Arguably the most influential man in Latin America, Fidel Castro was the leader and dictator of the always changing and controversial Cuba. Fidel is most recognizable and important in history during events like the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban Missle Crises during the Cold War. Fidel himself led the revolutionaries in Cuba, and after taking power he was the unchallenged Prime Minister of Cuba for 50 years until he gave up power to his brother Raul Castro in Februrary 2008. His involvement in the Cold war between the United States and the USSR is where he really became an influential and powerful figure in the world. It was believed during the Cuban missile crises that the USSR was building and arming Cuba with hundreds of missiles so that they could either attack the USA directly or do even more damage to surrounding nations. Luckily for the USA quick and decisive decisions along with a compromise between the USA and the USSR led to the end of the Cuban Missile Crises. Fidel is also very well known for his love and commitment to communism.
Manuel Antonio Noriega (born February 11 1934) is a former general and the military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989. He was never officially the president of Panama, but held the post of "chief executive officer" for a brief period in 1989. The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the U.S. Noriega was tried on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering in April 1992. Noriega's US prison sentence ended in September 2007; pending the outcome of extradition requests by both Panama and France, he remains in prison as of May 2009.
Kahlo was born July 6, 1907 in the house of her parents, known as La Casa Azul (The Blue House). Kahlo contracted polio at six, which left her right leg thinner than the left, which Kahlo disguised by wearing long, colorful skirts. It has been conjectured that she also suffered from spina bifida, a congenital disease that could have affected both spinal and leg development. On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus when a vehicle collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail pierced her abdomen. Although she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she was plagued by relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. Both of these events affected her art.
Frida was an internationally popular Mexican painter. She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico and European influences including Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain and sexuality. Kahlo was married to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. It was not until the early 1980s, when the artistic movement in Mexico known as Neomexicanismo began, that she became very prominent. This movement recognized the values of contemporary Mexican culture.
FARC, which stands for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, is simply put a terrorist organization in South America. The Columbian President, Hugo Chavez has deemed them to be a terrorist organization because of the many violent acts it has committed. FARC is a marxist organization, and wants to take control of Colombia. It has about 12,000 armed supporters. It is most definitely an organization to know in the Americas because of the terrorist activities that they do. Also, although FARC has 12,000 supporters, about 30% of those supporters are minors. So in conclusion, although the FARC organization is not nearly as powerful as it was 10, twenty years ago it is still powerful.
Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian novelist. He was known as "Gabo" in his native country. He was considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. In 1982, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was acclaaimed for non-fiction works and short stories such as, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. He became very famous after writing his books.
institutional revolutionary party (PRI) leaning right led for 70 years before being taken out of power by rival party of the democratic revolution in 2000. The PRI were important because they were the leading party for so long and because they essentially decided the course of the nation during that time. They achieved relative stability during their period of government though there was period of economic unrest. Began as an effort to stop violence in 1938 between various parties. Started by Plutarco Elias Calles. They were the government in charge during the Tlatelolco massacre and were responsible for the troops sent there. The PRI were lost power in 1990 when the leader was assassinated and they lost majority in congress after the economic crisis.
-Seven year campaign by Argentina Government.
-Very rash campaign, many people "diseappeared" in the middle of the night. The horrible thing about this was the fact that many of these people were totally innocent.
-This was the act of an extremely paranoid and desperate government.
-These people that diseappeared were taken to torture centers.
-This occured after the death of Juan and Evita Peron after the military had seized power.
-The only reason that the military generals kept their power was by killing all of their opponents and oppressing their people.
-In fact, the Dirty war was part of the reason that the military rule of Argentina ended.
-In 1982,(at the end of the Dirty War) The Argentina government decided that they needed to retake the Falkland Islands to gain more support in thier country. The military fails and gets beaten by Great Britain, losing their control over the country once and for all.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a group of Argentinian mothers whose children "vanished" in the Dirty War. These children were in fact abducted by agents of the military government from 1976-1983, and were most likely tortured or killed. The government has admitted that about 9,000 of the children are still unaccounted for, although some say the number is 11,000, and some say as high as 30,000. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have become a human rights organization, campaigning for the right to see their children again. They campaign every Thursday, and wear white headscarves embroidered with the names of their abducted children.
