1.
1811 Independence Movement
–
At the beginning of the 19th century, agitation grew in the American territories dominated by the Spanish crown. The previous century was dominated by the support of ideas of individual freedom, which characterized the Enlightenment that took place in Europe. In the Intendancy of San Salvador, many Creoles and other settlers wanted to control of the colony from the Guatemalan Captaincy General. This was largely due to economic and political reasons, greater administrative autonomy or outright independence for San Salvador would reduce the high level of taxes paid to Spain and Guatemala and would raise finances for the colony. Napoleón Bonapartes invasion of Spain in 1808 and the removal of Ferdinand VII from the Spanish throne created an atmosphere of unrest in San Salvador, the insurrectionists organized themselves along with prominent middle-class supporters of the cause of independence such as doctors and priests who took part in the event. These included doctors such as Santiago José Celis, the brothers, others included Manuel José Arce, Juan Manuel Rodríguez and Pedro Pablo Castillo. On November 5 the revolt began in San Salvador, according to tradition, the rebels waited for a signal from the bell tower of the Church of La Merced, but this did not occur on the scheduled time. The rebels later assembled on the square outside the church where Manuel José Arce proclaimed in front of the public, There is no King, nor Intendant. We only must obey our alcaldes, meaning that since Ferdinand VII had been deposed, a tumult in the square grew to the point that the intendant, Antonio Gutierrez y Ulloa, asked that the gathered name somebody to formally receive their demands. Manuel José Arce himself was chosen and selected as the leader by the crowd, despite this, the insurrectionists took arms and proclaimed the total independence of San Salvador from the Spanish crown, but were later subdued. In the following days, the movement extended to the cities of Santiago Nonualco, Usulután, Chalatenango, Santa Ana, Tejutla. The two other notable revolts occurred on November 24 in the city of Metapán and on December 20 in Sensuntepeque, despite the efforts of the insurrectionists, the cause of independence was not shared by the city councils of the Intendancy. Neither San Miguel, nor San Vicente nor Santa Ana joined them, unable to amass support, the rebels decided to negotiate with a delegation sent in from the Guatemalan capital to take control. The new Intendant Colonel Jose de Aycinena, arrived on December 8 with Guatemalan troops and priests to them to swear obedience to the crown. The new government was well received by the majority of the due to Aycinenas policy of understanding. However, several days later, unrest broke out in the neighboring Intendancy of Nicaragua, many of those involved in the events in El Salvador and Nicaragua were incarcerated, but José Matías Delgado was taken back with the delegation to Guatemala City. Despite his past activities, or perhaps because of them, Delgado was elected in 1813 as a representative on the Provincial Deputation of Guatemala created by the Spanish Constitution of 1812. He also became director of the Tridentino Seminary in the city, therefore, he was not in El Salvador at the time of the second insurrection in 1814
1811 Independence Movement
–
Manuel José Arce, leader of the revolt in San Salvador
1811 Independence Movement
–
The rebels assembled in this town square by the then
St. Dominic Church.
2.
Salvadoran Civil War
–
By January 1980 the left-wing political organizations united to form the Coordinated Revolutionaries of the Masses. A few months later the armed groups united to form the Unified Revolutionary Directorate. It was renamed the FMLN following its merger with the Communist Party in October 1980, the full-fledged civil war lasted for more than 12 years and saw extreme violence from both sides. It also included the deliberate terrorizing and targeting of civilians by death squads, recruitment of soldiers and other violations of human rights. An unknown number of disappeared during the conflict, and the UN reports that more than 75,000 were killed. The United States contributed to the conflict by providing large amounts of aid to the government of El Salvador during the Carter. In 1990 the UN began peace negotiations and on January 16,1992, El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America after Belize. As in many nations of Latin America, the history of El Salvador has been characterized by marked socioeconomic inequality, in the late 19th century coffee became a major cash crop for El Salvador, bringing in approximately 95% of the countrys income. However, this income was restricted to only 2% of the population, socioeconomic tension grew through the 1920s and were compounded by a drop in coffee prices following the stock-market crash of 1929. In 1932 the Central American Socialist Party was formed and led an uprising of peasants, the government brutally suppressed it in what became known as the 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre or simply La Matanza, with the military murdering between 10, 000-40,000 indigenous people. Farabundo Martí, the leader of the uprising, was arrested and put to death. La Matanza also served to reinforce feelings of strong distrust and animosity among the populace towards the government, the military, on July 14,1969, an armed conflict erupted between El Salvador and Honduras over immigration disputes caused by Honduran land reform laws. The conflict lasted only four days, but had major long-term effects for Salvadoran society, Trade was disrupted between El Salvador and Honduras, causing tremendous economic damage to both nations. An estimated 300,000 Salvadorans were displaced due to battle, many of whom were exiled from Honduras, in many cases, the Football War also strengthened the power of the military in El Salvador, leading to heightened corruption. The 1973 oil crisis led to rising prices and decreased agricultural output. This worsened the existent socioeconomic inequality in the country, leading to increased unrest, in response, President Arturo Armando Molina enacted a series of land reform measures, calling for large landholdings to be redistributed among the peasant population. The reforms failed, thanks to opposition from the landed elite, the period between the election and the formal inauguration of President Romero on 1 July 1977 was characterized by massive protests from the popular movement, which were met by state repression. On 28 February 1977 a crowd of demonstrators gathered in downtown San Salvador to protest the electoral fraud
Salvadoran Civil War
–
A billboard serving as a reminder of one of many
massacres that occurred during the Civil War in
El Salvador. The Castilian inscription to the left reads in English: "They tore out the flower, but the roots are returning among us."
Salvadoran Civil War
–
General
Carlos Humberto Romero, military president of El Salvador (1977-1979). His presidency was characterized by increased civil unrest and government repression.
Salvadoran Civil War
–
Archbishop
Óscar Romero played a crucial role in the history of El Salvador between the 1970s and 1980s.
Salvadoran Civil War
–
Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras 1987
3.
El Salvador
–
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. El Salvadors capital and largest city is San Salvador, as of 2015, the country had a population of approximately 6.38 million, consisting largely of Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent. El Salvador was for centuries inhabited by several Mesoamerican nations, especially the Cuzcatlecs, as well as the Lenca, in the early 16th century, the Spanish Empire conquered the territory, incorporating it into the Viceroyalty of New Spain ruled from Mexico City. In 1821, the country achieved independence from Spain as part of the First Mexican Empire, from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, El Salvador endured chronic political and economic instability characterized by coups, revolts, and a succession of authoritarian rulers. The conflict ended with a settlement that established a multiparty constitutional republic. El Salvador has since reduced its dependence on coffee and embarked on diversifying the economy by opening up trade and financial links, the colón, the official currency of El Salvador since 1892, was replaced by the U. S. dollar in 2001. As of 2010, El Salvador ranks 12th among Latin American countries in terms of the Human Development Index, however, the country continues to struggle with high rates of poverty, inequality, and crime. Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado named the new province for Jesus Christ – El Salvador, the full name was Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesus Cristo, El Salvador Del Mundo, which was subsequently abbreviated to El Salvador. Tomayate is a site located on the banks of the river of the same name in the municipality of Apopa. The site has produced abundant Salvadoran megafauna fossils belonging to the Pleistocene epoch, at the same time, it is considered the richest vertebrate paleontological site in Central America and one of the largest accumulations of proboscideans in the Americas. Sophisticated civilization in El Salvador dates to its settlement by the indigenous Lenca people, theirs was the first, the Lenca were succeeded by the Olmecs, who eventually also disappeared, leaving their monumental architecture in the form of the pyramids still extant in western El Salvador. The Maya arrived and settled in place of the Olmecs, the Pipil were the last indigenous people to arrive in El Salvador. They called their territory Kuskatan, a Pipil word meaning The Place of Precious Jewels, backformed into Classical Nahuatl Cōzcatlān, the people of El Salvador today are referred to as Salvadoran, while the term Cuzcatleco is commonly used to identify someone of Salvadoran heritage. In pre-Columbian times, the country was inhabited by various other indigenous peoples, including the Lenca. Cuzcatlan was the domain until the Spanish conquest. Since El Salvador resided on the edge of the Maya Civilization. However, it is agreed that Mayas likely occupied the areas around Lago de Guija. Other ruins such as Tazumal, Joya de Cerén and San Andrés may have built by the Pipil or the Maya or possibly both
El Salvador
–
Temazcal in Joya de Ceren.
El Salvador
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Flag
El Salvador
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Spanish Conquistador
Pedro de Alvarado.
El Salvador
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Tazumal ruins in Santa Ana, El Salvador.
4.
Mesoamerican
–
It is one of six areas in the world where ancient civilization arose independently, and the second in the Americas along with Norte Chico in present-day northern coastal Peru. As a cultural area, Mesoamerica is defined by a mosaic of cultural traits developed and shared by its indigenous cultures, while Mesoamerican civilization did know of the wheel and basic metallurgy, neither of these technologies became culturally important. Among the earliest complex civilizations was the Olmec culture, which inhabited the Gulf coast of Mexico and extended inland, frequent contact and cultural interchange between the early Olmec and other cultures in Chiapas, Guatemala and Oaxaca laid the basis for the Mesoamerican cultural area. All this was facilitated by considerable regional communications in ancient Mesoamerica and this Formative period saw the spread of distinct religious and symbolic traditions, as well as artistic and architectural complexes. In the subsequent Preclassic period, complex urban polities began to develop among the Maya, with the rise of such as El Mirador, Calakmul and Tikal. Mesoamerica is one of three regions of the world where writing is known to have independently developed. Upon the collapse of Teotihuacán around AD600, competition between several important political centers in central Mexico, such as Xochicalco and Cholula, ensued. During the early period, Central Mexico was dominated by the Toltec culture, Oaxaca by the Mixtec. Towards the end of the period, the Aztecs of Central Mexico built a tributary empire covering most of central Mesoamerica. The distinct Mesoamerican cultural tradition ended with the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, over the next centuries, Mesoamerican indigenous cultures were gradually subjected to Spanish colonial rule. The exact geographic extent of Mesoamerica has varied through time, as the civilization extended North and South from its heartland in southern Mexico, Mesoamerica is recognized as a near-prototypical cultural area, and the term is now fully integrated in the standard terminology of pre-Columbian anthropological studies. Conversely, the sister terms Aridoamerica and Oasisamerica, which refer to northern Mexico, 10° and 22° northern latitude, Mesoamerica possesses a complex combination of ecological systems, topographic zones, and environmental contexts. A main distinction groups these different niches into two categories, the lowlands and the altiplanos, or highlands. In the low-lying regions, sub-tropical and tropical climates are most common, as is true for most of the coastline along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The highlands show much more diversity, ranging from dry tropical to cold mountainous climates. The rainfall varies from the dry Oaxaca and north Yucatan to the humid southern Pacific, several distinct sub-regions within Mesoamerica are defined by a convergence of geographic and cultural attributes. These sub-regions are more conceptual than culturally meaningful, and the demarcation of their limits is not rigid, the Maya area, for example, can be divided into two general groups, the lowlands and highlands. The lowlands are further divided into the southern and northern Maya lowlands, the southern Maya lowlands are generally regarded as encompassing northern Guatemala, southern Campeche and Quintana Roo in Mexico, and Belize
Mesoamerican
–
Maya Ruins of
Tazumal in
Santa Ana, El Salvador
Mesoamerican
–
Mesoamerica and its cultural areas
Mesoamerican
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Landscape of the Mesoamerican highlands
Mesoamerican
–
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites, urban centers, and tourist attractions of the
pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the
Petén Basin in what is now northern
Guatemala.
5.
Lenca
–
The Lenca are an indigenous people of southwestern Honduras and eastern El Salvador. They once spoke the Lenca language, which is now extinct, in Honduras, the Lenca are the largest indigenous group, with an estimated population of 100,000. El Salvadors Lenca population is estimated at about 37,000, the pre-Conquest Lenca had frequent contact with various Maya groups as well as other indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America. The origin of Lenca populations has been a source of ongoing debate amongst anthropologists and it continues to generate research focused on obtaining more archaeological evidence of pre-colonial Lenca. Some scholars have suggested that the Lenca migrated to the region from South America around 3,000 years ago, Lenca culture developed for centuries preceding the Spanish conquest. Like other indigenous groups of Central America, they changed their cultural relationships to the land. While there are ongoing problems in contemporary Central America over indigenous land rights and identity. Modern Lenca communities are centered on the milpa crop-growing system, Lenca men engage in agriculture, including the cultivation of coffee, cacao, tobacco, varieties of plantains and gourds. Other principal crops are maize, wheat, beans, squash, sugarcane, in El Salvador peanuts are also cultivated. Within their communities, Lenca traditionally expect all members to participate in communal efforts, while there has been a growing national acceptance of indigenous rights and culture in both Honduras and El Salvador, the Lenca continue to struggle in both nations over indigenous land rights. In the mid-1990s, indigenous activists formed in order to petition the government over issues of land ownership, many Lenca men have had to find employment in neighboring cities. Many Lenca communities still have their communal land and they devote the majority of cultivation to commodity crops raised for export to foreign markets. Most Lenca still use traditional agricultural practices on their own crops, throughout the regions of Lenca occupation, Lenca pottery was very distinguishable. Handcrafted by Lenca women, Lenca pottery is considered an ethnic marking of their culture, the mid-1980s creation of NGO woman cooperatives transformed the character of the craft. The cooperatives initial mission was to increase the profitability of the pottery by orienting production to meet the tastes of urban buyers, much of the modern painted pottery for sale today is not of traditional origin, and has been modified for the appeal of foreign buyers. Traditional Lencan pottery is made in the town of Gracias. Visitors can see demonstrations of how the pottery is made. It is usually a dark orange or brick color, modern Lenca religion is predominantly Roman Catholic, but some Lenca communities still retain and practice many indigenous traditions
Lenca
–
Julio Victoriano García representing the Lenca people at a conference at the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.
