Caudillos vs the Nation State & The Slaughterhouse

Caudillos were seen as saviours, it seems, to the poor, as they seemed to fight for reform and social change so that the gap between the healthy and poor would lessen. However, caudillos appealed to the masses because they needed support and numbers to fight the state. Some of caudillos, such as Juan Manuel de Rosas, had the Church as a chief element in their stance. This drew much of the working class population to him, because religion was a very influential and central part of people lives (still is for many). All in all, caudillos fought for the social and economical independence, interests and identity of each particular country, and they did so by mustering as much support as possible, and making the most out of the respective population's hardships.
The Slaughterhouse is a very stark and dark telling of the misery and hunger experienced during Lent in the 1830s, in Buenos Aires. To me, it seems that Echeverria used a lot of sarcasm when talking about how normal it is for the Church to dictate who gets to eat and who does not, as he mentions "A time may come when it will be forbidden to breathe fresh air, take a walk, or even to have a conversation with a friend, without first obtaining permission from the competent authorities. This was how it was, more or less, in the happy times of our pious grandparents, which the May Revolution unfortunately disrupted" (Dawson, 2014, p. 62). The scene he depicts of everyone sucking out as much juice as they could out of intestines, or kids running around smacking each other with livers, and smearing each other with blood, is not a pretty picture. The decapitation of the boy is beyond grotesque and shocking. The death of the "Unitarian" paints a picture of the hatred felt by different political values and how misery and desperation can lead human beings into doing horrendous acts of violence to one another.

Independence Narratives: Past and Present (Dawson Intro, Ch. 1)

I am not at all familiar with the history of Latin America, so the readings provided me with a lot of new information.  One thing that is true across all boards, no matter who you ask, is that, as Dawson explains, you cannot take one characteristic, one well-known figure, or even one particular mentality to tell the history of the becoming of Latin America, and, as a consequence, the identity of Latin America and what it comprises of. This is something we discussed in the first couple of classes.
I was interested to read how the rebellion of slaves played a major role in the general uprisings in the colonies  in the early 1800’s. People fought for the independence of their respective country and the oppression of colonial rule, as well as freedom for the slaves who were “employed” by these colonials.
What was also really intriguing was that, in Brazil, slavery pretty much carried the economy, and thusly, revolution was not as prevalent in its inhabitants’ minds as in other places of Latin America, such as Venezuela and Bolivia.

The “history” itself and the history of the events we study in text books revolve around the caudillos and  the triumphants, with smaller accounts from the defeated. We prefer to hear stories of success rather than of failure, although we can learn a lot from failures in history, so as to avoid them in future (to some extent). As well, we get the sense, from reading history books, that either as an indigenous resident, a colonist, or somewhere in between, you had to choose a side. Either be a liberal or not. What about those who were on the fence? Who wanted to abolish slavery but maintain colonial rule? We don’t hear those accounts as much.

La Monja Alferez & the Casta painting

This excerpt from Catalina de Erauso's memoir was indeed fascinating.
The one question I kept having while reading the text was "What is she looking for?" De Erauso fled the convent and headed out into the world not knowing where exactly to go. But as she makes her way around northern Spain, she doesn't settle in one spot, nor does she give an explanation as to the motive behind her restlessness. She also seems to be "looking" for trouble. To me, it seems that she was trying to prove her fierceness and mercilessness as a protest, revenge even, to her parents forcing her to a chaste, religious and quiet life as a nun. Of course, she is not completely without morals as she does feel grief and misery at the death of the brother she never actually knew, especially as she killed him.
The memoir would have undoubtedly been quite scandalous at the time, but even after revealing her identity, Catalina was not punished for who she chose to be nor her actions. I think this is an example of how the goals of conquest and colonization in Latin America trumped many other wrongdoings (at the time), such as cross-dressing, sexual interactions with one's own sex and fratricide, these being actions perceived as ungodly.
The Casta paintings depict colonial life very interestingly, as the race of those portrayed is the main subject in all of the paintings. Since some patrons of these paintings took the images with them overseas, I am wondering if the paintings were seen as a reminder and a written indication of the hierarchy between the Spaniards, Indians, mestizos, mullatos and zambos.

Christopher Columbus's journal and Guaman Poma de Ayala's chronicle

Indeed a fascinating read. I have not studied Columbus and the discovery of the New World before, so this was interesting to me. I don't really like the man, to be honest, and there are several contradictions on Christopher's part which also intrigued me. For example, at the beginning of his journal, he often mentions having sailed more leagues than he reports to his crew that they had. Does he do so to avoid demoralizing them? As well, he mentions the natives being very docile and non-aggressive, and yet he confiscates their pointed "staffs" right away (page 130). He is very keen on converting them to Christianity and finding their gold. He gives them gifts so as to prompt their generosity when Columbus or others return to the islands in the future. I am also wondering why Martin Alonso Pinzon went out on his own. Most likely to find his own riches, I assume.
Comparing Columbus's journal with Guaman Poma's chronicles of the former's conquests in the New World, it seems that Columbus deliberately left out any mentioning of the violence that the Spaniards committed towards the natives. However, both texts mention the Spaniards' relentless drive to find silver and gold, as well as to convert the natives to Christianity. It is very unfortunate that the early Spaniards' conquest, an eventually the conquistadors' colonization, of the New World was so damaging and detrimental to the independence and state of the indigenous groups. People don't really think of tha when they celebrate Columbus Day or Thanksgiving Day, but instead throw lavish dinners -with the purpose of spending time with family and being grateful, granted - without considering what actually happened when the Europeans discovered and settled in the Americas.
Also, the illustrations on the Guaman Poma website are very detailed, and are fascinating to look at from a student's point of view.

Introduction

Hi everyone, and welcome to my page!

My name is Ana, and I am in the first year of the Global Resource Program, studying Sustainable Agriculture (with a focus on Latin America). Naturally, I am very much looking forward to being in Latin American Studies 100, and I cannot wait to get to know everyone else in the class as well!
I was born and raised in Romania until I was 11, when my family and I moved to Vancouver (approx.10 years ago). I have an immense passion for traveling and experiencing new places and cultures.