For many Hugo Chavez (according to the Washington post) is
Chavez is a modern-day, Spanish-speaking Robin Hood.
The United States sees him as another Castro
Although a thorn in the United States’ side Chavez may be presenting solutions to Latin America's real problems in ways that Washington is not.
He is the current president of Venezuela
He was leader of the Bolivian revolution
He hates United States foreign policies
He had a career in the army (as a military officer) in the beginning
He failed in an attempt at a coup against Carlos Andrès Perez 1992
He was elected president in 1998 and reelected in 2000 and 2006
Chavez survived the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, which briefly removed him from power.
There is little freedom of press
Gradually the checks and balances from Venezuela’s democracy are being taken away
For example, he tried to take away president term limits by trying to pass amendments on the Venezuelan constitution (which almost passed)
Augusto Pinochet:
Augusto Pinochet was the commander in Chief of the Chilean army from 1973-1998. He was the President of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981. He was also the president of Chile from 1974. Augusto Pinochet was placed under house arrest. Around 300 criminal charges were against him in Chile for human rights violations, tax evasion at the end of this he was never convicted of any crimes. He also was accused of having amassed a wealth of 28 million US dollars. Dies before he can face trail of what he did to other people.
Juan and Evita Peron were from Argentina and grew very popular. Even though Juan was the president and had strong military training, Eva had become the face of change. After Juan was elected she campaigned strongly for the Labor Party and women’s' suffrage. She also became the Vice President and the Argentine Senate President. Many of Juan’s friends thought it would be a bad idea to become involved with Eva. Shortly after meeting in San Juan, Eva Duarte and Juan Perón began to live together. This move is said to have scandalized some in Juan Perón's inner circle. During this time period in Argentina, entertainers and politicians were seen as two distinct classes of people. Additionally, it was considered improper for an unmarried couple to share quarters. After his release from prison, Juan Perón decided to campaign for the presidency of the nation. Eva campaigned heavily for her husband during his 1946 presidential bid. Evita's cancer returned rapidly. She developed lung metastasis Evita died at the age of 33, at 8:25 p.m. on July 26 1952.
Isabel Allende is a Chilean novelist. She was actually born in Lima, Peru in 1942 and born into a Chilean family. Her literary movement was magical realism. She made novels based on her own experience, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myths, and realism together. She later moved to Chile. After the assassination of her uncle, Salvador Allende, the president of Chile in 1973, Isabel with her husband and children left for safety in Venezuela. It was when she was in exile that she began to write, The House of the Spirits, her first and best known novel, which was based on her own family and the politics of Chile. Her other well-known novels were, Eva Luna and The Stories of Eva Luna, and her latest, La Suma de los Dias (The Sum of Our Days). She also wrote, Dos Palabras, which some people will know from Spanish class. She published articles in newspapers and magazines in both America and Europe.
The Tiatelolco massacre took place on October 2, 1968. This was where the military and various other people went to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City, and proceeded to shoot the student demonstrators. Two to three hundred people died, but apparently up to a thousand people may have potentially been hurt. The students were demonstrating during that time because it was weeks before the summer Olympics, so they were hoping they could draw more attention. Many people that were not involved in the protest were shot, as well as many kids. The governments explanation was that the protestors began to light things on fire so they started an open fire on the students.
Chiapas is a state in the country of Mexico its located south of the Yucatan Peninsula. The state capital city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez; other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Toniná.
In 1994, violence erupted between the Mexican Government and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). There are currently 32 Rebel Autonomous Zapatista Municipalities (MAREZ), affiliated with the EZLN in Chiapas.
As of the mid 1990s, most people in Chiapas were poor, rural small farmers. About one quarter of the population were of full or predominant Maya descent, and in rural areas many did not speak Spanish.
Chiapas is an economically underdeveloped state, suffering chronic unemployment, below average literacy, and a high infant mortality rate. “Only 11 percent of adults earn what the government calls moderate incomes of at least $3,450 per year (versus 24 percent nationally); less than 50 percent of households have running water (versus 67% nationally); and only 14 percent have televisions (versus 45% nationally).”