Lenca
–
Hypothetical extension of the Lenca.
6.
Maya people
–
The Maya people are a group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. They inhabit southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, the pre-Columbian Maya population was approximately eight million. There were a seven million Maya living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala, southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, El Salvador, one of the largest groups of modern Maya can be found in Mexicos Yucatán State and the neighboring states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and in Belize. These peoples commonly identify themselves simply as Maya with no further ethnic subdivision and they speak the language which anthropologists term Yucatec Maya, but is identified by speakers and Yucatecos simply as Maya. Among Maya speakers, Spanish is commonly spoken as a second or first language, linguists refer to the Maya language as Yucatec or Yucatec Maya to distinguish it from other Mayan languages. This norm has often been misinterpreted to mean that the people are also called Yucatec Maya, that refers only to the language. Maya is one language in the Mayan language family, thus, to refer to Maya as Mayans would be similar to referring to Spanish people as Romantics because they speak a language belonging to the Romance language family. Confusion of the term Maya/Mayan as an ethnic label occurs because Maya women who use traditional dress identify by the ethnic term mestiza, the Yucatáns indigenous population was first exposed to Europeans after a party of Spanish shipwreck survivors came ashore in 1511. One of the sailors, Gonzalo Guerrero, is reported to have taken up with a woman and started a family. Later Spanish expeditions to the region were led by Córdoba in 1517, Grijalva in 1518, from 1528 to 1540, several attempts by Francisco Montejo to conquer the Yucatán failed. His son, Francisco de Montejo the Younger, fared almost as badly when he first took over, while holding out at Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was conquered by 1570, in 1542, the western Yucatán Peninsula also surrendered to him. Historically, the population in the half of the peninsula was less affected by. In the 21st century in the Yucatán Peninsula, between 750,000 and 1,200,000 people speak Mayan, however, three times more than that are of Maya origins, hold ancient Maya surnames, and do not speak Mayan languages as their first language. Matthew Restall, in his book The Maya Conquistador, mentions a series of letters sent to the King of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. The noble Maya families at that time signed documents to the Spanish Royal Family, surnames mentioned in letters are Pech, Camal, Xiu, Ucan, Canul, Cocom. A large 19th-century revolt by the native Maya people of Yucatán, for a period the Maya state of Chan Santa Cruz was recognized as an independent nation by the British Empire, particularly in terms of trading with British Honduras
Maya people
–
Francisco Luna Kan Rigoberta Menchú Tum,
Comandante Ramona Armando Manzanero Jesús Tecú Osorio,
Carlos Mérida
Maya people
Maya people
Maya people
7.
Spanish Empire
–
The Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in history. The Spanish Empire became the foremost global power of its time and was the first to be called the empire on which the sun never sets, the Spanish Empire originated during the Age of Discovery after the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Following the Spanish–American War of 1898, Spain ceded its last colonies in the Caribbean and its last African colonies were granted independence or abandoned during Decolonisation of Africa finishing in 1976. The unity did not mean uniformity, nevertheless, some historians assert that Portugal was part of the Spanish monarchy at the time, while others draw a clear distinction between the Portuguese and Spanish empires. During the 15th century, Castile and Portugal became territorial and commercial rivals in the western Atlantic. The conquest was completed with the campaigns of the armies of the Crown of Castile between 1478 and 1496, when the islands of Gran Canaria, La Palma, and Tenerife were subjugated. The Portuguese tried in vain to keep secret their discovery of the Gold Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, chronicler Pulgar wrote that the fame of the treasures of Guinea spread around the ports of Andalusia in such way that everybody tried to go there. Worthless trinkets, Moorish textiles, and above all, shells from the Canary and Cape Verde islands were exchanged for gold, slaves, ivory and Guinea pepper. The Crown officially organized this trade with Guinea, every caravel had to get a government license, the treaty delimited the spheres of influence of the two countries, establishing the principle of the Mare clausum. It was confirmed in 1481 by the Pope Sixtus IV, in the papal bull Æterni regis, thus, the limitations imposed by the Alcáçovas treaty were overcome and a new and more balanced worlds division would be reached at Tordesillas between both emerging maritime powers. Seven months before the treaty of Alcaçovas, King John II of Aragon died, Ferdinand and Isabella drove the last Moorish king out of Granada in 1492 after a ten-year war. The Catholic Monarchs then negotiated with Christopher Columbus, a Genoese sailor attempting to reach Cipangu by sailing west, Castile was already engaged in a race of exploration with Portugal to reach the Far East by sea when Columbus made his bold proposal to Isabella. Columbus discoveries inaugurated the Spanish colonization of the Americas and these actions gave Spain exclusive rights to establish colonies in all of the New World from north to south, as well as the easternmost parts of Asia. The treaty of Tordesillas was confirmed by Pope Julius II in the bull Ea quae pro bono pacis on 24 January 1506, Spains expansion and colonization was driven by economic influences, a yearning to improve national prestige, and a desire to spread Catholicism into the New World. The Catholic Monarchs had developed a strategy of marriages for their children in order to isolate their long-time enemy, the Spanish princes married the heirs of Portugal, England and the House of Habsburg. Following the same strategy, the Catholic Monarchs decided to support the Catalan-Aragonese house of Naples against Charles VIII of France in the Italian Wars beginning in 1494. As King of Aragon, Ferdinand had been involved in the struggle against France and Venice for control of Italy, these conflicts became the center of Ferdinands foreign policy as king. Only a year later, Ferdinand became part of the Holy League against France and this war was less of a success than the war against Venice, and in 1516, France agreed to a truce that left Milan in its control and recognized Spanish control of Upper Navarre
Spanish Empire
–
Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs (The return of Columbus to Spain).
Spanish Empire
–
Flag
Spanish Empire
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The death of French general
Gaston de Foix at the
Battle of Ravenna (1512).
Spanish Empire
–
Upon the death of
Ferdinand the Catholic, the lordship of the Spanish Indies became Kingdoms of the Indies.
8.
Viceroyalty of New Spain
–
New Spain was a colonial territory of the Spanish Empire, in the New World north of the Isthmus of Panama. It was established following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, after 1535 the colony was governed by the Viceroy of New Spain, an appointed minister of the King of Spain, who ruled as monarch over the colony. The capital of New Spain was Mexico City and it developed highly regional divisions, which reflect the impact of climate, topography, the presence or absence of dense indigenous populations, and the presence or absence of mineral resources. The areas of central and southern Mexico had dense indigenous populations with complex social, political, silver mining not only became the engine of the economy of New Spain, but vastly enriched Spain, and transformed the global economy. New Spain was the New World terminus of the Philippine trade, although New Spain was a dependency of Spain, it was a kingdom not a colony, subject to the presiding monarch on the Iberian Peninsula. Every privilege and position, economic political, or religious came from him and it was on this basis that the conquest, occupation, and government of the New World was achieved. The Viceroyalty of New Spain was established in 1535 in the Kingdom of New Spain and it was the first New World viceroyalty and one of only two in the Spanish empire until the 18th century Bourbon Reforms. The Spanish Empire comprised the territories in the north overseas Septentrion, from North America, to the west of the continent, New Spain also included the Spanish East Indies. To the east of the continent, it included the Spanish West Indies and this was not occupied by many Spanish settlers and were considered more marginal to Spanish interests than the most densely populated and lucrative areas of central Mexico. To shore up its claims in North America starting in the late 18th century, Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest explored and claimed the coast of what is now British Columbia and Alaska. The indigenous societies of Mesoamerica brought under Spanish control were of unprecedented complexity, the societies could provide the conquistadors, especially Hernán Cortés, a base from which the conquerors could become autonomous, or even independent, of the Crown. As a result, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, since the time of the Catholic Monarchs, central Iberia was governed through councils appointed by the monarch with particular jurisdictions. Thus, the creation of the Council of the Indies became another, the crown had set up the Casa de Contratación in 1503 to regulate contacts between Spain and its overseas possessions. A key function was to gather information about navigation to make trips less risky and they were accompanied by maps of the area discussed, many of which were drawn by indigenous artists. The Francisco Hernández Expedition, the first scientific expedition to the New World, was sent to gather information medicinal plants, an earlier Audiencia had been established in Santo Domingo in 1526 to deal with the Caribbean settlements. That Audiencia, housed in the Casa Reales in Santo Domingo, was charged with encouraging further exploration, management by the Audiencia, which was expected to make executive decisions as a body, proved unwieldy. Therefore, in 1535, King Charles V named Don Antonio de Mendoza as the first Viceroy of New Spain. After the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in 1532 opened up the vast territories of South America to further conquests, the Crown established an independent Viceroyalty of Peru there in 1540
Viceroyalty of New Spain
–
"Vázquez de Coronado Sets Out to the North" (1540) by
Frederic Remington, oil on canvas, 1905
Viceroyalty of New Spain
–
Flag
Viceroyalty of New Spain
–
Indian Wedding and Flying Pole, circa 1690
Viceroyalty of New Spain
–
Route from Philippines to Acapulco, México
9.
Mexico City
–
Mexico City, or City of Mexico, is the capital and most populous city of Mexico. As an alpha global city, Mexico City is one of the most important financial centers in the Americas and it is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres. The city consists of sixteen municipalities, the 2009 estimated population for the city proper was approximately 8.84 million people, with a land area of 1,485 square kilometres. The Greater Mexico City has a domestic product of US$411 billion in 2011. The city was responsible for generating 15. 8% of Mexicos Gross Domestic Product, as a stand-alone country, in 2013, Mexico City would be the fifth-largest economy in Latin America—five times as large as Costa Ricas and about the same size as Perus. Mexico’s capital is both the oldest capital city in the Americas and one of two founded by Amerindians, the other being Quito. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, Mexico City served as the political, administrative and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. After independence from Spain was achieved, the district was created in 1824. Ever since, the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution has controlled both of them, in recent years, the local government has passed a wave of liberal policies, such as abortion on request, a limited form of euthanasia, no-fault divorce, and same-sex marriage. On January 29,2016, it ceased to be called the Federal District and is now in transition to become the countrys 32nd federal entity, giving it a level of autonomy comparable to that of a state. Because of a clause in the Mexican Constitution, however, as the seat of the powers of the federation, it can never become a state, the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was founded by the Mexica people in 1325. According to legend, the Mexicas principal god, Huitzilopochtli indicated the site where they were to build their home by presenting an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak. Between 1325 and 1521, Tenochtitlan grew in size and strength, eventually dominating the other city-states around Lake Texcoco, when the Spaniards arrived, the Aztec Empire had reached much of Mesoamerica, touching both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. After landing in Veracruz, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés advanced upon Tenochtitlan with the aid of many of the native peoples. Cortés put Moctezuma under house arrest, hoping to rule through him, the Aztecs thought the Spaniards were permanently gone, and they elected a new king, Cuitláhuac, but he soon died, the next king was Cuauhtémoc. Cortés began a siege of Tenochtitlan in May 1521, for three months, the city suffered from the lack of food and water as well as the spread of smallpox brought by the Europeans. Cortés and his allies landed their forces in the south of the island, the Spaniards practically razed Tenochtitlan during the final siege of the conquest. Cortés first settled in Coyoacán, but decided to rebuild the Aztec site to erase all traces of the old order and he did not establish a territory under his own personal rule, but remained loyal to the Spanish crown
Mexico City
–
From above
Torre Latinoamericana,
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral,
Anillo Periférico,
World Trade Center Mexico City,
Angel of Independence,
Chapultepec Castle,
St. Regis Hotel Tower and
Torre Mayor, Skyline of
Paseo de la Reforma and
Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Mexico City
–
Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital.
Mexico City
–
The ruins of the
Templo Mayor.
Mexico City
–
The
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral was built by the Spaniards over the ruins of the main Aztec temple.
10.
First Mexican Empire
–
The Mexican Empire was a short-lived monarchy and the first independent post-colonial state in Mexico. It was the former colony of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy after independence and for a short time, together with the Empire of Brazil. The First Mexican Empire was short-lived, lasting less than two years, the first and only monarch of the state was Agustín de Iturbide, reigning as Agustín I of Mexico, for less than eight months. The empire was briefly reestablished by the French in 1864, under the 24 February 1821 Plan of Iguala, to which most of the provinces subscribed, the Mexican Congress established a regency council which was headed by Iturbide. If the king refused the position, the law provided for another member of the House of Bourbon to accede to the Mexican throne, however, the goal was merely a political tactic to appease the last royalists, and a full independence was expected. King Ferdinand, however, refused to recognize Mexicos independence and said that Spain would not allow any other European prince to take the throne of Mexico, on 19 May 1822, Mexican Congress named Iturbide as a constitutional emperor. On 21 May it issued a decree confirming this appointment, which was officially a temporary measure until a European monarch could be found to rule Mexico, iturbides official title was, By Divine Providence and the National Congress, First Constitutional Emperor of Mexico. His coronation took place on 21 July 1822 in Mexico City, in August 1822 a plot to overthrow the monarchy was discovered and on August 25, plotters, including 16 members of Congress, were arrested. As factions in the Congress began to sharply criticise Iturbide and his policies, santa Anna and his troops revolted against Iturbide, calling for the restoration of the Congress on 1 December 1822. Santa Anna had secretly persuaded General Echávarri, the commander of the Imperial forces, to switch sides and support the revolution when it was ready to be proclaimed throughout Mexico. The independence heroes Vicente Guerrero, Nicolás Bravo and Guadalupe Victoria soon joined, signing the Plan of Casa Mata on February 1,1823, the insurrectionists sent their proposal to the provincial governments and requested their adherence to the plan. In the course of just six weeks, the Plan of Casa Mata traveled to remote places as Texas. Each provincial government that accepted the plan thereby withdrew its allegiance from the Imperial government and this left Emperor Agustín I isolated with little support outside of Mexico City and a few factions of the Imperial Army. Consequently, he reinstalled the Congress, which he had abolished, abdicated the throne. Santa Anna and the proponents of the Plan of Casa Mata went on to oversee the drafting of a new constitution. The territory of the Mexican Empire corresponded to the borders of Viceroyalty of New Spain, excluding the Captaincies General of Cuba, Santo Domingo, subsequent territorial evolution of Mexico over the next several decades would eventually reduce Mexico to less than half its maximum extent. The first Mexican empire was divided into the following intendances, History of Mexico Second Mexican Empire Federal Republic of Central America Imperial House of Mexico Mexican Empire
First Mexican Empire
–
Flag
11.
