- Write a 200- to 250-word reflection on this week’s topic by responding to the question/comment below.
- Your response should be in standard essay format (introduction, body, conclusion; complete sentences, paragraphs). Points will be deducted if you do not follow this format and/or the quality of the writing is poor (spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors), so be sure to proofread carefully.
- NO Points if any of your reflection is plagiarized. Use only the required readings/lectures in your response, but don’t over-quote from them
Reflect on this QUESTION/COMMENT: How diverse is Latin America, and why?
Social�Geography
Part�1:�Peopling�of�Latin�America
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Indigenous
• Population�estimates�at�time�of�conquest�
have�ranged�from12�to�125M�– a�general�
figure�that�is�used�today�is�90M
• How�were�they�distributed?
– Mesoamerica�– 17M�(1�in�13)
– Andes�– 16M�(1�in�4)
– Tropical�South�America�– 8Ͳ9M�(about��3%)
– Caribbean�– 9M
Africans
• Labor�shortage�caused�by�the�“demographic�collapse”�
of�the�indigenous�led�to�the�forced�migration�of�
millions�of�Africans�into�the�Americas
• Where�did�people�go?
– Spanish�America�– 1.55M
– Brazil�– 3.64M
– British�Caribbean�– 1.67M
– French�Caribbean�– 1.6M
– Dutch�Caribbean�– 500,000
Europeans
• Mainly�from�Spain�and�Portugal
– 1492Ͳ1600�– 300,000�migrated
– 17th Century�– 450,000�migrated
• Population�by�early�1800s
– In�the�Spanish�colonies:�17M�total;�7.5M�indigenous,�5.3M�
mestizos,�3.2M�whites,�1M�blacks�and�mulattos
– In�Brazil:�blacks�and�mulattos�2.5M,�whites�1M,�indigenous�
and�mestizos�500,000
Miscegenation
• Integral�part�of�the�social�and�sexual�fabric�of�both�Spanish�and�
Portuguese�colonial�societies
• Few�women�came�to�the�colonies,�so�men�engaged�in�either�shortͲ
term�sexual�liaisons�and/or�marital�unions�with�native�women,�
producing�mestizos
– Few�during�early�decades�but�populations�grew�considerably�but�
not�uniformly�– majority�populations�in�Mexico,�El�Salvador,�Peru,�
Chile
• Relations�between�Africans�and�natives�also�occurred�but�not�as�
significant�– areas�beyond�effective�control�of�colonial�powers�–
frontier�areas�with�free�blacks�and�runͲaway�slaves�– more�often�in�
Brazil
– Black�Caribs�– Caribs�exiled�from�St.�Vincent�to�Honduran�coast�in�
1796�who�mixed�with�escaped�slaves�– today�called�Garifuna
• Widespread�miscegenation�between�Europeans�and�Africans�– 1818�
estimate�of�Brazil’s�population�and�racial�composition�was�500,000�
mulatto,�1M�whites,�2M�blacks
Later�Europeans
• Other�European�immigrants�came�
after�independence
– Italians�– largest�group�in�this�period�–
3.5M,�mainly�in�Brazil�and�Argentina�–
1880Ͳ1920�
– Spanish�– to�Argentina�– 200,000�to�
300,000
– Portuguese�– to�Brazil�– 1M�btw�1820Ͳ
1920
– Germans�– 10,000�in�far�south�of�Chile�
1840Ͳ90;�150,000�to�Brazil�southern�
forests�1920s;�100,000�to�Argentina
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Asians
• Over�500,000�in�last�half�of�19th and�beginning�of�
20th centuries
– Chinese�– to�Peru�(mining�guano�1840)�
100,000�in�late�1800s�(integrated�into�society�
or�went�back�after�labor�contract);�Cuba�–
sugar�workers�– 100,000�to�150,000�
– Japanese�– Peru�in�1870s�and�1880s�(less�than�
100,000�by�20th century�but�distinct�part�of�
society);�Brazil�(southern�coffee�plantations)�–
Brazilians�of�Japanese�descent�=�1M�in�2000
– Middle�Easterners�– Syria,�Lebanon,�Palestine�
(typically�Christians)�– primarily�to�Argentina�
and�Colombia�– retail�commerce/traders
– Significant�numbers�of�people�from�South�Asia�
and�Java�also�came�as�sugar�workers�in�the�
1800s
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Social�Geography
Part�2:�Race�&�Ethnicty
This�map�of�major�
languages�(one�marker�
of�culture)�gives�some�
idea�of�the�diversity�in�
the�region
Slavery�in�the�New�World
� Antecedents�of�New�World�slavery�– practice�from�
antiquity;�common�to�most�civilizations�of�the�Old�World�–
Greek/Roman/Oman;�30Ͳ40%�of�Italian�Peninsula�at�
height�of�Roman�Empire
� Slavery�in�the�New�World�began�with�enslaving�the�
indigenous�
� Atlantic�(African)�slave�trade�began�as�a�result�of�the�
demographic�collapse�of�the�indigenous
The�Atlantic�Slave�Trade
� Portuguese�was�the�first�European�power�to�gain�control�of�points�along�the�
African�coast
� Spanish�asiento�was�the�licensing�system�which�contracted�with�British,�
Dutch,�Portuguese,�or�French�to�supply�labor�from�Africa
� The�populations�of�Africans�brought�to�the�New�World�were�very�diverse�like�
the�sending�regions�they�were�from;�½�died�on�way�to�coast
� West�Africa�(Senegal�&�Gambia),�central�African�coast,�Congo�&�Angola,�
