Under construction -- I'll be adding more soon. Check out what's here, and check back.
I did my MA in Latin American history, so although I'm currently working on other topics, I thought I'd post some highlights of things that interest me. I'm reading Global Environmental History for one of my Oral Exam fields, and that brings me closer to some of these ideas and issues -- and reminds me how much great material there is in Latin American history, just waiting for a closer, fresher look.
One of the things that struck me, when I started reading the history of what was once Spanish (and Portuguese) America, was the European-centered nature of most of the writing. Even histories written by natives are often told using European techniques and themes, to tell stories familiar to Europeans. I found this to be especially true of 19th century Chilean historians. They were students of teachers who had learned their craft in Europe; and they were actors in many of the political and social dramas they described. So they went out of their way to portray these stories, and themselves, in what they thought was the "best light." There's more on that subject in my MA thesis, for those who are interested. In any case, to help me break free of this Euro-centric habit, I found this map helpful. It's an equal area projection -- land masses are accurate between 45 degrees north and 45 degrees south. Click here or it for a larger view.
Maps are great. I really can't get enough of them. Here's another one, a piece of a wall-map of South America. It shows the central west coastal area that Peru, Bolivia, and Chile fought over in the 1879 War of the Pacific. Chile won, and took a big chunk of the Atacama Desert. Peru lost its access to the lucrative desert Nitrate deposits, and Bolivia lost Arica and its access to the Pacific Ocean. This map is also interesting for the brief history it gives (one of these paragraphs included in this section), and because it includes Chuquicamata, until recently the largest open-pit copper mine in the world, Potosi, the legendary Bolivian silver mountain, and Cochabamba, where in 2000 the regular people stood up to their government and American corporate power, and took back control of their drinking water supply. These are three of the places I'm particularly fascinated by, in this part of the world. Click here or on it for a closer look.
I saw an interesting picture of labor in the silver mines at Potosí the other day, drawn by Theodor de Bry in 1590. Reminded me of the movie The Devil’s Miner, which if you set it side by side with this old drawing, says something about the history of this part of the world... (click photo for movie trailer)
I recently read Shawn Miller's 2007 book, An Environmental History of Latin America. A really good read.
Chilean History Page