Federal Republic of Central America
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It existed from September 1821 to 1841, and was a republican democracy. It is also incorrectly referred to in English as the United States of Central America. The republic consisted of the states of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua. Maps and borders hardly existed at the time so locations are only approximate, from 1838 to 1840 the federation descended into civil war, with conservatives fighting against liberals and separatists fighting to secede. From the 16th century through 1821, Central America, apart from Panama and that date is still marked as independence day by most Central American nations. Independence proved short-lived, as local law-and-order broke down, driven by regional rivalries, many localities refused to accept the newly formed federal powers in Guatemala—San Salvador, Comayagua, León, and Cartago were in open revolt. The ensuing anarchy prompted the land-owning wealthy and conservative class to advocate union with Mexico, on 25 January 1822 the Junta consultiva in Guatemala City voted for annexation. A few weeks later General Vicente Filísola, the envoy of Emperor Agustín de Iturbide of the First Mexican Empire arrived in Guatemala as the new ruler. The annexation was controversial, with some seeing the Mexican constitution with its abolition of slavery, Central American liberals in San Salvador objected to this and refused to accept Filísolas authority. The army was ordered to quell dissent, after Iturbide abdicated, Mexico became a republic and offered to the previously annexed Central American provinces the right to determine their own destiny. Filísola turned over his power to the hastily formed National Constituent Assembly, on July 1,1823 the Congress of Central America declared absolute independence from Spain, Mexico, and any other foreign nation, and established a republican system of government. The liberal-dominated Assembly elected Manuel José Arce as president but he turned against his own faction. San Salvador rose in revolt against federal authority, Honduras and Nicaragua joined the rebellion and Arce was deposed in 1829. The victors led by the Honduran Francisco Morazán took power and Morazán was proclaimed president in 1830, to appease liberal supporters, the capital was relocated from Guatemala City to San Salvador in 1831 but Morazáns hold on power was waning as conservatives regained control in the provinces. The Assembly in 1838 adjourned with the declaration that the provinces were free to rule themselves as the Federal Republic dissolved, in 1839 Morazán was exiled as rebels from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua entered San Salvador, evicting the governing institutions that held the region together. In practice, the federation faced insurmountable problems, and the union slid into war between 1838 and 1840. Its disintegration began when Nicaragua separated from the federation on November 5,1838, followed by Honduras, in reality, this merely legally acknowledged the process of disintegration that had already begun. The union effectively ended in 1840, by which four of its five states had declared independence
Federal Republic of Central America
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Federal Republic of Central America, 4
Real (1835). Struck in the San Jose, Costa Rica mint (697 were minted).
Federal Republic of Central America
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Flag
12.
Honduras
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Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a republic in Central America. It has at times referred to as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras. Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, the Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism and the now predominant Spanish language, along with numerous customs that have blended with the indigenous culture. Honduras has the worlds highest murder rate, Honduras spans about 112,492 km2 and has a population exceeding 8 million. Its northern portions are part of the Western Caribbean Zone, as reflected in the areas demographics and culture. Honduras is known for its natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry. Honduras literally means depths in Spanish, the name could either refer to the bay of Trujillo as an anchorage, fondura in the Leonese dialect of Spanish, or to Columbuss alleged quote that Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas Honduras. It was not until the end of the 16th century that Honduras was used for the whole province, prior to 1580, Honduras only referred to the eastern part of the province, and Higueras referred to the western part. Another early name is Guaymuras, revived as the name for the dialogue in 2009 that took place in Honduras as opposed to Costa Rica. In pre-Columbian times, modern Honduras was part of the Mesoamerican cultural area, in the west, the Maya civilization flourished for hundreds of years. The dominant state within Hondurass borders was in Copán, Copán fell with the other Lowland centres during the conflagrations of the Terminal Classic in the 9th century. The Maya of this civilization survive in western Honduras as the Chorti, remains of other Pre-Columbian cultures are found throughout the country. On 30 July 1502 Columbus sent his brother Bartholomew to explore the islands and Bartholomew encountered a Mayan trading vessel from Yucatán, carrying well-dressed Maya and a rich cargo. Bartholomews men stole whatever cargo they wanted and kidnapped the elderly captain to serve as an interpreter in what was the first recorded encounter between the Spanish and the Maya. In March 1524, Gil González Dávila became the first Spaniard to enter Honduras as a conquistador, followed by Hernán Cortés, bringing forces down from Mexico. Much of the conquest was done in the two decades, first by groups loyal to Cristóbal de Olid, and then by those loyal of Francisco Montejo. In addition to Spanish resources, the conquerors relied heavily on armed forces from Mexico—Tlaxcalans, resistance to conquest was led in particular by Lempira, and many regions in the north never fell to the Spanish, notably the Miskito Kingdom. After the Spanish conquest, Honduras became part of Spains vast empire in the New World within the Kingdom of Guatemala, Trujillo and Gracias were the first city-capitals
Honduras
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A
Maya stela, an emblematic symbol of the Honduran Mayan civilization at Copan.
Honduras
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Flag
Honduras
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Gil González Dávila
Honduras
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Hernán Cortés, fue uno de los conquistadores de Honduras.
13.
Nicaragua
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Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. Nicaraguas capital, Managua, is the countrys largest city and the third-largest city in Central America, the multi-ethnic population of six million includes indigenous peoples, Europeans, Africans, and Asians. Native tribes on the eastern coast speak their own languages, the Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century. Nicaragua gained independence from Spain in 1821, since its independence, Nicaragua has undergone periods of political unrest, dictatorship, and fiscal crisis—the most notable causes that led to the Nicaraguan Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Nicaragua is a democratic republic. The biological diversity, warm climate and active volcanoes make Nicaragua an increasingly popular tourist destination. The name Nicaragua was coined by Spanish colonists based on the name Nicarao, when Spaniard Gil González Dávila came to Nicaragua in 1521 he found in the areas between Rivas and San Jorge the first pre-Columbian natives of Nicaragua. At the time the city was called Quauhcapolca and the cacique leaders name was Macuilmiquiztli. The Pipil migrated to Nicaragua from central Mexico after 500 BC, meanwhile, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua was inhabited by other peoples, mostly Chibcha language groups. They had coalesced in Central America and migrated also to present-day northern Colombia and they lived a life based primarily on hunting and gathering. In 1502, Christopher Columbus became the first European known to have reached what is now Nicaragua as he sailed southeast toward the Isthmus of Panama, on his fourth voyage, Columbus explored the Miskito Coast on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua. The Spanish attempted to convert all three tribes to Christianity, Nicaragua and Nicarao and their people converted, but Dirangen, however, did not, the first attempt to conquer what is now known as Nicaragua was by Gil González Dávila, who arrived in Panama in January 1520. The first Spanish permanent settlements were founded in 1524, conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba founded two of Nicaraguas principal towns in 1524, Granada on Lake Nicaragua was the first settlement, followed by León at a location west of Lake Managua. Córdoba soon built defenses for the cities and fought against incursions by other conquistadors, Córdoba was later publicly beheaded following a power struggle with Pedro Arias Dávila. His tomb and remains were discovered in 2000 in the ruins of León Viejo, the clashes among Spanish forces did not impede their destruction of the indigenous people and their culture. The series of battles came to be known as the War of the Captains, Pedro Arias Dávila was a winner, although he had lost control of Panama, he moved to Nicaragua and successfully established his base in León. Through adroit diplomatic machinations, he became the first governor of the colony, many indigenous people died as a result of new infectious diseases, compounded by neglect by the Spaniards, who controlled their subsistence. In 1610, the Momotombo volcano erupted, destroying the capital and it was rebuilt northwest of what is now known as the ruins of Old León
Nicaragua
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2,100-year-old human footprints called "huellas de acahualinca" preserved in volcanic mud near
Lake Managua.
Nicaragua
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Flag
Nicaragua
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The Colonial
City of Granada near
Lake Nicaragua, is one of the most visited sites in
Central America.
Nicaragua
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The
Fortress of the Immaculate Conception was constructed in the late 17th century to protect locals in neighboring
Granada from
pirate attacks. Today, it is one of Nicaragua's main tourist attractions.
14.
Greater Republic of Central America
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The Greater Republic of Central America was a short-lived union between Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, lasting from 1896 to 1898. It was an attempt to revive the failed Federal Republic of Central America from earlier in the century, the three countries agreed to establish a union with the signing of the Treaty of Amapala on 20 June 1895. On 15 September 1896, after the countries had all ratified the treaty individually, the republic was rechristened the United States of Central America when its constitution came into effect on 1 November 1898. The capital was to be located at the Honduran town of Amapala on the Gulf of Fonseca, the union was dissolved after General Tomás Regalado seized power in El Salvador on 21 November. Before its dissolution, the Greater Republic established diplomatic relationships with the United States, guatemala and Costa Rica both considered joining the union, but neither of them eventually did. History of Central America Greater Republic of Central America, Recognition of the Political Union of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvador
Greater Republic of Central America
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Flag
15.
Indigo plant
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Indigofera is a large genus of over 750 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, species of Indigofera are mostly shrubs, though some are small trees or annual or perennial herbs. Racemes of flowers grow in the leaf axils, most species have flowers in hues of red, but there are a few white- and yellow-flowered species. The fruit is a pod of varying size and shape. Indigofera is a genus that has shown unique characteristics that make it an interesting candidate as a potential perennial crop. Specifically, there is variation among species with a number of unique characteristics. Some examples of this diversity include differences in thickness, fruit type. Indigofera is a genus that also shows some unique characteristics in its flowering morphology. For example, one characteristic of Indigofera is that it demonstrates an open carpel not seen among many species. The types of produced by different species of Indigofera can also be divided into broad categories that again show great variation. The three basic types of categories can be separated by their curvature including straight, slightly curved. Another way to categorize Indigofera is by its pericarp thickness, several species, especially Indigofera tinctoria and Indigofera suffruticosa, are used to produce the dye indigo. Scraps of Indigo-dyed fabric likely dyed with plants from the genus Indigofera discovered at Huaca Prieta predate Egyptian indigo-dyed fabrics by more than 1,500 years, exports of the crop did not expand until the mid-to late 18th century. When Eliza Lucas Pinckney and enslaved Africans successfully cultivated new strains near Charleston it became the second most important cash crop in the colony before the American Revolution and it comprised more than one-third of all exports in value. The chemical aniline, from many important dyes are derived, was first synthesized from Indigofera suffruticosa. In Indonesia, the Sundanese use Indigofera tinctoria as dye for batik, marco Polo was the first to report on the preparation of indigo in India. Indigo was quite often used in European easel painting during the Middle Ages, several species of this group are used to alleviate pain. The herbs are generally regarded as an analgesic with anti-inflammatory activity, Indigofera articulata was used for toothache, and Indigofera oblongifolia was used as an anti-inflammatory for insect stings, snakebites, and swellings
Indigo plant
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Indigofera
Indigo plant
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Indigofera pendula
Indigo plant
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Indigofera spicata
Indigo plant
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Indigofera astragalina
16.
Spanish colonization of the Americas
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The Colonial expansion under the crown of Castile was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Catholic faith through indigenous conversions and it is estimated that during the colonial period, a total of 18.6 million Spaniards settled in the Americas and a further 3.5 million immigrated during the post-colonial era. Spains loss of these last territories politically ended the Spanish rule in the Americas, the Catholic Monarchs Isabella of Castile, Queen of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand, King of Aragon, pursued a policy of joint rule of their kingdoms and created a single Spanish monarchy. Even though Castile and Aragon were ruled jointly by their respective monarchs, the Catholic Monarchs gave official approval for the plans of Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus for a voyage to reach India by sailing West. The funding came from the queen of Castile, so the profits from Spanish expedition flowed to Castile, in the extension of Spanish sovereignty to its overseas territories, authority for expeditions of discovery, conquest, and settlement resided in the monarchy. Columbus made four voyages to the West Indiesas the monarchs granted Columbus the governorship of the new territories and he founded La Navidad on the island later named Hispaniola, in what is present day Haiti on his first voyage. After its destruction by the indigenous Taino people, the town of Isabella was begun in 1493, in 1496 his brother, Bartholomew, founded Santo Domingo. By 1500, despite a death rate, there were between 300 and 1000 Spanish settled in the area. The local Taíno people continued to resist, refusing to plant crops, the first mainland explorations were followed by a phase of inland expeditions and conquest. In 1500 the city of Nueva Cádiz was founded on the island of Cubagua, Venezuela, the Spanish founded San Sebastian de Uraba in 1509 but abandoned it within the year. There is indirect evidence that the first permanent Spanish mainland settlement established in the Americas was Santa María la Antigua del Darién, the Spanish conquest of Mexico is generally understood to be the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire which was the base for later conquests of other regions. Later conquests were protracted campaigns with less spectacular results than conquest of the Aztecs, but not until the Spanish conquest of Peru was the conquest of the Aztecs matched in scope by the victory over the Inca empire in 1532. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire was led by Hernán Cortés, the victory over the Aztecs was relatively quick, from 1519 to 1521, and aided by his Tlaxcala and other allies from indigenous city-states or altepetl. These polities allied against the Aztec empire, to which they paid tribute following conquest or threat of conquest, leaving the political hierarchy. The Spanish conquest of Yucatán was a longer campaign, from 1551 to 1697, against the Maya peoples in the Yucatán Peninsula of present-day Mexico. When Hernán Cortés landed ashore at present day Veracruz and founded the Spanish city there on April 22,1519, Spain colonized and exerted control of Alta California through the Spanish missions in California until the Mexican secularization act of 1833. It was the first step in a campaign that took decades of fighting to subdue the mightiest empire in the Americas. In the following years Spain extended its rule over the Empire of the Inca civilization, in the following years the conquistadors and indigenous allies extended control over Greater Andes Region
Spanish colonization of the Americas
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Spanish Conquest of Mexico, meeting of Cortés and Moctezuma II
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Spanish colonization of the Americas
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Vasco Núñez de Balboa claiming possession of the South Sea (
Pacific Ocean)
Spanish colonization of the Americas
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Map depicting the route of Pizarro from Panama to Cuzco
17.
