Category: Research project 2: Images of Latin America in the late 1800s and early 1900s

Source: Tulane University Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. Early Images of Latin America Collection. “Cutting Bananas”. Box 10, Album 12, Costa Rica_05

The image above is from 19th century Costa Rica, where there are workers harvesting bananas, most likely, on a hacienda.

From the reading, Accounting for Taste, by John Soluri, many issues surrounding the banana industry during this time are revealed. The author discusses three main facets of the banana trade: export, mass markets, and disease. I would like to further discuss mass markets to gain a deeper understanding of the photo I have chosen.

As we know from class, haciendas are a place where people work in a similar fashion to “Sharecropping”. So the workers depicted are probably contributing to their hacienda and working for an owner of a property taking part in the mass market of bananas being shipped off to the United States of America. According to, John Soluri, bananas were still a novelty in the US in the 19th century until World War I.

The company Gos Michel fruit made up most of the imports of bananas to the United States. Concepts of things like a “banana tax” were proposed but otherwise shot down because bananas were considered the “poor man’s fruit”. This was the beginning of the mass consumption and market of the bananas. With high demand comes with the need of supply. Therefore, companies were pouring money into ways to make production, harvesting, and transport faster and more efficient in order to fulfill the demand.

In the picture above, “Cutting Bananas” , is from the 1890’s. So this is before many of these new efficiencies were in place. This photo represents the raw and hard work that went into harvesting bananas in Costa Rica which were apart of the beginning of this banana boom in the US.

The photo above showcases the work done on United Fruit Company plantations in Costa Rica circa 1890. The United Fruit Company operated banana plantations throughout Central America and the Caribbean, transporting bananas from the southern American hemisphere to the U.S. and Canadian cities in the north. Formerly the Boston Fruit Company, it grew its empire through the creation of “Banana-Republics”. By incentivizing small Central American nations with infrastructure such as railroads and ports, they also “employed tens of thousands of people; and operated stores, hospitals, schools, radio stations, breweries, and banks” (Soluri, 395). However, this wouldn’t have been possible without the consumption and demand for bananas in the northern hemisphere. Eaten at higher rates than domestically grown fruits like apples, bananas became a staple for American households for important reasons including, nutritional value, germ-resistant properties, economic accessibility and readiness at the time of eating. 

The United Fruit Company depicted itself as a pioneer in technology and business practice, it brought “modernity to ‘pestilential’ tropical regions via industrial capitalism” (Soluri, 393). The cultivation of bananas in nations like Costa Rica called for the destruction of thousands upon thousands of acres of forest. In the photograph above, the trees have a uniform appearance except perhaps for what can be seen far off in the distance. The zipline structure transporting bananas across the plantation can be seen extending beyond a body of water and coming from outside the frame of the image. How far the zipline extends is unknown, however, it is clear that by the small size of the man in the distance compared to the four men in the center he is quite far. The man being carried in the banana baskets might suggest he is coming from an equally long distance, so much so he feels compelled to take the zipline as a means of transportation to get from one section to another. 

Despite the critiques of biologists such as Paul Standley, James Peters and Claude Wardlaw, who highlighted the destruction of entire ecosystems and exploitation of the land. The United Fruit Company’s abuse of the land would eventually lead to the spread of the Panama disease which destroyed entire plantations and farms as it spread throughout the Americas. The company along with its competitors continued to destroy more land and abandon land it deemed unfit or contaminated to meet demands. The “Banana-Republics” which enabled and allowed these practices for infrastructure and financial gain shows the dependency of Latin America on export oriented economies that ultimately gave them the butt-end of the stick. The destruction of not only their lands and forced dependency on a foreign entity but the eventual toll it took on their working population, affected by agrochemicals and exploitation was severe. 

Works Cited

Soluri, John. “Accounting for Taste: Export Bananas, Mass Markets, and Panama Disease.” Environmental History 7, no. 3 (2002): 386–410. https://doi.org/10.2307/3985915. 

During the late 19th century

During the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, liberalists believed in free trade and exchange across borders. The Industrial Revolution dominated most political and economic conversations during this period, bringing modernity to the forefront. Finding ways to use resources like railroads and machinery to generate more wealth for nations was part of this economic transformation. Since slavery had been abolished in most countries in the Caribbean and South America, postcolonial challenges included finding ways to obtain resources and create profit in the New World and Europe. Because of the geographical component of countries located in South America, it was difficult to navigate due to mountains, lack of rivers, and citations of mining systems flooding and caving in. Therefore, using the coasts of countries like Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia were ways for ships and cargo to be transported from the Americas to the New World. More challenges rose as he led civil wars. Some of these wars occurred due to liberal reformed disapproval of opening the access of exports, like El Gran Rosas. On the other hand, being a caudillo means being an agent of change. With themes of liberalism meant adapting to the modernizing world. More specifically, railroads were introduced into Latin America on flat lands to be able to transport raw materials. The emperor of Brazil also decided to invest in railroads and manufacturing to modernize as well. Some of these included henequen from Mexico, guano in the Chincha Islands, sugarcane, coffee, etc. This also meant that the colonial elites were entering and industrializing Latin America. In certain cases, indigenous leaders would give political rights to Europeans, leading to failed economic and political projects. Engaging in a liberal economy meant a lack of discriminatory practices. Aside from the economic side of neocolonialism, ethnic nationalism meant that members of a nation would identify through their identities, like those from Mexico would be Mexicans, rather than being divided by roots and such. Conforming to the national identity is what gave you rights. The map above shows a lot of history and ideals that occurred during the 1850s to 1900s, including philosophies, economic and political transformations, as well as gerographical components that go into the era of the 19th century . 