Arguably the most influential man in Latin America, Fidel Castro was the leader and dictator of the always changing and controversial Cuba. Fidel is most recognizable and important in history during events like the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban Missle Crises during the Cold War. Fidel himself led the revolutionaries in Cuba, and after taking power he was the unchallenged Prime Minister of Cuba for 50 years until he gave up power to his brother Raul Castro in Februrary 2008. His involvement in the Cold war between the United States and the USSR is where he really became an influential and powerful figure in the world. It was believed during the Cuban missile crises that the USSR was building and arming Cuba with hundreds of missiles so that they could either attack the USA directly or do even more damage to surrounding nations. Luckily for the USA quick and decisive decisions along with a compromise between the USA and the USSR led to the end of the Cuban Missile Crises. Fidel is also very well known for his love and commitment to communism.
Manuel Antonio Noriega (born February 11 1934) is a former general and the military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989. He was never officially the president of Panama, but held the post of "chief executive officer" for a brief period in 1989. The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the U.S. Noriega was tried on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering in April 1992. Noriega's US prison sentence ended in September 2007; pending the outcome of extradition requests by both Panama and France, he remains in prison as of May 2009.
Kahlo was born July 6, 1907 in the house of her parents, known as La Casa Azul (The Blue House). Kahlo contracted polio at six, which left her right leg thinner than the left, which Kahlo disguised by wearing long, colorful skirts. It has been conjectured that she also suffered from spina bifida, a congenital disease that could have affected both spinal and leg development. On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus when a vehicle collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries in the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. An iron handrail pierced her abdomen. Although she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she was plagued by relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. Both of these events affected her art.
Frida was an internationally popular Mexican painter. She painted using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico and European influences including Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Many of her works are self-portraits that symbolically express her own pain and sexuality. Kahlo was married to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. It was not until the early 1980s, when the artistic movement in Mexico known as Neomexicanismo began, that she became very prominent. This movement recognized the values of contemporary Mexican culture.
FARC, which stands for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, is simply put a terrorist organization in South America. The Columbian President, Hugo Chavez has deemed them to be a terrorist organization because of the many violent acts it has committed. FARC is a marxist organization, and wants to take control of Colombia. It has about 12,000 armed supporters. It is most definitely an organization to know in the Americas because of the terrorist activities that they do. Also, although FARC has 12,000 supporters, about 30% of those supporters are minors. So in conclusion, although the FARC organization is not nearly as powerful as it was 10, twenty years ago it is still powerful.
Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian novelist. He was known as "Gabo" in his native country. He was considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. In 1982, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was acclaaimed for non-fiction works and short stories such as, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. He became very famous after writing his books.
Matt Bander
institutional revolutionary party (PRI) leaning right led for 70 years before being taken out of power by rival party of the democratic revolution in 2000. The PRI were important because they were the leading party for so long and because they essentially decided the course of the nation during that time. They achieved relative stability during their period of government though there was period of economic unrest. Began as an effort to stop violence in 1938 between various parties. Started by Plutarco Elias Calles. They were the government in charge during the Tlatelolco massacre and were responsible for the troops sent there. The PRI were lost power in 1990 when the leader was assassinated and they lost majority in congress after the economic crisis.
Argentina Dirty War 1976 - 1983
-Seven year campaign by Argentina Government.
-Very rash campaign, many people "diseappeared" in the middle of the night. The horrible thing about this was the fact that many of these people were totally innocent.
-This was the act of an extremely paranoid and desperate government.
-These people that diseappeared were taken to torture centers.
-This occured after the death of Juan and Evita Peron after the military had seized power.
-The only reason that the military generals kept their power was by killing all of their opponents and oppressing their people.
-In fact, the Dirty war was part of the reason that the military rule of Argentina ended.
-In 1982,(at the end of the Dirty War) The Argentina government decided that they needed to retake the Falkland Islands to gain more support in thier country. The military fails and gets beaten by Great Britain, losing their control over the country once and for all.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
Dylan Saul
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a group of Argentinian mothers whose children "vanished" in the Dirty War. These children were in fact abducted by agents of the military government from 1976-1983, and were most likely tortured or killed. The government has admitted that about 9,000 of the children are still unaccounted for, although some say the number is 11,000, and some say as high as 30,000. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have become a human rights organization, campaigning for the right to see their children again. They campaign every Thursday, and wear white headscarves embroidered with the names of their abducted children.