Nahua peoples
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The Nahuas are a group of indigenous people of Mexico and El Salvador. Their language of Uto-Aztecan affiliation is called Nahuatl and consists of many dialects and variants. About 1,500,000 Nahua speak Nahuatl and another 1,000,000 speak only Spanish, less than 1,000 native speakers remain in El Salvador. Evidence suggests the Nahua peoples originated in Aridoamerica, in regions of the present day northwestern Mexico and they split off from the other Uto-Aztecan speaking peoples and migrated into central Mexico around 500 CE. They settled in and around the Basin of Mexico and spread out to become the dominant people in central Mexico, the name Nahua is derived from the Nahuatl word-root nāhua-, which generally means audible, intelligible, clear with different derivations including language. It was used in contrast with popoloca, to speak unintelligibly or speak a foreign language, another, related term is Nāhuatlācatl or Nāhuatlācah literally Nahuatl-speaking people. The Nahuas are also referred to as Aztecs. Using this term for the Nahuas has generally fallen out of favor in scholarship and they have also been called Mēxihcatl, Mēxihcah or in Spanish Mexicano Mexicans, after the Mexica, the Nahua tribe which founded and predominated in the Aztec empire. At the turn of the 16th century, Nahua populations occupied territories ranging across modern-day Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and these were gradually assimilated into mestizo society in most places. The last of the southern Nahua populations are the Pipil of El Salvador, Nahuatl was a lingua franca for trade and rule during the apogee of the Aztec empire. There are many Nahuatl place names in regions where Nahuas were not the most populous group, Nahua populations in Mexico are centered in the middle of the country, with most speakers in the states of Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Guerrero and San Luis Potosí. But smaller populations are spread throughout the country, following recent population movements within Mexico, within the last 50 years, Nahua populations have appeared in the United States, particularly in New York City, L. A. and Houston. Archaeological, historical and linguistic evidence suggest that the Nahuas originally came from the deserts of northern Mexico, before the Nahuas entered Mesoamerica, they were probably living for a while in northwestern Mexico alongside the Cora and Huichol peoples. The first group of Nahuas to split from the group were the Pochutec who went on to settle on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca possibly as early as 400 CE. From c.600 CE the Nahua quickly rose to power in central Mexico and expanded into areas earlier occupied by Oto-Manguean, Totonacan and Huastec peoples. Around 1000 CE the Toltec people, normally assumed to have been of Nahua ethnicity, from this period on the Nahua were the dominant ethnic group in the Valley of Mexico and far beyond, and migrations kept coming in from the north. After the fall of Toltecs a period of population movements followed. And in central Mexico different Nahua groups based in their different Altepetl city-states fought for political dominance
Nahua peoples
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"
Atlantean figures " from the Nahua culture of the
Toltecs at
Tula.
Nahua peoples
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Number of Nahuatl speakers per state (Mexico only)
Nahua peoples
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Nahua man of Morelos ploughing a bean field by mule
18.
Lenca people
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The Lenca are an indigenous people of southwestern Honduras and eastern El Salvador. They once spoke the Lenca language, which is now extinct, in Honduras, the Lenca are the largest indigenous group, with an estimated population of 100,000. El Salvadors Lenca population is estimated at about 37,000, the pre-Conquest Lenca had frequent contact with various Maya groups as well as other indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America. The origin of Lenca populations has been a source of ongoing debate amongst anthropologists and it continues to generate research focused on obtaining more archaeological evidence of pre-colonial Lenca. Some scholars have suggested that the Lenca migrated to the region from South America around 3,000 years ago, Lenca culture developed for centuries preceding the Spanish conquest. Like other indigenous groups of Central America, they changed their cultural relationships to the land. While there are ongoing problems in contemporary Central America over indigenous land rights and identity. Modern Lenca communities are centered on the milpa crop-growing system, Lenca men engage in agriculture, including the cultivation of coffee, cacao, tobacco, varieties of plantains and gourds. Other principal crops are maize, wheat, beans, squash, sugarcane, in El Salvador peanuts are also cultivated. Within their communities, Lenca traditionally expect all members to participate in communal efforts, while there has been a growing national acceptance of indigenous rights and culture in both Honduras and El Salvador, the Lenca continue to struggle in both nations over indigenous land rights. In the mid-1990s, indigenous activists formed in order to petition the government over issues of land ownership, many Lenca men have had to find employment in neighboring cities. Many Lenca communities still have their communal land and they devote the majority of cultivation to commodity crops raised for export to foreign markets. Most Lenca still use traditional agricultural practices on their own crops, throughout the regions of Lenca occupation, Lenca pottery was very distinguishable. Handcrafted by Lenca women, Lenca pottery is considered an ethnic marking of their culture, the mid-1980s creation of NGO woman cooperatives transformed the character of the craft. The cooperatives initial mission was to increase the profitability of the pottery by orienting production to meet the tastes of urban buyers, much of the modern painted pottery for sale today is not of traditional origin, and has been modified for the appeal of foreign buyers. Traditional Lencan pottery is made in the town of Gracias. Visitors can see demonstrations of how the pottery is made. It is usually a dark orange or brick color, modern Lenca religion is predominantly Roman Catholic, but some Lenca communities still retain and practice many indigenous traditions
Lenca people
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Julio Victoriano García representing the Lenca people at a conference at the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.
Lenca people
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Hypothetical extension of the Lenca.
19.
Chorti people
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The Chorti people are one of the indigenous Maya peoples, who primarily reside in communities and towns of southeastern Guatemala, northwestern Honduras, and northern El Salvador. Their indigenous language, also known as Chorti, is a survival of Classic Choltian and it is the first language of approximately 15,000 people, although the majority of present-day Chorti speakers are bilingual in Spanish as well. The Chorti area, having Copán as the center, were the headquarters of the ancient Mayan civilization. The Chorti people, led by their Mayan Chief Galel, strongly but unsuccessfully resisted the Spanish conquerors, the Chorti belong to the Meridional Mayans, and are closely related to the Mayans in Yucatán, Belize and Northern Guatemala. They are also related to the Choles, Mayans that currently live in Chiapas. Historically, the Chorti Mayans were located in the Ocotepeque and Copan departments, as well as in the strip of the Cortes. This geographical area also extended to El Salvador on the south, to Chiquimula on the west. Currently, the majority of the Chorti are located in Guatemala, the current Guatemalan Chorti population estimate is 46,833. The current Honduran Chorti population estimate is 4,200 and they are mostly farmers, and they lived in areas mixed with mestizos. The Chortis in Copan speak Spanish, most Chorti speakers are in Guatemala and this is because the political division between Honduras and Guatemala, and the inherent movement restriction between the two countries. However, the traditional dressing customs have been kept, as well as their musical traditions and their musical culture is expressed by using instruments like teponangas, drums, whistles, chinchins, sonajas and horns. The most traditional dance is called the dance of the giants and their food is based mainly on corn and beans. Corn is prepared in different ways, as a drink, like chilate, pozol, sweet atole, Chortis religion is based on admiring and adoring nature, through rituals dedicated to the gods of the Earth and the Wind
Chorti people
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Brenda Suyapa Pineda representing the Chortis of Honduras at the
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.
20.
Maya peoples
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The Maya people are a group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. They inhabit southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, the pre-Columbian Maya population was approximately eight million. There were a seven million Maya living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala, southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, El Salvador, one of the largest groups of modern Maya can be found in Mexicos Yucatán State and the neighboring states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and in Belize. These peoples commonly identify themselves simply as Maya with no further ethnic subdivision and they speak the language which anthropologists term Yucatec Maya, but is identified by speakers and Yucatecos simply as Maya. Among Maya speakers, Spanish is commonly spoken as a second or first language, linguists refer to the Maya language as Yucatec or Yucatec Maya to distinguish it from other Mayan languages. This norm has often been misinterpreted to mean that the people are also called Yucatec Maya, that refers only to the language. Maya is one language in the Mayan language family, thus, to refer to Maya as Mayans would be similar to referring to Spanish people as Romantics because they speak a language belonging to the Romance language family. Confusion of the term Maya/Mayan as an ethnic label occurs because Maya women who use traditional dress identify by the ethnic term mestiza, the Yucatáns indigenous population was first exposed to Europeans after a party of Spanish shipwreck survivors came ashore in 1511. One of the sailors, Gonzalo Guerrero, is reported to have taken up with a woman and started a family. Later Spanish expeditions to the region were led by Córdoba in 1517, Grijalva in 1518, from 1528 to 1540, several attempts by Francisco Montejo to conquer the Yucatán failed. His son, Francisco de Montejo the Younger, fared almost as badly when he first took over, while holding out at Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was conquered by 1570, in 1542, the western Yucatán Peninsula also surrendered to him. Historically, the population in the half of the peninsula was less affected by. In the 21st century in the Yucatán Peninsula, between 750,000 and 1,200,000 people speak Mayan, however, three times more than that are of Maya origins, hold ancient Maya surnames, and do not speak Mayan languages as their first language. Matthew Restall, in his book The Maya Conquistador, mentions a series of letters sent to the King of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. The noble Maya families at that time signed documents to the Spanish Royal Family, surnames mentioned in letters are Pech, Camal, Xiu, Ucan, Canul, Cocom. A large 19th-century revolt by the native Maya people of Yucatán, for a period the Maya state of Chan Santa Cruz was recognized as an independent nation by the British Empire, particularly in terms of trading with British Honduras
Maya peoples
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Francisco Luna Kan Rigoberta Menchú Tum,
Comandante Ramona Armando Manzanero Jesús Tecú Osorio,
Carlos Mérida
Maya peoples
Maya peoples
Maya peoples
21.
Aztec
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The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica from the 14th to 16th centuries. The Nahuatl words aztecatl and aztecah mean people from Aztlan, a place for the Nahuatl-speaking culture of the time. Often the term Aztec refers exclusively to the Mexica people of Tenochtitlan, situated on an island in Lake Texcoco, who referred to themselves as Mēxihcah Tenochcah or Cōlhuah Mexihcah. From the 13th century, the Valley of Mexico was the heart of Aztec civilization, here the capital of the Aztec Triple Alliance, the Triple Alliance formed a tributary empire expanding its political hegemony far beyond the Valley of Mexico, conquering other city states throughout Mesoamerica. At its pinnacle, Aztec culture had rich and complex mythological and religious traditions, as well as achieving remarkable architectural and artistic accomplishments. Subsequently, the Spanish founded the new settlement of Mexico City on the site of the ruined Aztec capital, the term extends to further ethnic groups associated with the Aztec empire such as the Acolhua and Tepanec and others that were incorporated into the empire. In older usage the term was used about modern Nahuatl speaking ethnic groups. In recent usage these ethnic groups are referred to as the Nahua peoples. Linguistically the term Aztecan is still used about the branch of the Uto-Aztecan languages that includes the Nahuatl language and its closest relatives Pochutec, to the Aztecs themselves the word aztec was not an endonym for any particular ethnic group. Rather it was a term used to refer to several ethnic groups, not all of them Nahuatl speaking. In the Nahuatl language aztecatl means person from Aztlan and this usage has been the subject of debate in more recent years, but the term Aztec is still more common. For the same reason the notion of Aztec civilization is best understood as a horizon of a general Mesoamerican civilization. Particular to the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan was the Mexica patron God Huitzilopochtli, twin pyramids, the Aztec Empire was a tribute empire based in Tenochtitlan that extended its power throughout Mesoamerica in the late postclassic period. Soon Texcoco and Tlacopan became junior partners in the alliance, which was de facto led by the Mexica of Tenochtitlan, the empire extended its power by a combination of trade and military conquest. The political clout of the empire reached far south into Mesoamerica conquering cities as far south as Chiapas and Guatemala, the Nahua peoples began to migrate into Mesoamerica from northern Mexico in the 6th century. They populated central Mexico, dislocating speakers of Oto-Manguean languages as they spread their influence south. As the former nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples mixed with the civilizations of Mesoamerica, adopting religious and cultural practices. During the Postclassic period they rose to power at such sites as Tula, in the 12th century the Nahua power center was in Azcapotzalco, from where the Tepanecs dominated the valley of Mexico
Aztec
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The Aztec Pyramid at
St. Cecilia Acatitlan, State of Mexico
Aztec
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Aztec
wood mask
Aztec
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Large ceramic statue of an Aztec Eagle Warrior
Aztec
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Aztec cosmogram in the pre-Hispanic
Codex Fejérváry-Mayer —the fire god
Xiuhtecuhtli is in the center
22.
