it is strange and romantic but it is not easy (Rippy 4). And yet, despite its image of bordering to chaos at most times, Latin America survived to become one of the biggest and most influential cultures today.

Sadly, the perception or knowledge that the world today has of Latin America is very limited. Many only see the proliferation of intermixed races, the poverty experienced by most of the population, or the wars caused by several unstable governments. They do not understand the trials, changes, and successes that the Latin Americans had to go through. Because of this, they do not clearly see the depth and future potential of Latin America to be one of the powerful nations. Visitors of Latin America should see that the present situation of the region today is a result of hard-earned experiences that have been tested by time repetitively.

Some of the famous icons of Latin American culture would be their unique music, their festivities, the image of the Latin lover, the wars and revolutions every now and then, and even Che Guevara. But there is more to Latin America than just these icons. Even the initial impression we have of Latin America is not enough to really justify its rich past. The perception of many people is clouded by the stigma that Latin America is a poor and chaotic part of the world. These icons that people remember even have their own significant stories to tell. As Skidmore points out in his article, when we move beyond these caricatures, which have their own truths to tell, we find Latin America to be a complex region. Much of the recorded story of Latin America goes all the way back to the Colonial Era when Christopher Columbus arrived in some countries that are part of this region. Their arrival in the 1500s signified the beginning of changes at the Latin American countries. The Spanish expanded and administered the new Latin American colonies through the vice royalty system, the largest scale of Spanish colonial administration (Marston 343). Latin America had been under the power of conquering countries for many years, but was part of the first countries to liberate themselves when Spain began to weaken in the 1800s. Latin America was among the first to claim a national identity for themselves, and despite facing economic decline today, they were able to rise again after separating from their colonizers.

Also, there are regions in Latin America that were never subjected to the full control of the colonizing countries either because of their remoteness like the Amazon or because of local resistance like some parts of the Andes (Marston 345). Up to the present, the marvels of the Amazon continue to be one of the wonders of Latin America. But the Amazon also became the home to many of the slaves that escape then. So if you are planning to visit Latin America, you should see its richness in diversity and that every part of the region, be it the cities, the countryside, or the deep forests, has its own tales to tell and unique contributions to the nation and the world.

Just by observing the Latin American societies today, one could very well see that their lives portray the definite contrasts among those who are the rich, privileged, educated, and powerful compared to those who are the poor, illiterate, and powerless, living in underprivileged circumstances. The population of Latin America is also composed of intermixed races as a result of colonialism. Colonialism changed the demographic profile of Latin America through intermixing of European and Indian peoples and the importation of slaves from Africa to the Americas (Marston 355). The mixing of races is an effect of the colonization era, and the product of mixed ancestries is one of the most unique qualities of Latin Americans.

Two of the most explored realities in Latin America are its political problems and economic struggles. Latin America has suffered a lot of chaos and financial crises and until today, we still see these problems threatening to recur. Many see these problems as two separate things when in fact they go hand in hand. The countries of Latin America also continuously face political instability, marked frequently by dictatorship (Skidmore 5). Each country has their own versions of problematic governments and civil wars. These problems cause investors to be dissuaded and progress to be stalled. Latin America is wealthy in terms of natural resources such as silver, gold, petroleum, gas, copper, iron ore, coffee, sugar, and soybeans. But their poverty rate remains so high because of mismanagement in governance and because money was centralized to the powerful families. In fact, dictatorship became very frequent in the 1960s and 1970s. Many perceived these events as effects of the uncultured lifestyles of Latin Americans. This is not entirely correct because it was necessary for the authoritarian government to carry out such policies that require being hard on their people in order to have a more established economy (Skidmore 9). Yet, because they greatly suffered, the Latin American citizens, especially those who are below the poverty line, rebelled against the dictatorships and communistic practices. This had been a bloody and chaotic part of Latin American history however, it should be noted that it was done for liberty. By 1980s, Latin Americans sought to end military dictatorship and open state policy to the influences of democratic participation (Keen and Haynes 508). Hence, when it reached the 1990s almost all countries of the region, with the exception of Cuba, have established democratic and people-elected governments already.

It has not been a smooth-sailing trip for the Latin American countries, and here lies their strength in survival and building themselves. Latin America has improved immensely since the colonial period. In most Latin American countries, the combination of order and progress led to the rapid growth of the primary export sector with clients from Europe and the United States (Foweraker, Landman, and Harvey 15). But the Latin American countries still have a lot to improve on as the threats of disorder are still very prominent.

Today, Latin America has already come a long way. At present, they are already on the steady rise to economic stability. While the region is still far from attaining the level of Asian and Eastern Europe countries, competitiveness is on the rise among South Americas ABC countries  Argentina, Brazil, and Chile (Padgett). The growing economy of these three countries has helped Latin America as a whole, despite the financial crisis experienced by the world.

With all factors considered, one must realize at once that the things prominently known about Latin America are limited or too simple. Every Latin American country has its own rich stories to tell. The history of the region has paved way for all its unique characteristics and appeal. Many of the traditions and cultural practices have been preserved in Latin America, despite the heavy migration that is being practiced there. Every fact is significant, and every event of history is worth learning about and rediscovering again.