The Current State of Development in Latin America

The Current State of Development in Latin America

Throughout this paper I will be making reference to Peter Winn's book Americas. Winn states on page 4 that "Latin America is equally an invention, devised in the nineteenth century by a French geographer to describe the nations that had once been colonized by Latin Europe---Spain, France, and Portugal." In attempting to establish the current state of development in Latin America, historical chronology serves as the foundation necessary for a broad logical position. Latin American development has evolved in distinct phases, which lead to the present day standings of the politics and peoples throughout the region. The conclusion of distinct historical attributes: conquest, colonialism, immigration, capitalism, and industrialism, serve as the developmental path from the past, to allow an understanding of the current state of development.

The conquest is a major factor in shaping Latin America. In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of the Caribbean and claimed the new land in the name of Spain and God. From then on the world was changed forever in the sense that there was a whole New World to conquer. Conquistadors like Cortez and Pizarro then followed and claimed entire new lands and people in the name of gold and wealth. These men started a revolution that changed an entire continent. It was transformed from a free race of people at one with the land to one of slavery and oppression in which man was bound to the land. This was the beginning of colonialism in the New World. The newly founded colonialism changed everything about the land, its inhabitants, culture, and religion and even created new races of people, of which we still do not know everything about. With the curiosity of European countries piqued and rumors of cities made of gold, the Old World decided that there were no boundaries established within the New World and the land was for the taking.

The controlling influence of the Catholic Church in the social and spiritual life of the colonies was deeply rooted in the Spanish past. Royal control over church affairs, in both Spain and the Indies, was founded on the institution of the royal patronage. As applied to the colonies, this patronage consisted in the absolute right of the Spanish kings to nominate all church officials and found churches and monasteries in the Americas. They converted prodigious numbers of natives, and some championed the rights of the Indians against their Spanish oppressors.

Immigration and migration has held a major role in shaping our country. Immigrants have provided many things such as customs, manufacturing, inventions, and entertainment. Many people today don't realize how greatly we have been affected by immigration. Indian culture and the ways in which the Indians responded to the Hispanic invaders were shaped by their own long history on these continents. The Indians arrived from Asia by way of the Bering Strait no less than forty thousand years ago and in the course of time spread over both the American continents and eventually developed a wide range of cultural types, ranging from nomadic groups of hunters and food gatherers to the elaborate empires of the Aztecs and the Inca and the culturally advanced Mayan states. These three civilizations had certain features in common. All three were based on intensive farming