Hugo Chavez
For many Hugo Chavez (according to the Washington post) is
Chavez is a modern-day, Spanish-speaking Robin Hood.
The United States sees him as another Castro
Although a thorn in the United States’ side Chavez may be presenting solutions to Latin America's real problems in ways that Washington is not.
He is the current president of Venezuela
He was leader of the Bolivian revolution
He hates United States foreign policies
He had a career in the army (as a military officer) in the beginning
He failed in an attempt at a coup against Carlos Andrès Perez 1992
He was elected president in 1998 and reelected in 2000 and 2006
Chavez survived the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, which briefly removed him from power.
There is little freedom of press
Gradually the checks and balances from Venezuela’s democracy are being taken away
For example, he tried to take away president term limits by trying to pass amendments on the Venezuelan constitution (which almost passed)
Augusto Pinochet:
Augusto Pinochet was the commander in Chief of the Chilean army from 1973-1998. He was the President of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981. He was also the president of Chile from 1974. Augusto Pinochet was placed under house arrest. Around 300 criminal charges were against him in Chile for human rights violations, tax evasion at the end of this he was never convicted of any crimes. He also was accused of having amassed a wealth of 28 million US dollars. Dies before he can face trail of what he did to other people.
Juan and Evita Peron were from Argentina and grew very popular. Even though Juan was the president and had strong military training, Eva had become the face of change. After Juan was elected she campaigned strongly for the Labor Party and women’s' suffrage. She also became the Vice President and the Argentine Senate President. Many of Juan’s friends thought it would be a bad idea to become involved with Eva. Shortly after meeting in San Juan, Eva Duarte and Juan Perón began to live together. This move is said to have scandalized some in Juan Perón's inner circle. During this time period in Argentina, entertainers and politicians were seen as two distinct classes of people. Additionally, it was considered improper for an unmarried couple to share quarters. After his release from prison, Juan Perón decided to campaign for the presidency of the nation. Eva campaigned heavily for her husband during his 1946 presidential bid. Evita's cancer returned rapidly. She developed lung metastasis Evita died at the age of 33, at 8:25 p.m. on July 26 1952.
Isabel Allende is a Chilean novelist. She was actually born in Lima, Peru in 1942 and born into a Chilean family. Her literary movement was magical realism. She made novels based on her own experience, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myths, and realism together. She later moved to Chile. After the assassination of her uncle, Salvador Allende, the president of Chile in 1973, Isabel with her husband and children left for safety in Venezuela. It was when she was in exile that she began to write, The House of the Spirits, her first and best known novel, which was based on her own family and the politics of Chile. Her other well-known novels were, Eva Luna and The Stories of Eva Luna, and her latest, La Suma de los Dias (The Sum of Our Days). She also wrote, Dos Palabras, which some people will know from Spanish class. She published articles in newspapers and magazines in both America and Europe.
The Tiatelolco massacre took place on October 2, 1968. This was where the military and various other people went to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City, and proceeded to shoot the student demonstrators. Two to three hundred people died, but apparently up to a thousand people may have potentially been hurt. The students were demonstrating during that time because it was weeks before the summer Olympics, so they were hoping they could draw more attention. Many people that were not involved in the protest were shot, as well as many kids. The governments explanation was that the protestors began to light things on fire so they started an open fire on the students.
Chiapas is a state in the country of Mexico its located south of the Yucatan Peninsula. The state capital city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez; other cities and towns in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las Casas, Comitán, and Tapachula. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Toniná.
In 1994, violence erupted between the Mexican Government and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). There are currently 32 Rebel Autonomous Zapatista Municipalities (MAREZ), affiliated with the EZLN in Chiapas.
As of the mid 1990s, most people in Chiapas were poor, rural small farmers. About one quarter of the population were of full or predominant Maya descent, and in rural areas many did not speak Spanish.
Chiapas is an economically underdeveloped state, suffering chronic unemployment, below average literacy, and a high infant mortality rate. “Only 11 percent of adults earn what the government calls moderate incomes of at least $3,450 per year (versus 24 percent nationally); less than 50 percent of households have running water (versus 67% nationally); and only 14 percent have televisions (versus 45% nationally).”