| 1 | [[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/latin_america.png]] |
| 2 | ''Useful Notes on those places that are in the more Latin-influenced parts of the Americas.'' |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Latin America is a name that has gained prominence in the 19th century thanks to the French, who were the first to propose the term. As its name implies, it is the part of the Americas that is mostly influenced by the countries of Latin heritage (UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} and UsefulNotes/{{France}}); however, in culture, only some parts of the Francophone (particularly those in the Caribbean) would be considered Latin, while the others like Canada are more Anglo influenced. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | As a whole, Latin America englobes most of the eponymous continent from Mexico to Argentina, with the exceptions of UsefulNotes/{{Belize}}, UsefulNotes/{{Guyana}} and UsefulNotes/{{Suriname}}, which are primarily Indo-Caribbean in culture. Historically, it was influenced by UsefulNotes/{{C|hristianity}}atholicism, which in many of the countries has been designed the primary religion (but not state-endorsed), although Evangelicalism has recently gained considerable popularity. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | %%Latin America has a reputation for beautiful mountain ranges, vibrant religious cultures and lively beaches but also is infamous for having a very tumultuous development before and during the Cold War. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | %%Most of the nations of the region were born from the Spanish colonial system, which was based on European minority rule over the native and mixed people of the region which heavily centralized power to a few select assigned individuals, because of this, once they declared independence from Spain, they were engulfed in internal conflicts caused either by the former-European minority trying to keep their privileged status and control over the non-European/non-White population or between disagreements between republican liberals who wanted secularism and strong federal laws, and aristocratic conservatives (which included the Church) who wanted to keep the heavily centralized system to protect their own privileged status, influence and wealth. Their northern neighbor -- The United States of America -- feared that due to their weak governments and military, they would be easy prey for the colonial powers of the time such as the British and French Empires (the latter which ended up invading and occupying Mexico once), and decided to exert their political and military power over the region (most notably in Central America) by declaring the ''Monroe'' Doctrine, which declared Latin America as part of the United States' sphere of influence and that any attempt to invade to coerce a Latin American nation by an European powers would be met with military and economic action. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | %%By the early-1900s, most of Latin America was zig-zagging between liberal and reformists governments that would be removed from power by conservative elites with the help of the military, with the United States mostly supporting the conservative elites for free-market reasons such as taking no political action against them for their repressive governments in exchange of low taxation and low wages for commodity resources such as fruits, coffee and sugar (which would lead to the United Fruit Company's exploitation of the region until the 70s). |
| 13 | |
| 14 | %%Following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and the rise of the Soviet Union, the United States knew that it was inevitable that the bad economic and political situation of the region would breed communist/left-wing movements that could take over nations and ally with the soviets, leading to the United States taking the initiative against any Latin American president, politician and activist that espoused economic nationalization, taxation of goods and other "deemed" socialist policies, starting with Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz Guzman, a moderate reformist president that was ousted in 1952 after being accused by the United Fruit Company and conservative elites of being a communist, leading to 40-years of successive right-wing military governments that crushed anybody who didn't comfort to the status quo. This would also lead to the similar Somoza dynasty in UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}}, the Bautista regime in UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}}, the Argentinian military junta, the Pinochet regime in UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}, the