Latin American LiberationSetting the Stage
• Creole dissatisfaction
–
–
–
–
Merchants, landowners, professionals
Excluded from power
Little intra-continental trade
No trade beyond Spain – except for black market
Latin American Liberation- Setting the
Stage
• Lack of common interests
• Complex society with differing needs
–
–
–
–
Slaves
Quechua speaking villagers
Pure Spanish bloods
Mestizos
• What did they have in common?
Competition at the top
• Creoles
– Common people hated
these more
• Landowners in the
countryside
• Rivals for commerce
with burgeoning mestizo
merchants and artisans
in the cities
– Status
• Local govt.
• Military
• Peninsulares
– Got the best government
jobs
– Best church positions
– Political power with no
constituency
Bourbon Reforms 1700s
• New viceroyalties but no real nationalism
– New Grenada
– Rio de la Plata/Buenos Aires
• Intendents – to gain more control
– Goes to Peninsulares
– Reclaim positions from Creoles
• Decree of Free Trade
– More ports could trade with Spain (no one else)
– Economic growth
• Hurt Creole power
Events in Europe
• Spain - a century of
misrule
–
–
–
–
Bankruptcy
Higher taxes
Sale of offices
War with England
• Trafalgar
• Lost sea power
• = loss of trade
• Napoleon
– Invades Portugal
• King flees to Brazil
– Moves on to Spain
– Brother king of Spain –
1808
• Leaves Spain weak and
distracted
• Fernando VII
– Creoles set up de facto
control 1808-1810
Tupac Amaru II – 1780-1783
–
–
–
–
Born - José Gabriel Condorcanqui
Tupac Amaru I fought against conquest
Initially anti-peninsulares
Called for alliance with Creoles, Indigenous, &
Mestizos
– Peru and modern Bolivia
– Perhaps over 100,000 died
– Lasting impression
Hidalgo and Mexico
• 1808 Napoleon imprisons Fernando VII
• This gives Creoles the opportunity to revolt
• Fr. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
– The grito de Hidalgo – Sept 16, 1810
– Rebellion against the enemies of Fernando
• “Long live the Virgin de Guadalupe and
death to the Spaniards”
Father Hidalgo
•
•
•
•
Creole
Read the works of the French enlightenment
Defied rules on abstinence
The Inquisition had him on file
Mexico
•
•
•
•
Hidalgo called on the Indians
Called for land reform
Joined by mestizos and blacks
True peasant army
Mexico
•
•
•
•
•
Hidalgo lost control
Attacked Creoles as well as Peninsulares
Massacre at the Guanajuato Granary
Hidalgo captured and executed
Leadership moved to José Maria Morelos y
Pavón
Morelos
• Mestizo priest
• Better organized
• Social Reforms
–
–
–
–
End Slavery
End caste system
End tribute from Indians
All were Americanos
Morelos
•
•
•
•
1813 declared independence
1815 executed
Very little Creole support
Settled into a guerilla war in the south
Iturbide and Guerrero
• Agustín de Iturbide
• Vicente Guerrero
• 1820 Spain’s liberal revolution
– Limited monarchy
– Reduced power of military and clergy
• Mexican conservatives feared importation of
reforms
Conservative Independence
• Iturbide united with Vicente Guerrero
• Welcomed triumphant into Mexico City
• Established the empire of Augustín I –
1821
• Guerrero is out
Bolívar and New Grenada
Simón Bolívar
• Wealthy Creole landowner
• Charismatic
• Organized the junta in Caracas 1811-1814
– Declared independence
• Didn’t last
– Earthquake
– Llaneros – supported the royalists
Bolívar
• Realized needed Llaneros support
• Found Nativism
– Like Morelos
– Americanos v. Spaniards
• Then his movement took off
• Attempted to create a united South America
José de San Martín
Revolution in the South
• San Martín
– Military man
– Northern Argentina
• Crossed the Andes to conquer Chile
• Conquered Peru and bogged down
• Confrontation with Bolívar
Unfinished Revolution
• Hierarchy and status unaltered
• Creoles continued to live on the backs of
slaves and indigenous people
• Bolívar disillusioned – “plowed the sea”
• Mass movements meant increased power for
indigenous and mixed
– José Antonio Páez – 1st president of Venezuela
• Americanos became Chileans, Colombianos,
Mexicanos, etc.