WORKS CITED:

“Geography of South America.” Tulane University Libraries, uploaded by The Latin American Library, library.search.tulane.edu/discovery/delivery/01TUL_INST:Tulane/12433174960006326.

Transporting bananas. (1890).https://library.search.tulane.edu/discovery/delivery/01TUL_INST:Tulane/12432877960006326

What the image is demonstrating is the late 1800s farming technology development within Latin America for the purpose of providing Americans products.  This is happening in Costa Rica and it’s demonstrating how new technologies could revolutionize the transport and harvesting of the bananas within the United companies plantations. What the images also portray is the positive attitude towards an economy of export from the Nations in Latin America.

The reasons for implementing this technology by the United Fruit Company was and could be a result of companies agreeing with the local government  to win political favors within the production and plantations of that land for profit. This may be good for the workers in those plantations as you can see. It demonstrates one of the workers writing the mechanism back to the plantation; it may not inherently be for the workers interests but more or less the interest of the government and the United Fruit Company. With gaining political favors with the local governments of Latin America they could stop taxes or land reform if they have influence Within the economy and also contribute to the simulation of the economy of these countries. For example within the reading United Fruit Company mentioned that “In return for agreeing to build and operate railroads, the fruit companies secured access to vast amounts of soil, timber, and water resources in addition to enjoying exemptions from import duties on construction materials, machinery, and other items, including consumer goods, used by their operations” (line 391 Soluri, John) This highlights how the interest of the United Fruit Company may have not been any interest of the local governments and that could translate towards the image and which is being demonstrated how this technology is not for making the workers better but to increase efficiency for the companies. 

Why is this important to highlight how the company United Fruit is treating its plantations and how they’re running things within Latin America. This image highlights an important key aspect of how the increase of American influence Within Latin America could be translated through the Americans’ appetite. The American Appetite can demonstrate how interconnected this image has and the Americans and Latin America relationships.  It shows that Latin America depends on exporting  raw goods and materials to help manage the economy of their countries. Which shows how Americans depend on these goods for their everyday nutrition and consumption as well as luxury. 

And to conclude this image is very strong and demonstrates the new development of neo-colonial economies that America’s imposing on companies. This could be similar to how the British use companies to control India instead of the government having the say over what to do with colonies. This also demonstrates the Latin American government’s willingness to seek growth through export but also letting exploitation of their land for the growing of their Nation which you can take it as governments  using Spanish tactics of land cultivation but also using modern technology and globalization to export these goods for growth.

Cites
Soluri, John. “Accounting for Taste: Export Bananas, Mass Markets, and Panama Disease.” Environmental History, vol. 7, no. 3, 2002, pp. 386–410. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3985915. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.

Coffee plantation. (1896). The Latin American Library.

https://library.search.tulane.edu/permalink/01TUL_INST/1jgl1pd/alma9945514512306326

By Christopher Vargas                                                                                                    History 3072

            Brazil during the 1800s its economy was derived from agriculture goods and exporting goods and selling them to other countries. One of their primary good that would be cultivated in Brazil and the main source of labor force that was used in Brazil during the 1800s was slaves. In Brazil even after claiming independence from Portugal they still wanted to keep the colonial structure form of government that was left by the Portuguese. They wanted to keep the monarch in power as they new that it would be best to keep a system that is benefiting the country and could cause problems if the system is changed without a plan made beforehand. Even some of the early Brazilian empire symbols still resemble a European style of symbol were Theresa crown and a cross on top of it. in the ones I got to see from the slide lectures it seems like something Spain would use in their symbols.

            Pedro II is seen as a monarch and comes into power in 1838 he is only 12 years old and a council is made to help him make delegate matters of the country. The country uses agriculture goods to trade, transport and sell to Europe and other countries making their economy self-sufficient. The only thing they rely is on that was not from Brazil was slaves. “Most enslaved Africans brought to the Americas ended up in Brazil, and most of them worked on plantations.”[1] From what I learned in one of our class lessons was that the Brazilian Government wanted to industrialize and wanted to get machinery that would help cultivate and manage the crops better. The plantation owners believed that industrial machines would be more effective than slaves.

In the primary source A Day on a Coffee Plantation by Stanley J. Stein we learned about some of the daily routines of slaves working on a coffee plantation they would work from sunup and we learn about the different job’s slaves had cooks, the ones attending the land and the mothers that would be nursing the young children would look after them while helping. In 1889 the monarchy is overthrown but, before that Princess Isabel Abolishes slavery, and Brazil becomes a democracy.

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[1] Stanley J. Stein “A Day on a Caffee Plantation” Vassouras: A Brazilian Coffee County, 1850-1900 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1957)