Belize
History
Belize was once part of the Maya civilization; Cortes probably traversed the region on his way Hondura. The Spanish did not colonize the are. Buccaneers founded Belize City in the early 1600’s and were followed by British Jamaicans, who exploited its timber. Spain long contested British possession, but in 1859 Guatemala and Britain agreed on British Honduras’s boundaries. In 1940 Guatemala declared the agreement invalid. British Honduras was granted internal self-government in 1964, but full independence was delayed by Guatemala’s claim. Negotiations appeared to resolve that problem, though, and on September 21, 1981, British Honduras, as Belize, became the last British crown colony on the American mainland to achieve independence. However, the Guatemalan-British agreement did not hold, and not until 1988 did Guatemala give de facto recognition to Belize. A British force remained in Belize to guarantee its independence but nearly all were withdrawn before the end of 1994. In 1993 Manuel Esquivel, of the United Democratic Party, became Prime Minister.
Geography
Belize is approximately 22,960 square kilometers. The country is divided into two main physiographic regions. Maya Mountains and associated basins and plateaus dominate southern half of country. Second region comprises northern lowlands and is drained by numerous rivers and streams. Coastline is flat and swampy and marked by many lagoons.
Political
In contrast to most Central America nations, elections in Belize are notable for their regularity, adherence to democratic principles, and an absence of violence. The Representation of the People Ordinance and the constitution regulate electoral procedures. The constitution establi...
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...of mixed ancestry, most of them descendant of immigrants. Mestizos (of mixed Maya Indian and European ancestry) are the largest ethnic group, accounting for more than two-fifths of the population. English-speaking people of largely African and African-European ancestry, who are called Creoles, account for nearly one-third of the population and predominate in the central coastal regions. Mestizos predominate in the more sparsely inhabited interior, along with the Maya, who account for one-ninth of the population. Several thousand Garifuna, formerly called Black Caribs who are descendants of the Carib Indians and Africans exiled from British colonies in the eastern Caribbean (Lesser Antilles) in the 18th century, live in communities on the south coast. People of European and East Indian ancestry are also present, as are smaller numbers of Chinese, Arabs, and others.
The history of Africans in Mexico is an oft-neglected facet of the cultural complexities of that country. In 1519, Hernando Cortes brought 6 African slaves with him to Mexico; these individuals served the conquest as personal servants, carriers, and laborers.[1] In the years to come, slavery would become a critical component of the colonial economy with approximately 2,000 slaves arriving each year 1580-1650; it is estimated that a total of 200,000 Africans were brought to Mexico during the colonial period.[2] Given this large number of slaves, the lengthy period of their importation, and the inevitable mixing of races, which took place throughout the colony, the historical and cultural significance of bozales, criollos, mulattoes, and zambos is far-reaching. The colonial period provides an excellent starting place for an examination of the significance of these groups not only because the institution of African slavery was introduced to New Spain at that time, but also because the regular influx of native Africans combined with the close attention paid to color-based castas in official records allows historians to trace the influence of African culture more readily during that period.
In the years following the Spanish conquests, the southwest region of the United States developed into Spanish colonial territory. Indians, Spaniards, and blacks occupied this territory in which the shortage of Spanish women led to the miscegenation of these cultures. The result of mixing these races was a homogenization of the people of various cultures that came to be called mestizos and mulattos who, like present day Mexican Americans, inherited two distinct cultures that would make their culture rich, yet somewhat confusi...
Dominicans and African-Americans are similar in their African origin, but they are different “in their newfound slavery-induced cultures.” Dominicans were Africans mixed with Spanish culture. Through slave settlements, Dominicans were settled in Hispanola. In Hispanola, Dominicans were influenced between two ethnic groups. As a new ethnic group formed, their African traits were mixed with Spanish traits (Saillant-Torres 131).
Although the natives of Borikén were Taino, it is argued that the first Puerto Ricans were black Puerto Ricans. Spanish occupation virtually eliminated Native influences by the way of the decimation of the people as a result of disease brought across the atlantic by the Spanish settlers. In this way the Taino were minimally influential in forming a new cultural identity. “The descendants of the first African slaves had already become black Puerto Ricans”(González 10) when Spaniards from the canary islands arrived to replace those who had left in search of riches in Peru and Mexico. For this reason it is feasible to accept the notion “that the Puerto Ricans were in fact black Puerto Ricans.” (González 10) The African presence was more of a factor in the formation process of the Puerto Rican identity. Of the massive numbers of slaves who survived the voyage there were those who were fortunate enough to escape into the hinterland. Here they found refuge from the hardship of plantation labor along with the opportunity to join the peasantry that also searched for refuge. The jíbaros “used the broken topography of the interior as an ally in its struggle with the expanding sugar plantations” (Scarano 6) This intermixing of the two cultures forged several similarities.