Stroessner regime in UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}}, the Brazilian military governments, Operation Condor (a multinational South American operation to kill as many left-wing activists, writers, politicians and exiles as possible) and the Noruega regime in UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} plus other repressive US-allied nations in the region. These in turn would lead to the formation of left-wing guerrilla groups which caused the Cuban Revolution, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Central American crisis consisting of civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, and a counter-revolution in Nicaragua from 1980 to the early-90s. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | %%Most of these military regimes would slowly fall by the mid-80s and early-90s thanks to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and pressure from the Western Bloc to democratize but the damage to the region's development and economy was brutal, forcing many of their post-democratization governments to adopt one-sided free-market policies that heavily favored cosmopolitan cities, big foreign companies and corporations, leaving the poorer cities and rural towns in a state of undevelopment and perpetual poverty that eventually bred the criminal gangs and drug cartels we know today. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | %%While many of the countries that suffered under dictatorships made steps to prevent future military regimes, the fact that many of these countries have highly centralized governments with little-to-no oversight has led to the creation of a culture of nepotism and corruption with ambitious and/or greedy politicians abusing their political power to attack opposition parties and journalists and/or embezzle money for their own pockets, most notably in countries like UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}}, UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}}, UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} and UsefulNotes/{{Peru}}. And countries like UsefulNotes/ElSalvador being considered some of the most dangerous countries in the world not at war due to gang violence, which eventually spilled over to its neighbors. This in turn created an image of Latin America as an undeveloped region plagued with poverty and incessant criminal and political violence in the eyes of people from the developed world, but even with all of this, Latin America has a booming tourist industry thanks to its regional Aztec (Mexico), Mayan (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) and Inca (Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador) native cultures and ruins, exotic beaches and beautiful landscapes along with some ancient geographical sites. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | The term itself has provoked some problems regarding the usage of the name Latin or Latino, given that these terms are also used commonly to refer to the people born in Latin America, although they originally meant someone born in Lazio[[note]]Ancient Latium[[/note]], UsefulNotes/{{Italy}}. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[index]] |
| 23 | !Countries |
| 24 | !!UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica |
| 25 | !!!Northern America |
| 26 | * UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}} (Official Name: The United Mexican States) |
| 27 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': UsefulNotes/MexicoCity |
| 28 | |
| 29 | !!!UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean |
| 30 | * UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}} |
| 31 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Havana |
| 32 | * UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic |
| 33 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Santo Domingo |
| 34 | * UsefulNotes/{{Haiti}} |
| 35 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Port-au-Prince |
| 36 | |
| 37 | !!!Central America |
| 38 | * UsefulNotes/CostaRica |
| 39 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': San José |
| 40 | * UsefulNotes/ElSalvador |
| 41 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': San Salvador |
| 42 | * UsefulNotes/{{Guatemala}} |
| 43 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Guatemala City |
| 44 | * UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} |
| 45 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Tegucigalpa |
| 46 | * UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} |
| 47 | ->'''Capital & Largest city''': Managua |
| 48 | * UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} |