Maya civilization
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The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. The Archaic period, prior to 2000 BC, saw the first developments in agriculture, the first Maya cities developed around 750 BC, and by 500 BC these cities possessed monumental architecture, including large temples with elaborate stucco façades. Hieroglyphic writing was being used in the Maya region by the 3rd century BC, in the Late Preclassic a number of large cities developed in the Petén Basin, and Kaminaljuyu rose to prominence in the Guatemalan Highlands. Beginning around 250 AD, the Classic period is defined as when the Maya were raising sculpted monuments with Long Count dates. This period saw the Maya civilization develop a number of city-states linked by a complex trade network. In the Maya Lowlands two great rivals, Tikal and Calakmul, became powerful, the Classic period also saw the intrusive intervention of the central Mexican city of Teotihuacan in Maya dynastic politics. In the 9th century, there was a political collapse in the central Maya region, resulting in internecine warfare, the abandonment of cities. The Postclassic period saw the rise of Chichen Itza in the north, in the 16th century, the Spanish Empire colonized the Mesoamerican region, and a lengthy series of campaigns saw the fall of Nojpetén, the last Maya city in 1697. Classic period rule was centred on the concept of the divine king, kingship was patrilineal, and power would normally pass to the eldest son. A prospective king was expected to be a successful war leader. Maya politics was dominated by a system of patronage, although the exact political make-up of a kingdom varied from city-state to city-state. By the Late Classic, the aristocracy had greatly increased, resulting in the reduction in the exclusive power of the divine king. Maya cities tended to expand haphazardly, and the city centre would be occupied by ceremonial and administrative complexes, different parts of a city would often be linked by causeways. The principal architecture of the city consisted of palaces, pyramid-temples, ceremonial ballcourts, the Maya elite were literate, and developed a complex system of hieroglyphic writing that was the most advanced in the pre-Columbian Americas. The Maya recorded their history and ritual knowledge in screenfold books, there are also a great many examples of Maya text found on stelae and ceramics. The Maya developed a complex series of interlocking ritual calendars. As a part of their religion, the Maya practised human sacrifice, the Maya civilization developed within the Mesoamerican cultural area, which covers a region that spreads from northern Mexico southwards into Central America. Mesoamerica was one of six cradles of civilization worldwide, the Mesoamerican area gave rise to a series of cultural developments that included complex societies, agriculture, cities, monumental architecture, writing, and calendrical systems
Maya civilization
–
El Castillo, at
Chichen Itza
Maya civilization
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Detail of Lintel 26 from
Yaxchilan
Maya civilization
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Maya civilization
Maya civilization
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Kaminaljuyu, in the highlands, and
El Mirador, in the lowlands, were both important cities in the Late Preclassic.
23.
Pedro de Alvarado
–
Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalvas exploration of the coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico and he is considered the conquistador of much of Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Historiography portrays that indigenous people, both Nahuatl-speakers and speakers of languages, called him Tonatiuh, meaning sun in the Nahuatl language. Yet he was also called Red Sun in Nahuatl, which allows a variety of interpretations, whether this epithet refers to Alvarados red hair, some esoteric quality attributed to him, or both, is disputed. Pedro de Alvarado was flamboyant and charismatic, and was both a brilliant military commander and a cruel, hardened man and his hair and beard were blond, which earned him the name of Tonatiuh from the Aztecs, the name of one of their sun gods. He was handsome, and presented an appearance, but was volatile. He was ruthless in his dealings with the peoples he set out to conquer. Historians judge that his greed drove him to excessive cruelty, and he was a poor governor of territories he had conquered, and restlessly sought out new adventures. His tactical brutality, such as the massacre in the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan and he was also accused of cruelty against fellow Spaniards. Alvarado was little suited to govern, when he held governing positions and his letters show no interest in civil matters, and he only discussed exploration and war. Alvarado stubbornly resisted attempts by the Spanish Crown to establish ordered taxation in Guatemala, american historian William H. Prescott described Alvarados character in the following terms, Alvarado was a cavalier of high family, gallant and chivalrous, and warm personal friend. He had talents for action, was possessed of firmness and intrepidity, while his frank, but, underneath this showy exterior, the future conqueror of Guatemala concealed a heart rash, rapacious, and cruel. He was altogether destitute of that moderation, which, in the position he occupied, was a quality of more worth than all the rest. Spanish chronicler Antonio de Remesal commented that Alvarado desired more to be feared than loved by his subjects, in his easy recourse to violence, Alvarado was a product of his time, and Alvarado was not the only conquistador to have resorted to such actions. Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro carried out deeds of similar cruelty, Pedro de Alvarado was born in 1485 in the town of Badajoz, Extremadura. His father was Gómez de Alvarado, and his mother was Leonor de Contreras, Pedro de Alvarado had a twin sister, Sarra, and four full-blood brothers, Jorge, Gonzalo, Gómez, and Juan. Pedro had a half brother, also named Juan, referred to in contemporary sources as Juan el Bastardo. Very little is known of Pedro de Alvarados early life before his arrival in the Americas, during the conquest of the Americas, tales of his youthful exploits in Spain became popular legends, but their veracity is doubtful
Pedro de Alvarado
–
Pedro de Alvarado in a contemporaneous rendition.
Pedro de Alvarado
–
Juan de Grijalva
Pedro de Alvarado
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The coast of
Cozumel was Alvarado's first sight of Yucatán.
Pedro de Alvarado
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Hernán Cortés led the expedition against the Aztecs.
24.
Real Audiencia of Mexico
–
The Real Audiencia of Mexico or high court was the highest tribunal of the Spanish crown in the Kingdom of New Spain. The Audiencia was created by decree on December 13,1527. The First Audiencia was dissolved by the crown for its bungling and corruption, another Audiencia was created in Guadalajara in western Mexico in 1548. He initially established a government in the town of Coyoacán, south of Lake Texcoco, from here he governed with the title of Captain General and Justicia Mayor. The crown sent treasury officials to New Spain, asserting the right of the crown to the revenues from the conquered lands. During Cortéss expedition to Honduras, treasury officials were left in charge, after Cortéss return to Mexico City in 1526, the crown realized that to assert its power over him that a higher level of royal authority was needed and created the Audiencia of Mexico. The first Audiencia in Mexico was created in 1528 and headed by crown official Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. Hernán Cortés, who as leader of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, had accrued considerable wealth, by setting up the Audiencia the crown sought to limit Cortéss personal power by creating the high court as an effective instrument of royal power. One scholar calls him a natural gangster, however, structurally the crown had set up a conflictive situation between the conquerors turned encomenderos and the high court determined to assert royal authority. The crowns choice of Nuño de Guzmán as president of the Audiencia was a major blunder, in 1532, the Viceroyalty of New Spain was created, although the first Viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoza, would not arrive in Mexico until 1535. The Viceroy took over the functions of government from the Audiencia. In the following decade as more areas were conquered a second Audiencia was created in Guadalajara. Territorial evolution of Mexico History of New Spain Arregui Zamorano, Pilar, la Audiencia de México según los visitadores. México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Audiencia of New Galicia in the Sixteenth Century. Gobierno y sociedad en Nueva España, segunda audiencia y Antonio de Mendoza, zamora, Gobierno del Estado de Michoacán, El Colegio de Michoacán
Real Audiencia of Mexico
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Colonization
25.
New Spain
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New Spain was a colonial territory of the Spanish Empire, in the New World north of the Isthmus of Panama. It was established following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521, after 1535 the colony was governed by the Viceroy of New Spain, an appointed minister of the King of Spain, who ruled as monarch over the colony. The capital of New Spain was Mexico City and it developed highly regional divisions, which reflect the impact of climate, topography, the presence or absence of dense indigenous populations, and the presence or absence of mineral resources. The areas of central and southern Mexico had dense indigenous populations with complex social, political, silver mining not only became the engine of the economy of New Spain, but vastly enriched Spain, and transformed the global economy. New Spain was the New World terminus of the Philippine trade, although New Spain was a dependency of Spain, it was a kingdom not a colony, subject to the presiding monarch on the Iberian Peninsula. Every privilege and position, economic political, or religious came from him and it was on this basis that the conquest, occupation, and government of the New World was achieved. The Viceroyalty of New Spain was established in 1535 in the Kingdom of New Spain and it was the first New World viceroyalty and one of only two in the Spanish empire until the 18th century Bourbon Reforms. The Spanish Empire comprised the territories in the north overseas Septentrion, from North America, to the west of the continent, New Spain also included the Spanish East Indies. To the east of the continent, it included the Spanish West Indies and this was not occupied by many Spanish settlers and were considered more marginal to Spanish interests than the most densely populated and lucrative areas of central Mexico. To shore up its claims in North America starting in the late 18th century, Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest explored and claimed the coast of what is now British Columbia and Alaska. The indigenous societies of Mesoamerica brought under Spanish control were of unprecedented complexity, the societies could provide the conquistadors, especially Hernán Cortés, a base from which the conquerors could become autonomous, or even independent, of the Crown. As a result, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, since the time of the Catholic Monarchs, central Iberia was governed through councils appointed by the monarch with particular jurisdictions. Thus, the creation of the Council of the Indies became another, the crown had set up the Casa de Contratación in 1503 to regulate contacts between Spain and its overseas possessions. A key function was to gather information about navigation to make trips less risky and they were accompanied by maps of the area discussed, many of which were drawn by indigenous artists. The Francisco Hernández Expedition, the first scientific expedition to the New World, was sent to gather information medicinal plants, an earlier Audiencia had been established in Santo Domingo in 1526 to deal with the Caribbean settlements. That Audiencia, housed in the Casa Reales in Santo Domingo, was charged with encouraging further exploration, management by the Audiencia, which was expected to make executive decisions as a body, proved unwieldy. Therefore, in 1535, King Charles V named Don Antonio de Mendoza as the first Viceroy of New Spain. After the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in 1532 opened up the vast territories of South America to further conquests, the Crown established an independent Viceroyalty of Peru there in 1540
New Spain
–
"Vázquez de Coronado Sets Out to the North" (1540) by
Frederic Remington, oil on canvas, 1905
New Spain
–
Flag
New Spain
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Indian Wedding and Flying Pole, circa 1690
New Spain
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Route from Philippines to Acapulco, México
26.
Jesus Christ
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Jesus, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who became the central figure of Christianity. Christians believe him to be the Son of God and the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, Jesus was a Galilean Jew who was baptized by John the Baptist and subsequently began his own ministry, preaching his message orally and often being referred to as rabbi. He was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities, and was crucified by the order of Pontius Pilate, Jesus debated fellow Jews on how to best follow God, performed healings, taught in parables and gathered followers. After his death, his followers believed he rose from the dead, and his birth is celebrated annually on December 25 as a holiday known as Christmas, his crucifixion is honored on Good Friday, and his resurrection is celebrated on Easter. The widely used calendar era AD, from the Latin anno Domini, most Christians believe Jesus enables humans to be reconciled to God. The Nicene Creed asserts that Jesus will judge the living and the dead either before or after their bodily resurrection, the great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three persons of a Divine Trinity. A minority of Christian denominations reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, in Islam, Jesus is considered one of Gods important prophets and the Messiah. Muslims believe Jesus was a bringer of scripture and was born of a virgin but was not the Son of God, the Quran states that Jesus himself never claimed divinity. To most Muslims, Jesus was not crucified but was raised into Heaven by God. Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill Messianic prophecies, a typical Jew in Jesus time had only one name, sometimes supplemented with the fathers name or the individuals hometown. Thus, in the New Testament, Jesus is commonly referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus neighbors in Nazareth refer to him as the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, the carpenters son, or Josephs son. In John, the disciple Philip refers to him as Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth, the name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iesus, a transliteration of the Greek Ἰησοῦς. The Greek form is a rendering of the Hebrew ישוע, a variant of the earlier name יהושע, the name Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. The 1st century works of historian Flavius Josephus, who wrote in Koine Greek, the etymology of Jesus name in the context of the New Testament is generally given as Yahweh is salvation. Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as Jesus Christ, the word Christ is derived from the Greek Χριστός, which is a translation of the Hebrew משיח, meaning the anointed and usually transliterated into English as Messiah. Christians designate Jesus as Christ because they believe he is the Messiah, whose arrival is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, in postbiblical usage, Christ became viewed as a name—one part of Jesus Christ—but originally it was a title. The term Christian has been in use since the 1st century, the four canonical gospels are the only substantial sources for the life and message of Jesus. Acts of the Apostles refers to the ministry of Jesus
Jesus Christ
–
(
stained glass at
St John's Ashfield in
Sydney, Australia)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
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A 3rd-century Greek
papyrus of the
Gospel of Luke
Jesus Christ
–
Adoration of the Shepherds by
Gerard van Honthorst, 1622.
27.
Ilopango (volcano)
–
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills a scenic 8 by 11 km volcanic caldera in central El Salvador, on the borders of the San Salvador, La Paz, and Cuscatlán departments. The caldera, which contains the second largest lake in the country and is immediately east of the capital city, any surplus drains via the Jiboa River to the Pacific Ocean. The lake is known for being a source for the extreme weather events of 535–536. The military airbase, Ilopango International Airport, has annual airshows where international pilots from all over the fly over San Salvador City. Four major dacitic - rhyolitic eruptions occurred during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, producing pyroclastic flows, the caldera collapsed most recently sometime between 410 and 535 AD, which produced widespread pyroclastic flows and devastated Mayan cities. The eruption produced about 25 km3 of tephra, thus rating a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index, the ash-cloud fallout blanketed an area of at least 10,000 square kilometres waist-deep in pumice and ash, which would have stopped all agricultural endeavor in the area for decades. There is an opinion that this caused the extreme weather events of 535–536 in Europe. Later eruptions formed several lava domes within the lake and near its shore, the only historical eruption, which occurred from December 31,1879, up to March 26,1880, produced a lava dome and had a VEI of 3. The lava dome reached the surface of the lake, forming the islets known as Islas Quemadas, list of volcanoes in El Salvador Global Volcanism Program, Ilopango Lake Ilopango at NASA Earth Observatory website
Ilopango (volcano)
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Lake Ilopango seen from the east, San Salvador city and San Salvador Volcano can be seen just behind the lake looming in the haze
Ilopango (volcano)
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Lake Ilopango, seen in the evening from
Cojutepeque. The lights of Ilopango and San Salvador can be seen in the distance.