East�Africa�(Mozambique)
� About�9M�total�in�Latin�America
The�Atlantic�Slave�Trade
� The�Middle�Passage�– the�harsh�
voyage�from�Africa�to�the�New�
World�– many�died�from�the�
conditions�on�board
� Tumbeiros:�“slavers”�or�
“coffin�ships”�were�used�to�
transport�the�captives�
� Designed�for�maximum�
occupancy
� Captives�were�only�
brought�above�deck�for�
about�one�hour�a�day�
during�the�6Ͳ8�week�
journey
� Death�Rate�was�roughly�20%�
at�the�beginning�of�the�trade�
and�8%�towards�the�end
Slavery�in�the�New�World
� Circumstances�of�slaves�was�based�on�the�colonial�power�–
Spanish/Portuguese:�guaranteed�rights�based�on�Roman�legal�codes
� Right�to�life,�could�not�be�legally�killed
� Protection�of�women�&�children�from�their�masters
� Right�to�own�personal�property
� Right�to�enter�into�personal�contracts
� Right�to�purchase�their�personal�freedom
� Catholic�Church�– slaves�possess�immortal�souls;�should�have�
Sundays�and�religious�holidays�off
� Manumission�(granting�freedom)�&�other�forms�of�freedom�
(purchasing�freedom)
� Free�Black�populations�grew�so�that�by�the�end�of�the�colonial�era�
they�outnumber�slaves
� Mexico�&�Panama�by�9:1;�Brazil�3:1
Methods�of�Resistance
� The�enslaved�protested�their�bondage�in�a�number�of�
ways
� Passive—feigning�illness�or�laziness;�sabotaging�crops�
and�property�
� Violent—rebellions/revolts�occurred�less�frequently;�
also�took�form�of�suicide
� Escape—individual�acts�of�short�duration;�groups�to�
physically�isolated�backlands
� Maroon/cimarrones/quilombos�– communities�of�
free�blacks/escaped�slaves
� NE�Brazil,�British�&�Dutch�Guyana,�Colombia,�
Mexico,�Jamaica
� Slavery�was�abolished�in�British�and�French�empires�in�
1830s,�by�midͲ1800s�in�independent�countries,�Brazil�in�
1888�
� The�freed�Black�populations�tended�to�relocate�from�
rural�areas�to�urban�areas
“Racial”�Mixing
� Miscegenation—racial�mixing�
� Few�women�migrated�to�Americas
� Tradition�from�Moorish�Iberia
� Castas—categories�created�to�define�
mixed�groups�(meztizo,�mulattos,�etc.)
� Race�correlated�to�socioeconomic�
class�in�colonial�era
� Became�almost�infinite—lost�
meaning—meant�different�things�to�
different�people
Classifying�“Race”
Social�“Races”
� Confusion�over�the�infinite�number�of�castas lead�to�the�
construction�of�social�races—determined�by�lifestyle�over�physical�
features
� Social�vs.�biological�markers
� Occupation,�language,�
dress
,�diet,�religion
� Made�it�possible�for�people�to�change�their�racial�classification�by�
altering�their�lifestyle
� EX:�dressing�like�a�European�or�wearing�traditional�indigenous�
dress
Whitening
� Physical�“whitening”�or�“bleaching”�of�Latin�American�populations
� Population�becoming�more�EuropeanͲlike—declining�numbers�of�
Indigenous�&�Blacks
� Fewer�Black�women�than�men;�they�tended�to�marry�later;�
miscegenation
� Black�men�died�in�military�campaigns�in�Argentina;�Indigenous�
were�targeted�in�wars�of�extermination�(“Indian�Wars”)
� Blacks:�30%�(early�1800s)�to�1.8%�(1887)
� Indigenous:�5%�(1869)�to�0.7%�(1895)
� Social�Darwinism�– theory�that�human�societies�could�be�compared�to�
competing�natural�species
� Led�to�racist�immigration�policies—encouraging�white�indentured�
and�nonͲindentured�migration�
� Argentine�immigration�– btw�1880�and�1930�added�3,225,000�–
mostly�from�Italy�(43%)�&�Spain�(34%)
Asian�Populations
� Indentured�workers
� 800,000�came�as�contract�laborers�in�
sugar�zones�(recall�that�Black�populations�
migrated�away�from�rural�areas�after�
slavery�is�abolished)
� Chinese�(Peru/Cuba),�South�Asians�
(French/English�colonies),�Javanese�
(Suriname)
� Terms�of�service
� Passage�for�committed�period�of�work�on�
plantation
� Generally�low�wages/bad�living�conditions
� After�service
� Reenlist,�remain,�return
� Less�than�1/3�returned
� Became�farmers,�tradesmen,�and�(later)�
whiteͲcollar�professionals
Racism�&�Colonialism
� Social�racial�prejudice�vs.�physical�racial�prejudice
� Internalized�racism—repudiation�of�culture�&�self�
– “denial�of�the�self”
� Identity�politics�– intellectual�and�political�
resistance�to�racism�and�discrimination
� Indigenismo�– exaltation�of�indigenaity,�
preservation�of�culture;�antiͲColumbus�
campaign�in�1992,�Zapatista�uprising,�MAS�
movement�in�Bolivia
� ‘To�the�Indian,�the�Spaniard�is�only�a�tenant.��And�we�
have�to�hit�him,�complain�about�him�and�tell�him�to�
leave,�because�we�are�the�owners�and�we�are�going�
to�return.’
� Negritude/PanͲAfricanism— celebrated�Black�
culture�and�challenged�notions�of�race�
constructed�as�part�of�the�colonial�project�of�
domination;�influential�in�antiͲcolonial,�
nationalist�struggles