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    Histories of Historical Myths in Latin America

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    Andrea Bejar
    The document summarizes several common historical myths about Latin America and provides a more nuanced historical context for each. Some of the myths addressed include the conquest being led by small groups of Spaniards, Spain's rule being uniquely brutal, slavery in Latin America being less harsh than elsewhere, and Latin American countries having an innate preference for authoritarian leaders over democratic institutions. In each case, the document argues the reality is more complex than the myth suggests when considered in full historical context.

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    Histories of Historical Myths in Latin America

    Uploaded by

    Andrea Bejar
    22 views26 pages
    The document summarizes several common historical myths about Latin America and provides a more nuanced historical context for each. Some of the myths addressed include the conquest being led by small groups of Spaniards, Spain's rule being uniquely brutal, slavery in Latin America being less harsh than elsewhere, and Latin American countries having an innate preference for authoritarian leaders over democratic institutions. In each case, the document argues the reality is more complex than the myth suggests when considered in full historical context.

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    The document summarizes several common historical myths about Latin America and provides a more nuanced historical context for each. Some of the myths addressed include the conquest being led by small groups of Spaniards, Spain's rule being uniquely brutal, slavery in Latin America being less harsh than elsewhere, and Latin American countries having an innate preference for authoritarian leaders over democratic institutions. In each case, the document argues the reality is more complex than the myth suggests when considered in full historical context.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    22 views26 pages

    Histories of Historical Myths in Latin America

    Uploaded by

    Andrea Bejar
    The document summarizes several common historical myths about Latin America and provides a more nuanced historical context for each. Some of the myths addressed include the conquest being led by small groups of Spaniards, Spain's rule being uniquely brutal, slavery in Latin America being less harsh than elsewhere, and Latin American countries having an innate preference for authoritarian leaders over democratic institutions. In each case, the document argues the reality is more complex than the myth suggests when considered in full historical context.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 26

    Histories of Historical Myths in Latin America:

    Bianca Premo

    1. Conquest
    2. Black Legend
    3. Benign Slavery
    4. The Immature Pueblo
    5. Racial Democracy
    6. Spellbound by Dictators
    Modern Latin America
    20 Countries, One History?

    North America
    Caribbean

    Central America

    South America
    Colonialism 19th Century 20th Century

    1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
    4 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9
    9 2 5 7 9 1 3 6 7 8
    2 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0
    Independence Popular Politics
    Conquest
    Early Colonialism Civil Wars
    Cold War, Revolutions
    Living in an Empire Neo- and Dirty Wars
    Colonialism
    Re-
    democratization
    Conquest

    Myth: A small regiment from the Spanish army, led by capable and astute men such as
    Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, defeated hundreds of thousands of natives

    History: diverse Europeans and some Africans, acting on their own, along
    with thousands of native allies, began a long process of establishing Spanish
    sovereignty that lasted for centuries

    Historicizing the myth


    Florentine Codex
    Compiled by Fray Bernardo Sahagún
    1555
    Black Legend

    Myth: The Spanish claims to legitimate possession of the lands of the


    New World were faulty, based in brutality, and reflected backward
    medieval thinking about the world

    History: Political motivations lay behind each iteration of the myth (Las
    Casas ca 1540s; British and French in 18th and 19th centuries; 20th-
    century economic developmentalists

    Historicizing the Myth


    Yet into this sheepfold, into this land of meek
    outcasts there came some Spaniards who
    immediately behaved like ravening wild beasts

    -Bartolomé de las Casas


    Archive of the Indies, Sevilla, Spain

    Since this edition was put into the press, a History of Mexico, in two
    volumes in quarto, translated from the Italian of the Abbe D. Francesco
    Savario Clavigero, has been published. From a person, who is a native of
    New Spain, who has resided forty years in that country and who is
    acquainted with the Mexican language, it was natural to expect much new
    information…Upon perusing his work, however, I find that it contains
    hardly any addition to the ancient History of the Mexican empire…but
    what is derived from the improbable narratives and fanciful conjectures.
    - William Robertson, Preface to 3rd ed. History of America (1777-93)
    Benign Slavery

    Myth: Slavery in Spanish America and Brazil was less harsh than slavery
    in British North America because of the propensity toward race
    mixture, manumission practices, and lack of capitalism

    History: Latin America, and particularly Brazil, accounted for the vast
    majority of slave importations. Manumission more common but still rare.
    Imports rather than reproduction.

    Historicizing the myth


    Trans-Atlantic imports of African slaves
    by region

    1450-1900

    Region # accounted for %


    Brazil 4,000,000 35.4
    Spanish Empire 2,500,000 22.1
    British West Indies 2,000,000 17.7
    French West Indies 1,600,00 14.1
    British North America & US 500,000 4.4
    Dutch West Indies 500,000 4.4
    Danish West Indies 28,000 0.2
    Europe (and Islands) 200,000 1.8
    Total 11,328,000 100.0
    “Casta” painting

    More on myths of slavery!


    http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/origins-slavery/resources/myths-and-misconceptions-slavery-and-slave-trade
    The Immature Pueblo

    Myth: Latin Americans emerged from Independence (ca 1820-1898)


    unprepared for political liberalism, thus leaving populations vulnerable
    to local military strongmen (caudillos, coroneis) who replaced the king

    History: Even under monarchies (Cuba, Brazil, Mexico in 1860s)


    instituted liberal reforms in economics, electoral processes, civic life.
    Thriving presses, party identification even without suffrage, deep
    culture of first “patria chica” (local national identity), then broader
    national identity

    Historicizing the myth


    Simón Bolívar
    Jamaica Letter, 1817

    Despite the convictions of history, South


    Americans have made efforts to obtain liberal,
    even perfect, institutions, doubtless out of that
    instinct to aspire to the greatest possible
    happiness, which, common to all men, is
    bound to follow in civil societies founded on
    the principles of justice, liberty, and equality.
    But are we capable of maintaining in proper
    balance the difficult charge of a republic?
    Domingo F. Sarmiento
    President of Argentina 1870s-80s
    Liberal educator, anti-conservative
    Racial Democracy

    Myth: Latin Americans are more racially tolerant and because of propensity to
    mix races (miscegenation) historically have experienced less discrimination

    History: Claims of racial democracy and myths of inclusive race-


    mixing have made discussion of actual discrimination and economic
    disparities seem unpatriotic (as but one example, whiter Brazilians
    made 2X what darker Brazilians made in salary in 2007). Indigenous
    Latin Americans often more important symbolically than politically.

    Historicizing the myth


    “Indigenismo” in art

    José Sabogal (Peru, 1888-1956)


    Frida Kahlo
    (Mexico 1907-59)
    José Vasconcelos
    “Cosmic Race” 1925
    José Martí
    Our America, Cuba 1891
    Spellbound by Dictators

    Myth: Latin Americans prefer individuals over institutions in politics, and thus
    have been dominated by dictators– often military-- in the 20th and 21st centuries

    History: Scholars have argued that it is not a “cultural affinity” for


    populist, charismatic leaders but rather the elites’ hold over weak
    institutions that had Latin American countries swinging between
    authoritarian regimes and democracy in the 20th century.

    Historicizing the myth


    Juan Perón
    1946-55; 1973-4

    Barrio Presidente Perón


    US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
    With General Augusto Pinochet 1970

    What are we going to say when other countries


    start to democratically elect other Salvador
    Allendes?

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