Ilopango (volcano)
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Lake Ilopango.
Ilopango (volcano)
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Lake Ilopango, as seen from the
Panamerican Highway
28.
Volcano
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A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. Earths volcanoes occur because its crust is broken into 17 major, therefore, on Earth, volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging. This type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of plate hypothesis volcanism, Volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. These so-called hotspots, for example Hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the boundary,3,000 km deep in the Earth. Volcanoes are usually not created where two plates slide past one another. Erupting volcanoes can pose hazards, not only in the immediate vicinity of the eruption. Historically, so-called volcanic winters have caused catastrophic famines, the word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy whose name in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology, sometimes spelled vulcanology, at the mid-oceanic ridges, two tectonic plates diverge from one another as new oceanic crust is formed by the cooling and solidifying of hot molten rock. Most divergent plate boundaries are at the bottom of the oceans, therefore, most volcanic activity is submarine, black smokers are evidence of this kind of volcanic activity. Where the mid-oceanic ridge is above sea-level, volcanic islands are formed, for example, subduction zones are places where two plates, usually an oceanic plate and a continental plate, collide. In this case, the plate subducts, or submerges under the continental plate forming a deep ocean trench just offshore. In a process called flux melting, water released from the subducting plate lowers the temperature of the overlying mantle wedge. This magma tends to be very viscous due to its high content, so it often does not reach the surface. When it does reach the surface, a volcano is formed, typical examples of this kind of volcano are Mount Etna and the volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Because tectonic plates move across them, each volcano becomes dormant and is eventually re-formed as the plate advances over the postulated plume and this theory is currently under criticism, however. The most common perception of a volcano is of a mountain, spewing lava and poisonous gases from a crater at its summit, however. The features of volcanoes are more complicated and their structure. Some volcanoes have rugged peaks formed by lava domes rather than a summit crater while others have features such as massive plateaus
Volcano
–
Cleveland Volcano in the
Aleutian Islands of
Alaska photographed from the
International Space Station, May 2006
Volcano
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Ash plumes reached a height of 19 kilometres (12 mi) during the climactic
explosive eruption at
Mount Pinatubo, Philippines in 1991.
Volcano
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A 2007 eruptive column at
Mount Etna producing volcanic ash, pumice and lava bombs
Volcano
–
Ubinas Volcano
29.
History of Central America
–
The history of Central America is the study of the region known as Central America. In the Pre-Columbian era, the areas of the relaxing Central America were inhabited by the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Most notable among these were the Mayans, who had built numerous cities throughout the region, and the Aztecs, Central America is composed of seven independent nations, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. After the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, most of the inhabitants of Central America shared a similar history, when Spain failed to regain control over British Honduras, the British continued to inhabit the country, and eventually colonized it. When Guatemala gained its independence, they assumed inheritance of British Honduras from Spain, British Honduras had been a British settlement, not a Colony for several years. After many years of controversy, a treaty was signed between Guatemala and the United Kingdom in which the Guatemalan President of the time recognized the territory of Belize. Within this treaty, was also an agreement that a road be built from Guatemala City through British Honduras to the Caribbean Sea. Since the cart road was never built, Guatemala declared the treaty null, British Honduras for the British and Belice for the Spaniards and Guatemalans gained its independence from Great Britain in 1981 and adopted the name Belize. Guatemala still disputes the Belizean Territory, officially, the Captaincy was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and therefore under the supervision of the Spanish viceroy in Mexico City. It was, however, administered not by the viceroy or his deputies, in 1811, independence movements broke out in El Salvador in reaction to events in the Peninsular War, and again in 1814 after the restoration of Ferdinand VII. Both revolts were suppressed and the political unrest was subsumed into the general political process in the Spanish world that led to the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Between 1810 and 1814, the Captaincy General elected seven representatives to the Cádiz Cortes and that date is still marked as independence day by most Central American nations. The Spanish Captain General, Gabino Gaínza, sympathized with the rebels, independence was short-lived, for the conservative leaders in Guatemala welcomed annexation by the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide on 5 January 1822. Central American liberals objected to this, but an army from Mexico under General Vicente Filisola occupied Guatemala City, when Mexico became a republic the following year, it acknowledged Central Americas right to determine its own destiny. In 1823, the nation of Central America was formed and it was intended to be a federal republic modeled after the United States of America. It was provisionally known as The United Provinces of Central America and it is sometimes incorrectly referred in English as The United States of Central America. The Central American nation consisted of the states of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and these aspirations are reflected in the emblems of the federal republic, The flag shows a white band between two blue stripes, representing the land between two oceans. The coat of arms shows five mountains between two oceans, surmounted by a Phrygian cap, the emblem of the French Revolution, the Union dissolved in civil war between 1838 and 1840
History of Central America
–
Central America, 1892
History of Central America
–
Political Evolution of Central America and the Caribbean from 1700 to present
30.
Captaincy General of Guatemala
–
The governor-captain general was also president of the Royal Audiencia of Guatemala. The colonization of the area became the future Captaincy General began in 1524. In the north, the brothers Gonzalo and Pedro de Alvarado, Hernán Cortés and others headed various expeditions into Guatemala, in the south Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, acting under the auspices of Pedrarias Dávila in Panama, moved into what is today Nicaragua. The capital of Guatemala has moved many times over the centuries, on 27 July 1524, Pedro de Alvarado declared the Kaqchikel city, Iximche, as the first regional capital, styled Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala. However, hostilities between the Spaniards and the Kaqchikel soon made the city uninhabitable, in 1526, the Spanish founded a new capital settlement at Tecpán Guatemala, Tecpán being the Nahuatl word for palace. Tecpán is sometimes called the first capital because of its status as the first permanent Spanish military center, the Spaniards soon abandoned Tecpán due to continuous Kaqchikel attacks that made defense of the city untenable. In 1527, the capital was moved yet again to the Almolonga Valley to the east, being refounded on the site of todays San Miguel Escobar district of Ciudad Vieja, near Antigua Guatemala. This settlement was destroyed by a lahar from Volcan de Agua in 1541. In 1543, the capital was again refounded several miles away at Antigua Guatemala, over the next two centuries, this city would become one of the richest of the New World capitals. However, it too was destroyed, this time by a series of earthquakes. The final and current capital is the modern-day Guatemala City, the Church played an important role in the administration of the overseas possessions of the Spanish crown. The first dioceses were established in León, Nicaragua and Guatemala in 1534, another diocese was created in Chiapas in 1539. The dioceses of Guatemala and Chiapas were suffragan to the Archdiocese of Seville, the Diocese of León was made suffragan to Archdiocese of Lima in 1546. Another short-lived diocese was set up in Verapaz, Guatemala in 1559, in 1543 the territory of the kingdom was defined with the establishment of the Audiencia of Guatemala, which took most of Central America as its jurisdiction. This audiencia, along with the one in Lima, took over the territory of the first Audiencia of Panama and it was the first institution to define Central America as a region within the Spanish Empire. Around the same time Habsburg Spain created other captaincies general in Puerto Rico, Cuba, in the 17th century a process of uniting the church hierarchy of Central America also began. The dioceses of Comayagua and León were made suffragan to the Archdiocese of Mexico in 1620 and 1647, as part of the Bourbon Reforms in 1786 the crown established a series of intendancies in the area, which replaced most of the older corregimientos. The intendants were granted broad powers and were charged with promoting the local economy
Captaincy General of Guatemala
–
The Fort of San Fernando
Omoa. Built by the Spaniards to defend against pirates.
Captaincy General of Guatemala
–
The Kingdom of Guatemala within the wider Spanish Americas, c.1600.
31.
La Paz Department (El Salvador)
–
La Paz is a department of El Salvador in the south central area of the country. La Paz has an area of 1,228 km² and a population of more than 328,000, the department was created in 1852. There are various caves containing rock writing, the department has a church in Zacatecoluca where the Independence Hero Dr Jose Simeon Cañas y Villacorta was born. He was known as The Liberator of the Slaves in Central America, in 1833, Anastasio Aquino, an indigenous person, proclaimed himself as The Emperor of the Nonualcos. His parents were Don Pablo Cañas and Dona Ana Lucia Villacorta de Cañas and he studied in the school San Francisco de Borja and later on in San Carlos University, in Guatemala, where he was a rector, philosopher, theologist and humanist. On December 31,1823, he became the first advocate for the first abolition of slavery in the Americas and he was born in the town of Santiago Nonualco on April 15,1792. His parents were Tomás Aquino and María de San Carlos, natives and it was Santiago de Nonaluco that a rebellion began under the leadership of Aquino. Minero was born in Zacatecoluca on May 11,1917 and he began painting at a young age. He showed his works in Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, United States and he was professor of the School of plastic arts of the University of El Salvador. From 1964 up to 1972, he was the Dean of the Department of Journalism at UES and he was born in Zacatecoluca on August 16,1889 and died in San Salvador in 1980. Some of his works are the “National Readings of El Salvador”, “This is my earth”, “Schools and teachers from El Salvador”, “Mother earth”, and “Seed”. The dance of The Tiger and the Deer goes back to 1868, however, there was a tiger that devoured the animals. The dance is carried out in the party of May 2 and it consists of four characters, “the old ones” that represent the couple that go with the shotgun and the bow, the tiger and the Lord of the drum that mark the steps of the dance. The spectators watch when the attacks the old ones. The most amusing part is the “repartition” of the portions of the animal, the Ascension Bulls tradition belongs to San Juan Nonualco. It speaks of a character called Isidro Labrador and he fell on his knees, begging forgiveness to God for not having remembered the date. Based on this event, the celebration is kept on Thursday of Ascension like the day dedicated to the bulls, in the six neighborhoods of San Juan Nonualco, the inhabitants manufacture a bull that they walk through the streets. The hermitages are adorned with altars and the Rosario is prayed, when concluding the prayer, the competition or fights of the bulls begin
La Paz Department (El Salvador)
–
La Paz
La Paz Department (El Salvador)
–
Flag
32.
Indigo dye
–
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Historically, indigo was a dye extracted from the leaves of certain plants. A large percentage of indigo dye produced today – several thousand each year – is synthetic. It is the blue often associated with blue jeans, the primary use for indigo is as a dye for cotton yarn, which is mainly for the production of denim cloth for blue jeans. On average, a pair of blue jean trousers requires 3–12 g of indigo, small amounts are used for dyeing wool and silk. Indigo carmine, or indigo, is a derivative which is also used as a colorant. About 20 thousand tons are produced annually, again mainly for blue jeans and it is also used as a food colorant, and is listed in the United States as FD&C Blue No.2. A variety of plants have provided indigo throughout history, but most natural indigo was obtained from those in the genus Indigofera, the primary commercial indigo species in Asia was true indigo. A common alternative used in the relatively colder subtropical locations such as Japans Ryukyu Islands, dyers knotweed was the most important blue dye in East Asia until the arrival of the Indigofera species from the south, which yield more dye. In Central and South America, the species grown is I. suffruticosa, in Europe woad containing the same dye was used for blue-dying. Several plants contain indigo, but low concentrations make them difficult to work with, natural sources also include mollusks, the Murex sea snails produce a mixture of indigo and dibromoindigo which together produce a range of purple hues known as Tyrian purple. Light exposure during part of the process can convert the dibromoindigo into indigo resulting in blue hues known as royal blue or hyacinth purple. The precursor to indigo is indican, a colorless, water-soluble derivative of the amino acid tryptophan, indican readily hydrolyzes to release β-D-glucose and indoxyl. Oxidation by exposure to air converts indoxyl to indigo, indican was obtained from the processing of the plants leaves, which contain as much as 0. 2–0. 8% of this compound. The leaves were soaked in water and fermented to convert the glycoside indican present in the plant to the blue dye indigotin, the precipitate from the fermented leaf solution was mixed with a strong base such as lye, pressed into cakes, dried, and powdered. The powder was mixed with various other substances to produce different shades of blue. Indigo was used in India, which was also the earliest major center for its production, the I. tinctoria species was domesticated in India. Indigo, used as a dye, made its way to the Greeks and the Romans, Indigo is among the oldest dyes to be used for textile dyeing and printing
Indigo dye
–
Indigo
Indigo dye
–
Indigo dye
Indigo dye
–
Indigo, historical dye collection of the
Technical University of Dresden, Germany
Indigo dye
–
Cake of indigo, about 2 cm
33.
Subsistence farming
–
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families. The output is mostly for local requirements with little or no surplus trade, the typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to feed and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made principally with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, tony Waters writes, Subsistence peasants are people who grow what they eat, build their own houses, and live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace. Subsistence agriculture also emerged independently in Mexico where it was based on cultivation. Subsistence agriculture was the dominant mode of production in the world until recently, Subsistence horticulture may have developed independently in South East Asia and Papua New Guinea. Subsistence farming continues today in parts of rural Africa, and parts of Asia. Many of the items, as well as occasional services from physicians, veterinarians, blacksmiths. In Central and Eastern Europe subsistence and semi-subsistence agriculture reappeared within the economy since about 1990. In this type of agriculture, a patch of forest land is cleared by a combination of felling and burning, and crops are grown. After 2-3 years the fertility of the soil begins to decline, the land is abandoned, while the land is left fallow the forest regrows in the cleared area and soil fertility and biomass is restored. After a decade or more, the farmer may return to the first piece of land, shifting cultivation is called Dredd in India, Ladang in Indonesia and Milpa in Central America and Mexico. However, such farmers often recognize the value of such compost and they also may irrigate part of such fields if they are near a source of water. In some areas of tropical Africa, at least, such smaller fields may be ones in which crops are grown on raised beds, thus farmers practicing slash and burn agriculture are often much more sophisticated agriculturalists than the term slash and burn subsistence farmers suggest. In this type of farming people migrate along with their animals from one place to another in search of fodder for their animals, generally they rear cattle, sheep, goats, camels and/or yaks for milk, skin, meat and wool. This way of life is common in parts of central and western Asia, India, east and south-west Africa, examples are the nomadic Bhotiyas and Gujjars of the Himalayas. In Intensive subsistence agriculture, the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools, climate, with large number of days with sunshine and fertile soils permits growing of more than one crop annually on the same plot. Farmers use their land holdings to produce enough, for their local consumption. It results in more food being produced per acre compared to other subsistence patterns
Subsistence farming
–
Like most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this Cameroonian man cultivates at the subsistence level.
