Module 2 assignment – Visual sources of late 19th-century or early 20th-century Latin America

Posted on by ERIC MARTINEZVALERIO Module 2 assignment - Visual sources of late 19th-century or early 20th-century Latin America

Argentina National Congress Building In Buenos Aires

The image selected is a municipal building, this building in question is the Argentinian National Congress Building in Buenos Aires. The institutionalization of this building demonstrated attempts at modernization towards society, in conjunction, there were coalitions that did not approve of the government’s attempt to modernize the way of life for society. The connotations that follow government are aligned with that of peace, order, and freedoms, but in the late 19th century were far from these ideas. Throughout the century the government has shifted dramatically and has shown growth toward wanting to benefit society.

During the age of the caudillos, the government was run by figures such as Juan Manuel de Rosas who placed restrictions on civil political rights and one can see the use of apparatuses such as the police to control and assert loyalty from all citizens. Failure to do so would often lead to subjection to lashings which were done to place a statement to all that they did not have a choice(Wood 2019, 94). The way of life at the time was more so conducted on the basis of fear as citizens had to ensure they were following parameters or otherwise would have to face punishment which is nowhere near the connotations of peace, order, and freedom. One can see that the government did not stand for the people; rather, the elitists were doing everything to benefit themselves rather than society as a whole.

The Argentinian government made strides in attempting to modernize its medical field during the spread of cholera. It placed priority on providing citizens with doctors and pharmacists who tried to mitigate the spread so one could see this as present-day healthcare for all initiatives established to protect the lives of citizens. Despite this attempt, the government was met with religious opposition as priests had a significant influence and did not believe in what the government was providing its citizens (Dimas 2022, 96). The priests would rely more so on spiritual healing as a form to combat cholera and citizens would believe in priests more. A reason that this was also possible also seemed from the dilemma that because of Argentina’s vast territory it was difficult to govern it entirely without issues such as religious opposition arising. This often leads to internal conflict between Government bodies against the church and little could be done.

As previously mentioned, because Argentina is such a vast territory, government attempts proved to be futile over the nation and this then categorized civilians into two categories. The two divisions mentioned fall between those who live in rural settings and those who are in urban settings. To those who are living in urban settings, one can compare it to those living in contemporary America as they follow government law. Those who are in rural settings do not acknowledge the urbanization of those who are in the city and detest everything the government institutionalizes. Even so, after the fall of the Caudillos government tried to place significance on “Universal rights for all” and the idea of liberalism sparked again, despite this it was still very much flawed. This notion of Universal rights for all was appointed to those who were willing to accept government ordinance (Wood and Alexander 2019, 139).

In comparison to how the government was portrayed at the commencement of the early 19th century, it can be said that it has made progress in terms of serving society and promoting ideas of liberalism. The institutionalization of Government in Argentina has allowed for change to transpire and despite being met with opposition it has allowed new ideas to spread throughout the country such as liberalism and the medical field. Although there is still a need for revision in terms of how to optimally serve society the government body is modernizing in a manner that will allow all citizens to accept the rights provided by the government. 

Works Cited

Wood, James A., and Anna Rose Alexander. “Independence.” Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019.

Dimas, Carlos S.. Poisoned Eden : Cholera Epidemics, State-Building, and the Problem of Public Health in Tucumán, Argentina, 1865-1908, Nebraska, 2022. ProQuest Ebook

Posted on by Matthew Baigorria Module 2 assignment - Visual sources of late 19th-century or early 20th-century Latin America

Cathedral façade

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Throughout time and history there have always been constants that repeat. One of these constants is the church. The Catholic Church is a very powerful entity in South America. I can confidently assume that almost every child living in South America has grown up in a catholic household with catholic values as I am an example of this. The catholic church holds a lot of power because it was thought of to be a proper citizen you must be a devout catholic and if you weren’t then you were seen as lesser or uncivilized so everyone in Latin America is devout. 

In this image it depicts a cathedral, specifically the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico. A grand cathedral built to signify faith and to honor the Lady of Guadalupe who remains a powerful symbol of Mexican faith and she is associated with everything from motherhood to feminism to social justice. The cathedral is grander than anything else around it as poor people placed more significance in the church than their own well beings and homes in the late nineteenth century. 