| 49 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Panama City |
| 50 | |
| 51 | !!UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica |
| 52 | !!!Eastern South America |
| 53 | * UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} |
| 54 | ->'''Capital''': Brasília |
| 55 | ->'''Largest City''': UsefulNotes/SaoPaulo |
| 56 | |
| 57 | !!!Southern Cone |
| 58 | * UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} |
| 59 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Buenos Aires |
| 60 | * UsefulNotes/{{Chile}} |
| 61 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Santiago |
| 62 | ** UsefulNotes/RapaNui |
| 63 | * UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} |
| 64 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Asunción |
| 65 | * UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}} |
| 66 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Montevideo |
| 67 | |
| 68 | !!!Andean States |
| 69 | * UsefulNotes/{{Bolivia}} |
| 70 | ->'''Capitals''': Sucre (constitutional and judicial), La Paz (executive and legislative) |
| 71 | ->'''Largest City''': Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| 72 | * UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}} |
| 73 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Bogotá |
| 74 | * UsefulNotes/{{Ecuador}} |
| 75 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Quito |
| 76 | * UsefulNotes/{{Peru}} |
| 77 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Lima |
| 78 | * UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} |
| 79 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Caracas |
| 80 | |
| 81 | !Dependencies |
| 82 | !!North America |
| 83 | !!!Caribbean |
| 84 | * UsefulNotes/{{Guadeloupe}} (administered by France) |
| 85 | ->'''Prefecture''': Basse-Terre |
| 86 | ->'''Largest City''': Pointe-à-Pitre |
| 87 | * UsefulNotes/{{Martinique}} (administered by France) |
| 88 | ->'''Prefecture & Largest City''': Fort-de-France |
| 89 | * UsefulNotes/PuertoRico (administered by the United States) |
| 90 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': San Juan |
| 91 | * [[UsefulNotes/SaintBarthelemy Saint Barthélemy]] (administered by France) |
| 92 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Gustavia |
| 93 | * UsefulNotes/SaintMartin (administered by France) |
| 94 | ->'''Capital & Largest City''': Marigot |
| 95 | |
| 96 | !!South America |
| 97 | !!!The Guianas |
| 98 | * UsefulNotes/FrenchGuiana (administered by France) |
| 99 | ->'''Prefecture & Largest City''': Cayenne |
| 100 | |
| 101 | !!See also |
| 102 | * MediaNotes/ALMAAward (award presented annually for the Latin/Hispanic-American community for films and television) |
| 103 | * UsefulNotes/TheAmazonRainforest |
| 104 | * AndeanMusic |
| 105 | * ArgentinaIsNaziLand |
| 106 | * UsefulNotes/ArgentineCivilWar |
| 107 | * UsefulNotes/ArgentinesWithArmoredVehicles (Argentinian military) |
| 108 | * UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball |
| 109 | ** UsefulNotes/CopaLibertadores |
| 110 | ** FootballHooligans |
| 111 | ** UsefulNotes/FootyRules |
| 112 | ** UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup |
| 113 | * Myth/AztecMythology |
| 114 | * UsefulNotes/TheBalmisExpedition |
| 115 | * BananaRepublic |
| 116 | * {{Bandito}} |
| 117 | * BattleBolas |
| 118 | * UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion |
| 119 | * UsefulNotes/BolivariansWithBMPs (Venezuelan military) |
| 120 | * BolivianArmyCliffhanger |
| 121 | * BorrowinSamedi |
| 122 | * BossaNova |
| 123 | * Myth/BrazilianFolklore |
| 124 | * UsefulNotes/BrazilianJiuJitsu |
| 125 | * UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime |
| 126 | * UsefulNotes/BraziliansWithBazookas (Brazilian military) |
| 127 | * UsefulNotes/BritishInvasionsOfTheRioDeLaPlata |
| 128 | * {{Calacas}} |
| 129 | * TheCapitalOfBrazilIsBuenosAires (for inaccurate portrayals of Brazil in fiction) |
| 130 | * UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}} |
| 131 | * CarbuncleCreature |
| 132 | * TheCartel |
| 133 | * UsefulNotes/TheChacoWar |
| 134 | * UsefulNotes/TheChinchaIslandsWar |
| 135 | * ChocolateOfRomance |
| 136 | * UsefulNotes/CincoDeMayo |
| 137 | * CityOfGold |
| 138 | * UsefulNotes/ColdWar |
| 139 | ** UsefulNotes/HistoryOfTheColdWar |
| 140 | * DevelopingNationsLackCities |
| 141 | * UsefulNotes/TheDutchPortugueseWar |
| 142 | * ElSpanishO |
| 143 | * UsefulNotes/TheEmpireOfBrazil |
| 144 | * FeatheredSerpent |
| 145 | * UsefulNotes/TheFootballWar |
| 146 | * UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage |
| 147 | * {{Gaucho}} |
| 148 | * TheGeneralissimo |
| 149 | * GirlsLoveChocolate |
| 150 | * GratuitousForeignLanguage |
| 151 | ** GratuitousFrench |