34.
Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
–
The Legislative Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of El Salvador. The Salvadoran legislature is a unicameral body and it is made up of 84 deputies, all of who are elected by direct popular vote according to open-list proportional representation to serve three-year terms and are eligible for immediate re-election. Of these,64 are elected in 14 multi-seat constituencies, corresponding to the countrys 14 departments, the remaining 20 deputies are selected on the basis of a single national constituency. To be eligible for election to the Assembly, candidates must be, Salvadoran citizens by birth, born of either a Salvadoran father or a Salvadoran mother. Not have had the enjoyment of their rights as citizens cancelled in the five years. El Salvador also returns 20 deputies to the supranational Central American Parliament, politics of El Salvador List of legislatures by country Official website
Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
35.
History of El Salvador
–
The history of El Salvador has been a struggle against many conquistadors, empires, dictatorships and world powers. After gaining independence, several Spanish Creoles took control of the government, anastacio Aquino, king of the Nonoualquenos, led a rebellion against what was referred to as an abuse of power and corruption, but it was repressed by the government. This repression would have repercussions for the future of El Salvador, La matanza, and all the liberation movements from the 1930s to 1980s, would emerge from the injustices committed by Spanish rule, Creoles, and other foreign power interventions. Before the Spanish conquest, the area that is known as El Salvador was composed of three states and several principalities. In central El Salvador were the inhabitants, the Pipils, or the Pipiles. The Pipil were a people who stoutly resisted Spanish efforts to extend their dominion southward. The region of the east was populated and then governed by the Lencas, the North zone of the Lempa High River was populated and governed by the Chortis, a Mayan people. Their culture was similar to that of their Aztec and Maya neighbors, several notable archaeological sites contain dwellings and other evidence of daily life 1400 years ago, these were found preserved beneath 6 m of volcanic ash. In 1525, he returned and succeeded in bringing the district under control of the Audiencia of Mexico, pedro de Alvarado named the area for Jesus Christ - El Salvador. He was appointed its first governor, a position he held until his death in 1541, the area was under the authority of a short-lived Audiencia of Panama from 1538 to 1543, when most of Central America was placed under a new Audiencia of Guatemala. In the early 19th century, Napoleons occupation of Spain led to the outbreak of revolts all across Spanish America, in New Spain, all of the fighting by those seeking independence was done in the center of that area from 1810 to 1821, what today is central Mexico. Accepting this as a fact, El Salvador joined the other Central American Intendencies in a joint declaration of independence from Spain, the public proclamation was done through the Act of Independence in 1821. Should the king refuse the position, the law provided for a member of the House of Bourbon to accede to the New Spain throne. Ferdinand VII, however, did not recognize the independence and said that Spain would not allow any other European prince to take the throne of New Spain. By request of Parliament, the president of the regency Agustín de Iturbide was proclaimed emperor of New Spain, the Mexican Empire was the official name given to this monarchical regime from 1821 to 1823. The territory of the Mexican Empire included the continental intendencies and provinces of New Spain proper, El Salvador, fearing incorporation into Mexico, petitioned the United States government for statehood. But in 1823, a revolution in Mexico ousted Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, and that year, the United Provinces of Central America was formed of the five Central American Intendencies under General Manuel José Arce. The Intendencies took the new name of States, in 1832, Anastasio Aquino led an indigenous revolt against Criollos and Mestizos in Santiago Nonualco, a small town in the province of La Paz
History of El Salvador
–
The eruption of the
Ilopango volcano, 1891.
36.
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
–
The Salvadoran army, being vastly superior in terms of weapons and soldiers, executed those who stood against it. The rebellion was a mixture of protest and insurrection and ended in ethnocide, social unrest in El Salvador had begun to grow in the 1920s, primarily because of the perceived abuses of the political class, and the broad social inequality between the landowners and the peasants. The policies of the latifundia had left 90 percent of the land in the hands of 14 families, los catorce. The unrest was only strengthened by the drop in the price of the coffee bean during the Great Depression accompanied by growing unemployment rates. By World War I, the presidency rotated effectively between the Meléndez and Quiñónez families in quasi-dynastic succession, however, this period of pluralist democracy was not to last. In December 1931, with the collapse of prices, the militarys dissatisfaction peaked. A group of officers, led by vice president Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, staged a coup. Araujo fled the country and Martínez assumed power, though Martínezs rule may have satisfied the military, popular discontent continued to build and the governments opponents continued to agitate. Within weeks, communists, believing the country was ready for a peasant rebellion, were plotting an insurrection against Martínez, however, the government learned of the plot and arrested most of the ringleaders. Nonetheless, actual fighting broke out on January 22,1932, within three days, they had succeeded in taking control of several towns, disrupting supply lines to many of the country’s towns and villages, and attacking a military garrison. With their superior training and technology, the government troops needed only a few days to defeat the rebels, while the rebels killed fewer than 100 people, the military retaliated with great force. The government responded to the uprising with great brutality with between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants, including Martí dying in the uprising, the towns of Nahuizalco, Juayua, Apaneca and Izalco were assaulted by the army. Feliciano Ama, an Indian leader, was hanged and this event was shown on postage stamps of the time, following the Matanza, from 1932 to 1979, military officers held the presidency, with some presidents using more repression than others. To Rise in Darkness, Revolution, Repression, and Memory in El Salvador, 1920–1932, Duke University Press, ISBN 978-0-8223-4228-1 Alegría, willimantic, CT, New York, NY, Curbstone Press, Distributed to the trade by the Talman Co. Ministerio de Educación de la República de El Salvador, historia de El Salvador, tomo II. San Salvador, MINED. de Bry, John, review of 1932 – Scars of Memory, A film by Jeffrey Gould and Carlos Henriquez Consalvi. Archived from the original on July 21,2006
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
–
Coffee beans were the main produce of El Salvador
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
–
Map of the Salvadoran districts affected by the uprising.
37.
Juayua
–
Juayúa is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. Juayua is a quaint little town up in the mountains, founded in 1577, the towns central plaza faces an old white cathedral that features a black Christ statue. This statue is a statue to that of the revered Basilica of Esquipulas in Guatemala and was carved by Quirio Cantano in the late 16th Century. It is also gets really crowded with tourists on the weekends, another one of Juayúa’s charms is the artist culture that the city boasts. The walls of the city’s café’s, restaurants and shops are covered with murals painted by local artist, the murals range from surrealist works to realistic portraits. One of the city’s most talented and prominent artist is Leonardo Yong, Juayúa’s most spectacular work is “La Ruta de Flores, ” which translated means “the route of flowers”. “La Ruta de Flores” is a route, wherein all the walls, posts, Juayúa has a perfectly preserved colonial architecture, art displays notable in their streets and, above all, his most famous food festival every weekend. In this event, which hundreds of national and international tourists, is held outdoors in the central square of Juayúa. And local restaurants offer delicious traditional dishes guests, among whom are Indian chicken soup, pupusas, yuca with pork, tamales and seafood, the surrounding area of Juayua contains numerous coffee farms, including the famous Larin finca. Visit Juayua because it is a growing, thriving village, francisco Chico Sanchez Feliciano Ama 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre More info, juayua. com
Juayua
–
Municipalities
38.
National Conciliation Party
–
The National Coalition Party is a conservative political party in El Salvador. Until 2011 it was known as the National Conciliation Party and it was the most powerful political party in the country during the 1960s and 1970s, and was closely associated with the Salvadoran military. Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo, a candidate of the National Conciliation Party, was elected president in 1962, after the 1979 revolution the party declined in influence but continued to exist. Today, it is considered relatively minor as compared with the two organizations, ARENA and the FMLN. At the legislative elections, held on 16 March 2003, the party won 13. 0% of the vote and 16 out of 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Its candidate in the election of 21 March 2004, José Rafael Machuca Zelaya. At the January 18,2009 legislative elections the party won 11 seats, with no party holding a majority, it can be seen as holding the balance of power. However, it usually sides with the conservative ARENA party, the party was de facto re-established, registering with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal as the National Coalition in September 2011. After one year, it added the word Partido to its full name, since 2015, the party has 6 out of 84 congressmen and 20 out of 262 mayorship offices. Julio Adalberto Rivera Fidel Sanchez Hernandez Arturo Armando Molina Carlos Humberto Romero Website of the party
National Conciliation Party
–
website www.partidoconcertacionnacional.org.sv
39.
Salvadoran Armed Forces
–
The Armed Forces of El Salvador, in Spanish Fuerza Armada de El Salvador is the official name of the combined armed forces of El Salvador. It consists of three branches, The Salvadoran Army, the Air Force of El Salvador. The Armed Forces of El Salvador have been in existence since the dissolution of the United Provinces of Central America in 1840, in July 14,1969, the El Salvador Air Force attacked multiple airbases in Honduras. Because Honduras was caught by surprise, none of the Armed forces responded immediately, El Salvador had already sent ground forces to the border, and these forces invaded Honduras. The Honduran Army was pushed as much as 8 kilometers back into the due to an intense artillery fire. Ocotepeque fell and the Salvadoran flag was raised in the city and this was the first time El Salvador had done this. By July 16, Honduran air fighters intercepted Salvadoran air fighters, even thought Honduras bullied the Salvadoran Air Force, Honduras had to ask for a cease of fire because the Salvadoran ground forces were preparing to siege Tegucigalpa, the countrys capital city. The war was over after 4 days of intense fighting. El Salvador declared itself winner after having penetrated into Honduras and successfully reaching Tegucigalpa, the success of El Salvador was hidden under weeks of training and organizing forces. There were 4 ground theaters, air theater and a navy unit in the Gulf of Fonseca. The North Theater was composed of forces, especially man-made forces with artillery. The Chalatenango Theater was only in case of a possible Honduran penetration into the country, the East Theater was made to penetrate Honduras with armored and artillery force. This unit saw much of the leading to Tegucigalpa and used the highest amount of heavy ammunition, meaning tank, rocket. The air theater was promising at the beginning for El Salvador, El Salvador Navy was on position only to support troops in the coast and to attack any passing-by airplane, it did not see much fighting. During the Salvadoran Civil War the Armed Forces of El Salvador waged war against counter-insurgents organized under the FMLN, following the end of the war, AFES personnel were implicated in many human rights abuses, including the November 1989 murder of Jesuit priests and others. In accordance with the agreements, the constitution was amended to prohibit the military from playing an internal security role except under extraordinary circumstances. The Treasury Police and National Guard were abolished, and military functions were transferred to civilian control. In 1993 the military had cut personnel from a high of 63,000 to the level of 32,000 required by the peace accords
Salvadoran Armed Forces
–
Armed Forces of
El Salvador Fuerza Armada de El Salvador
40.
El Mozote massacre
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In December 2011, the El Salvador government apologized for the massacre. In 1981, various left-wing guerrilla groups coalesced into the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front to battle El Salvadors right-wing government, prior to the massacre, unlike many villages in the area, El Mozote had a reputation for neutrality. While many of its neighbors were largely Roman Catholic, and therefore influenced by liberation theology and sympathetic to the guerrillas. The village had sold guerrillas some supplies but was also a place where the guerrillas had learned not to look for recruits, the Atlacatl was a Rapid Deployment Infantry Battalion specially trained for counter-insurgency warfare. It was the first unit of its kind in the Salvadoran armed forces and was trained by United States military advisors and its mission, Operación Rescate, was to eliminate the rebel presence in a small region of northern Morazán where the FMLN had two camps and a training center. El Mozote consisted of about 20 houses on open ground around a square. Facing onto the square was a church and, behind it, near the village was a small schoolhouse. Upon arrival, the soldiers not only the residents of the village. The soldiers ordered everyone out of their houses and into the square and they made people lie face down and searched them and questioned them about the guerrillas. They then ordered the villagers to lock themselves in their houses until the next day, the soldiers remained in the village during the night. Early the next morning, the soldiers reassembled the entire village in the square and they separated the men from the women and children and locked them in separate groups in the church, the convent, and various houses. During the morning, they proceeded to interrogate, torture, around noon, they began taking the women and older girls in groups, separating them from their children and machinegunning them after raping them. Girls as young as 10 were raped, with soldiers reportedly heard bragging how they liked the 12-year-old girls. Finally, they killed the children at first by slitting their throats, then by hanging them from trees, after killing the entire population, the soldiers set fire to the buildings. The soldiers remained in El Mozote that night but, the day, went to the village of Los Toriles. Men, women, and children were taken from their homes, lined up, robbed, and shot, news of the massacre first appeared in the world media on January 27,1982, in reports published by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Raymond Bonner wrote in the Times of seeing the charred skulls and bones of dozens of bodies buried under burned-out roofs, beams, and shattered tiles. The villagers gave Bonner a list of 733 names, mostly children, women, countless bits of bones—skulls, rib cages, femurs, a spinal column—poked out of the rubble
El Mozote massacre
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The memorial at El Mozote
El Mozote massacre
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Victims Of The Mozote Massacre, Morazán, El Salvador, January 1982
El Mozote massacre
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The site of the old church.