What I wanted to connect with this is how the church reacted to The Cholera Epidemic of 186-87 in Argentina. The church used this epidemic to further its already strong influence. Poor people listen to the church as faith and trust go side by side so they trust the church to know what to do when an epidemic is killing people left and right. So when the church tells people that the only way to be cured of Cholera is to give tithes and offerings to the church and that this was punishment for being unfaithful, they believed it. This was partly because Argentinians had no trust for the government or doctors. For example, “Doctors, acting on medical grounds, pressed people to report their sick and deceased. But this plea overlooked the long-standing social practices that dictated proper burial practices among the province’s popular classes, whom cholera affected the most. But medical officials and society disagreed over more than just burial rites.” (Dimas, pg. 184). Traditionalists had their own way of doing things and modernization just wasn’t something they intended on practicing and believed that something that they had been taught and passed down on in their culture through history would be more successful and worth doing. “As a result, Tucumán’s medical-political actors focused on the local factors they thought encouraged the spread of the disease: the province’s environment, its marginalized communities, and the practice of popular medicine. Thus, the central question of this chapter is why the epidemic generated more discord than cooperation among medical practitioners.” (Dimas, pg. 166). The spread of modern practices in the late nineteenth century was a struggle to implement in Argentina. A traditional country filled with stubborn hard working people who were going through an epidemic of drastic capabilities. There was struggle and a unfortunate great loss of life before things could change and trust was finally made before good change could happen. 

Work Cited

Dimas, Carlos S. “Chapter 6, The Cholera Epidemic of 1886–87 in Tucumán.” Essay. In Poisoned Eden: Cholera Epidemics, State-Building, and the Problem of Public Health in Tucumán, Argentina, 1865-1908. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2022.

Posted on by d.balchand Module 2 assignment - Visual sources of late 19th-century or early 20th-century Latin America

Port of Buenos Aires

The late nineteenth century displayed a widespread reform of modernity across the newly independent Latin American nations. The image provided above by the Howard Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University demonstrates a panoramic view of the lately established Port of Buenos Aires. This docking port became extremely prominent because the city was located directly on the Rio de la Plata. This enabled the city of Buenos Aires to become a prime position for the transportation of many goods. 

Following the fight for independence and abolishment of slavery, economies throughout the world competed to obtain the abundant goods within the newly formed Latin American countries. It began to usher in a new era, often referred to as “the golden age of export”. The Northern manufacturers; in particular those coming through New Orleans, had offered a wide range of variety including steam engines, automobiles, telephones etc. Goods that the citizens of Latin America had never seen before enabled them to completely change their ways of living for the better. (Dawson 100) The exportation of native goods such as sugar, tobacco, coffee and many others allowed for a safe and equal exchange of services. The constant flow of exports in and out of Latin America allowed for the construction of railroads through the land and docking ports in major cities along the water. Those including Buenos Aires, Medellin, and others used the profits from the exportation division to develop not only better working and living conditions, but also created new levels within the social class system. (Dawson 104) The introduction of middle managers, small businessmen and others were able to contribute and ultimately increase the overall GDP of Latin American nations. In an unprecedented situation, the steep rise in exportation profits enabled women to enter the working class, leaving behind their primary duty of household care. They inducted themselves into the working class, donning managerial roles for their newly established family businesses and led to the rise in the women’s suffrage and equal rights movement. 

Eventually, Argentina had a strong claim to belonging as one of the richest countries in the world by the early twentieth century. The port of Buenos Aires is without a doubt the prime reason the Argentinians were able to make this bold statement. The influx of not only goods but also people through the port, showcasing a population of around 1.5 million people adding more than 5 million immigrants from Europe. (Dawson 107) This also didn’t just allow the changing of how people live physically, but also through a social standpoint, enabling the reduction of racial standards and introducing more diversity with European immigrants. The establishment of the port of Buenos Aires, alongside many others throughout Latin America, guided their rise in power to become a booming economy across the globe.   

WORK CITED:

Dawson, Alexander. Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2022.