| 152 | ** GratuitousSpanish |
| 153 | * GratuitousMariachiBand |
| 154 | * HungryJungle |
| 155 | * TheIllegal |
| 156 | * Myth/IncaMythology |
| 157 | * IoGame |
| 158 | * ItsCuban |
| 159 | * JungleWarfare |
| 160 | * LatinAmericanLiterature |
| 161 | * LatinLand |
| 162 | * LatinLover |
| 163 | * LatinoAmericanCreators |
| 164 | * LatinoAmericanMedia (media that focuses on Americans of Latin American descent) |
| 165 | * LazyMexican |
| 166 | * LimaSyndrome |
| 167 | * LostInTheMaize |
| 168 | * MacheteMayhem |
| 169 | * MachoLatino |
| 170 | * MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico |
| 171 | * MarsWantsChocolate |
| 172 | * MaskedLuchador |
| 173 | * MayanDoomsday |
| 174 | * Myth/MayanMythology |
| 175 | * {{Mayincatec}} |
| 176 | ** ModernMayincatecEmpire |
| 177 | * UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar |
| 178 | * UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericans |
| 179 | * UsefulNotes/MexicanFood |
| 180 | * UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution |
| 181 | * MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales |
| 182 | * UsefulNotes/MexicansWithMachineGuns (Mexican military) |
| 183 | * MonstrousSeal |
| 184 | * UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess |
| 185 | * OurAlebrijesAreDifferent |
| 186 | * OurPerytonsAreDifferent |
| 187 | * OurZombiesAreDifferent |
| 188 | ** ArtificialZombie |
| 189 | ** AttractiveZombie |
| 190 | ** DeadWeight |
| 191 | ** EliteZombie |
| 192 | ** EpisodeOfTheDead |
| 193 | ** EverythingsDeaderWithZombies |
| 194 | ** FleshEatingZombie |
| 195 | ** FriendlyZombie |
| 196 | ** IncongruouslyDressedZombie |
| 197 | ** NoZombieCannibals |
| 198 | ** NotAZombie |
| 199 | ** NotUsingTheZWord |
| 200 | ** PlagueZombie |
| 201 | ** PossessingADeadBody |
| 202 | ** RaisingTheSteaks |
| 203 | ** RevenantZombie |
| 204 | ** RoomFullOfZombies |
| 205 | ** TechnicallyLivingZombie |
| 206 | ** VoodooZombie |
| 207 | ** ZombieApocalypse |
| 208 | ** ZombieGait |
| 209 | ** ZombieInfectee |
| 210 | ** ZombiePukeAttack |
| 211 | ** ZombieStories |
| 212 | * OverlyLongName |
| 213 | * ThePampas |
| 214 | * [[UsefulNotes/PanamaniansWithPlanes Panamanians with Planes]] (Panamanian Public Forces) |
| 215 | * PantheraAwesome |
| 216 | * PiranhaProblem |
| 217 | * PopcornOnTheCob |
| 218 | * UsefulNotes/PortugueseLanguage |
| 219 | * UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations |
| 220 | * PsychoElectricEel |
| 221 | * PyramidPower |
| 222 | * RascallyRaccoon |
| 223 | * UsefulNotes/RevolutionariesWithRussianRPDs (Cuban military) |
| 224 | * UsefulNotes/TheSalvadoranCivilWar |
| 225 | * {{Samba}} |
| 226 | * ShrunkenHead |
| 227 | * SluggishSeal |
| 228 | * SmellySkunk |
| 229 | * SombreroEqualsMexican |
| 230 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar |
| 231 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWarsOfIndependence |
| 232 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire |
| 233 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheMaya |
| 234 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire |
| 235 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfThePhilippines (performed by a majority of ethnically Mexican settlers) |
| 236 | * SpanishLiterature |
| 237 | * UsefulNotes/SpanishLanguage |
| 238 | ** [[UsefulNotes/SpanishAccentsAndDialects Spanish Accents and Dialects]] |
| 239 | ** UsefulNotes/SpanishDubbing |
| 240 | ** UsefulNotes/SpanishNamingConventions |
| 241 | * SpicyLatina |
| 242 | * SweetSeal |
| 243 | * Myth/TainoMythology |
| 244 | * TaintedTobacco |
| 245 | * {{Tango}} |
| 246 | * {{Telenovela}} |
| 247 | * ThoseWilyCoyotes |
| 248 | * TropicalEpilogue |
| 249 | * Myth/TupiGuaraniMythology |
| 250 | * UsefulNotes/{{Voudoun}} |
| 251 | ** HollywoodVoodoo |
| 252 | * UsefulNotes/WarOfTheConfederation |
| 253 | * UsefulNotes/WarOfJenkinsEar |
| 254 | * UsefulNotes/WarOfThePacific |
| 255 | * UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance |
| 256 | * WesternAnimation |
| 257 | * WesternTerrorists |
| 258 | [[/index]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | !! Latin America in fiction: |
| 261 | * CyclicNationalFascination: When the continent started importing Asian soap operas (mainly [[KoreanDrama Korean]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} Indian]], and, several years later, [[TurkishDrama Turkish]]) around the mid-[[TheNewTens 2010s]] up to [[TheNewTwenties 2020s]], its population became very fixated on said Asian cultures. Kind of a huge, real-life AddictiveForeignSoapOpera fever. It was coupled with the rise of popularity of {{Anime}} and [[KoreanPopMusic K-pop]] in the region. |
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