El Mozote massacre
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Ruins of a burned building.
41.
Constitution of El Salvador
–
The current constitution of El Salvador was enacted in 1983 and amended in 2003. The 1983 constitution is similar to that of 1962, often incorporating verbatim passages from the earlier document, the constitution consists of 11 titles, subdivided into 274 articles. Title One also specifies the conditions under which constitutional guarantees may be suspended, grounds for such action include war, invasion, rebellion, sedition, catastrophe, epidemic or grave disturbances of the public order. The declaration of the circumstances may be issued by either the legislative or the executive branch of government. The suspension of constitutional guarantees lasts for a maximum of 30 days, the declaration of suspension of guarantees grants jurisdiction over cases involving crimes against the existence and organization of the state to special military courts. The military courts which functioned from February 1984 until early 1987 under a suspension of guarantees were commonly known as Decree 50 courts, according to the constitution, all Salvadorans over 18 years of age are considered citizens. As such, they have rights and political obligations. Rights of the include the exercise of suffrage and the formation of political parties in accordance with the law. The exercise of suffrage is listed as an obligation as well as a right, failure to vote has technically been subject to a small fine. Voters are required to have their names entered in the electoral register, political campaigns are limited to four months preceding presidential balloting, two months before balloting for legislative representatives, and one month before municipal elections. Title Five defines the outlines of the economic order. As noted, private enterprise and private property are guaranteed, the latter is recognized as a social function, a phrase which may function as a loophole for the potential expropriation of unproductive land or other holdings. Individual landowners are limited to holdings of no more than 245 hectares, the expropriation of land may be undertaken for the public benefit in the social interest, through legal channels and with fair compensation. Amending the constitution is a complex process, initial approval of an amendment requires only a majority vote in the Legislative Assembly. Before the amendment can be incorporated, however, it must be ratified by a vote in the next elected assembly. Since legislative deputies serve three-year terms, an amendment could take long to win passage into law. The 60-member Constituent Assembly elected in March 1982 was charged with producing a new constitution, in addition to crafting the structure of that government, the Constituent Assembly was responsible for issuing a schedule for presidential elections. A majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly represented conservative political parties, conservative parties had drawn approximately 52 percent of the total popular vote
Constitution of El Salvador
–
El Salvador
42.
National Guard (El Salvador)
–
The Guardia Nacional of El Salvador was the Salvadoran gendarmerie. It was founded in 1912 by President Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo, as agreed in the Chapultepec Peace Accords, it was disbanded on 16 January 1992. Its motto was El honor es nuestra divisa, previous law enforcement and task force efforts failed to yield satisfactory results. The task forces were patrolling soldiers, commanded by an army officer and they were unprepared in the fight against crime in its various guises, and were thus incapable of stopping thefts, killings, rapes and so on. Criminals of that era were using topographical features to hide from the authorities and this was the primary reason that prompted the President of the Republic Dr. Manuel Enrique Araujo, to create the National Guard. A corps made up of trained men with modern equipment. Furthermore, it was constituted to support its actions and proceedings against the offenders to extend the scope of justice to the most remote areas. Dr. Araujo gave the Engineer and General José María Peralta Lagos, Minister of War and Navy, to study the organization, earlier this year the Government engaged the services of Spanish Captain Alfonso Martin Garrido, to organize the National Guard. Captain Garrido previously had served as Inspector General of the National Police and this Spaniard, with vast experience in the Spanish military, was the first director general of the National Guard. The first standard uniforms used by the National Guard was khaki colored, worn long pants, with metal buttons running down the front. The shoes, leggings and equipment belts were all brown, a felt hat was worn until 1918, when it was changed to straw, which was worn until 1924. These hats were worn with the left wing brim bent upward which carryed a fabric Cockade in the colors of the Flag of El Salvador, the issued weapon was the 7mm Spanish Mauser rifle which was used until 1924. This dress was an idea of Colonel Garrido. The first regulation of the National Guard were issued on Sept.25,1912, the National Guard in the early depended on the Secretaría de Gobernación, but it was the Secretary of War which will provide all resources necessary for its functions and organization. Over the years, the National Guard, was more and more involved with the life of the nation when on Aug.20,1914, one of his functions as Special Corps under Art. 1 of its Organic Law, was to deliver its services with one faction in properly selected Presidential House, in mid-1914, the President of the Republic, Dr. Alfonso Quiñónez Molina, brought from Spain a second mission of the Spanish Civil Guard to reorganize the National Guard. Under the reorganization, uniforms and equipment were also changed, the Spanish Mauser rifle was replaced by the 7. 92×57mm Czech Mauser rifle, which remained in use until 1961. The Corps carried the carterón in the field where they took the documents and records relating to the capture of criminals, investigation of reports and information of all kinds
National Guard (El Salvador)
–
Arm Patch of the Guardia Nacional
43.
Politics of El Salvador
–
Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, El Salvador has a multi-party system. Two political parties, the Nationalist Republican Alliance and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front have tended to dominate elections, ARENA candidates won four consecutive presidential elections until the election of Mauricio Funes of the FMLN in March 2009. Geographically, the departments of the Central region, especially the capital, the departamentos azules, or blue departments in the east, western and highland regions are relatively conservative. El Salvador elects its head of state – the President of El Salvador – directly through a general election whose winner is decided by absolute majority. The presidential period is five years, consecutive re-election is not permitted, though previously elected presidents may run for a second, non-consecutive term. Twenty of the 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly are elected on the basis of a national constituency. The remaining 64 are elected in 14 multi-member constituencies and they range from 3-16 seats each according to department population size. It actively participates in the Central American Security Commission, which seeks to promote regional arms control, El Salvador also is a member of the World Trade Organization and is pursuing regional free trade agreements. An active participant in the Summit of the Americas process, El Salvador chairs a working group on market access under the Free Trade Area of the Americas initiative. Legislative Assembly of El Salvador Presidency of El Salvador Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador Changing Colors in El Salvador by Emma Vawter, The Yale Globalist, May 11,2009
Politics of El Salvador
–
El Salvador
44.
History of the Americas
–
The prehistory of the Americas begins with people migrating to these areas from Asia during the height of an Ice Age. The ancestors of todays American Indigenous peoples were the Paleo-Indians, they were hunter-gatherers who migrated into North America, the most popular theory asserts that migrants came to the Americas via Beringia, the land mass now covered by the cold ocean waters in the Bering Strait. Small lithic stage peoples followed megafauna like bison, mammoth, and caribou, groups of people may also have traveled into North America on shelf or sheet ice along the northern Pacific coast. Cultural traits brought by the first immigrants later evolved and spawned such cultures as Iroquois on North America and these cultures later developed into civilizations. In many cases, these cultures expanded at a date than their Old World counterparts. Spain colonized most of the American continent from present-day Southwestern United States, Florida, Portugal settled in what is mostly present-day Brazil while England established colonies in the Eastern coast of the United States, as well as the North Pacific coast and most of Canada. France settled in Quebec and other parts of Eastern Canada and claimed an area in what is today the central United States, the Netherlands settled New Netherlands, some Caribbean islands and parts of Northern South America. The colonial period lasted three centuries, from the early 16th to the early 19th centuries, when Brazil and the larger Hispanic American nations declared independence. The United States obtained independence from England much earlier, in 1776, others remained attached to their European parent state until the end of the 19th century, such as Cuba and Puerto Rico which were linked to Spain until 1898. Smaller territories such as Guyana obtained independence in the mid-20th century, the specifics of Paleo-Indian migration to and throughout the Americas, including the exact dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research and discussion. These people are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets, another route proposed is that, either on foot or using primitive boats, they migrated down the Pacific Northwest coast to South America. Evidence of the latter would since have been covered by a sea rise of a hundred meters following the last ice age. Archaeologists contend that the Paleo-Indian migration out of Beringia, ranges from 40,000 to around 16,500 years ago and this time range is a hot source of debate. Amerindian groups in the Bering Strait region exhibit perhaps the strongest DNA or mitochondrial DNA relations to Siberian peoples, the genetic diversity of Amerindian indigenous groups increase with distance from the assumed entry point into the Americas. Certain genetic diversity patterns from West to East suggest, particularly in South America, that migration proceeded first down the west coast, geneticists have variously estimated that peoples of Asia and the Americas were part of the same population from 42,000 to 21,000 years ago. First, it shows that Upper Paleolithic Siberians came from a population of early modern humans that spread out of Africa to Europe and Central. Second, Paleoindian skeletons with phenotypic traits atypical of modern-day Native Americans can be explained as having a historical connection to Upper Paleolithic Siberia. A route through Beringia is seen as more likely than the Solutrean hypothesis, on October 3,2014, the Oregon cave, where the oldest DNA evidence of human habitation in North America was found, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
History of the Americas
–
An Image of the
Americas from a single remote-sensing device-
NASA 's Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. Flying over 700 km above the Earth on board the
Terra satellite
History of the Americas
–
Obsidian projectile point from Puerta Parada,
Guatemala
History of the Americas
–
K'inich Kan B'alam II, the Classic period ruler of
Palenque, as depicted on a
stela.
History of the Americas
–
Inca Quipu.
Larco Museum Collection.
45.
History of Latin America
–
The term Latin America primarily refers to the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in the New World. The region came under control of the crowns of Spain and Portugal, both the Spanish and the Portuguese brought African slaves to their colonies, as laborers, particularly in regions where indigenous populations who could be made to work were absent. In the early nineteenth century all of areas of Spanish America attained independence by armed struggle, with the exceptions of Cuba. Brazil, which had become a separate from Portugal, became a republic in the late nineteenth century. Political independence from European monarchies did not result in the abolition of slavery in the new sovereign nations. Political independence resulted in political and economic instability in Spanish America immediately after independence, concurrently, there has been a move to avoid this oversimplification by talking about Latin America and the Caribbean, as in the United Nations geoscheme. They are introduced in the next section, what is now Latin America has been populated for several millennia, possibly for as long as 30,000 years. There are many models of migration to the New World, precise dating of many of the early civilizations is difficult because there are few text sources. However, highly developed civilizations flourished at various times and places, such as in the Andes, christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492. Subsequently, the sea powers in Europe sent expeditions to the New World to build trade networks and colonies. During the European colonization of the hemisphere, most of the native population died. In what has come to be known as the Columbian exchange, diseases such as smallpox, because the Spanish were now in power, native culture and religion were forbidden. The Spanish even went as far as burning the Maya Codices and these codices contained information about astrology, religion, Gods, and rituals. There are four known to exist today, these are the Dresden Codex, Paris Codex, Madrid Codex. The Spanish Crown regulated immigration to its overseas colonies, with travelers required to register with the House of Trade in Seville, since the crown wished to exclude anyone who was non-Christian passing as Christian, travelers backgrounds were vetted. The ability to regulate the flow of people enabled the Spanish Crown to keep a grip on the purity of its overseas empire. The Spanish Crown was rigorous in their attempt to allow only Christians passage to the New World, specific examples of individuals dealing with the Crown allow for an understanding of how religion affected passage into the New World. Francisca de Figueroa, an African-Iberian woman seeking entrance into the Americas and they are not of Moorish or Jewish caste or of those recently converted to Our Holy Catholic Faith
History of Latin America
–
A 17th-century map of the Americas
History of Latin America
–
Left-leaning leaders of Bolivia, Brazil and Chile at the
Union of South American Nations summit in 2008
46.
History of North America
–
North America encompasses the past developments of people populating the continent of North America. The continent became a human habitat later than continents such as Africa, Asia, and Europe and these migrants settled in many locations on the continent, from the Inuit of the far north to the Mayans and Aztecs of the south. As the Age of Exploration dawned in Europe, Europeans began to arrive in the Americas, North America became a staging ground for ongoing European rivalries. The continent was divided by three prominent European powers, Great Britain, France, and Spain, the influences of colonization by these states on North American cultures are still apparent today. Conflict over resources on North America ensued in various wars between these powers, but, gradually, the new European colonies developed desires for independence, revolutions, such as the American Revolution and Mexican War of Independence, created new, independent states that came to dominate North America. The Canadian Confederation formed in 1867, creating the political landscape of North America. From the 19th to 21st centuries, North American states have developed increasingly deeper connections with each other, although some conflicts have occurred, the continent has for the most part enjoyed peace and general cooperation between its states, as well as open commerce and trade between them. Modern developments include the opening of trade agreements, extensive immigration from Mexico and Latin America. The specifics of Paleo-Indians migration to and throughout the Americas, including the dates and routes traveled, are subject to ongoing research. These people are believed to have followed herds of now-extinct pleistocene megafauna along ice-free corridors that stretched between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets, another route proposed is that, either on foot or using primitive boats, they migrated down the Pacific coast to South America. Evidence of the latter would since have been covered by a sea rise of hundreds of meters following the last ice age. Archaeologists contend that Paleo-Indian migration out of Beringia, ranges from 40,000 to around 16,500 years ago and this time range is a hot source of debate and promises to continue as such for years to come. However, older alternative theories exist, including migration from Europe, stone tools, particularly projectile points and scrapers, are the primary evidence of the earliest human activity in the Americas. Crafted lithic flaked tools are used by archaeologists and anthropologists to classify cultural periods, scientific evidence links indigenous Americans to Asian peoples, specifically eastern Siberian populations. 8,000 BCE –7,000 BCE the climate stabilized, leading to a rise in population and lithic technology advances, resulting in a more sedentary lifestyle. Before contact with Europeans, the peoples of North America were divided into many different polities. They lived in several areas, which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones. Native groups can also be classified by their language family and it is important to note that people with similar languages did not always share the same material culture, nor were they always allies
History of North America
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A composed satellite photograph of
North America in
orthographic projection
History of North America
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The
Mayan ruins of
Palenque, Mexico.
History of North America
–
Map of North America (1621).