The United States of America is often touted as the guiding beacon of democracy for the entirety of the modern world. In spite of this tremendous responsibility the political system of the United States retains some aspects which upon examination appear to be significantly undemocratic. Perhaps the most perplexing and oft misunderstood of these establishments is the process of electing the president and the institution known as the Electoral College. The puzzle of the Electoral College presents the American people with a unique conundrum as the mark of any true democracy is the citizens’ ability to elect their own ruling officials. Unfortunately, the Electoral College system dilutes this essential capacity by introducing an election by
Guatemala’s culture is a unique product of Native American ways and a strong Spanish colonial heritage. About half of Guatemala’s population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban areas, and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends. Unlike many Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya, which has retained a distinct identity. Deeply rooted in the rural highlands of Guatemala, many indigenous people speak a Mayan language, follow traditional religious and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures have made Guatemala a complex society that is deeply divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and violence that have marked Guatemala’s history (Guatemalan Culture and History).
Mountain ranges divide the Dominican Republic into three regions, Northern, Central, and Southwestern. There are seven major drainage b...
As a social group of African descent, they have common historical experiences, with a collective ancestry, a shared culture, which is what gives them a sense of uniqueness. But then again, this is a culture that, according to its geography and history, continues to develop features and builds their future in a social framework that not only derivative from the past, but, beyond the differences, that clearly perceived them as the "other". The Garifuna acquired a significant reputation in the current context of recognition of cultural diversity. They have played an important role in the politics of visibility of people of African descent via the strengthening of ethno-racial categorizations. This role has involved, with peculiarities in each country, the official characterization as 'ethnic group', incorporating their cultural expressions as part of national identity, and recognition of their culture and intangible cultural universal heritage of humanity. Supported by a discourse on their Carib-Arawak roots and permanence of some of their cultural expressions, the Garifuna have been identified and have asserted themselves at certain times in its history the status of indigenous people. Currently, the process of political mobilization of the Garifuna articulates a discourse of inclusion in national societies, while proclaiming their transnational identity as Garifuna and members of the diaspora of African Descent in the Americas. This feature differentiates them from other processes of identity claiming their ethno-racial basis in the Americas, such as indigenous peoples and other African Descent. These dynamics including the Garifuna coexist and interact with other factors, are also based on a structural racial system that has in its roots in the colonial traces that maintain forms of social exclusion and discrimination against these
Central America gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. The news reached Costa Rica a month after the event. The question of whether Costa Rica should join newly independent Mexico or join a new confederation of Central American states resulted in a bitter quarrel between the leaders of San Jose and their counterparts in Cartago and Heredia. A brief civil war in 1823 was won by San Jose and Costa Rica joined the confederation.
Nicaragua The area of Nicaragua is 50,193 sq. ft. mi. The Nicaraguan highlands, with an elevation of about 2000 ft, cross Nicaragua from the northwest to the southeast. Several mountain ranges, the highest of which, the Cordillera Isabelia, reaches an elevation of more than 6890 ft, cut the highlands from east to west.
The first tribe, the Guanajatabeyes, arrived in the south coast region from North America. They were mainly food and fruit gatherers, and lived on a diet primarily consisting of sea mullusks. Coming from Central and North America, the Ciboneys had evidence of their settlement found around the north and centre of the island where they were hunters and gatherers, living on fish and other seafood, birds, and small rodents. Although they did not cultivate plants, they gathered wild fruit. The largest group of natives in Cuba, the Taino, arrived in the 1400s when they would fish, hunt, and grow ...
Where is Honduras located? What are some main landforms? What food do Hondurans eat? What language do Hondurans speak? How did Honduras become Honduras? These are all questions you might have, and in this paper all will be answered. You will learn more about the geography, society, people, their lifestyles, and the history of Honduras.
Liberia owes its establishment to the American Colonization Society; founded in 1816 to resettle freed American slaves in Africa. An attempt at colonization in Sierra Leone had failed in 1815. Six years later native rulers granted a tract of land on Cape Mesurado, at the mouth of the Saint Paul River, to U.S. representatives, and the first Americo-Liberians, led by Jehudi Ashmun, began the settlement. In 1824 an American agent for the society, Ralph Randolph Gurley, named the new colony Liberia and the Cape Mesurado settlement Monrovia. Other separate settlements were established along the coast during the next 20 years. Soon, however, conflicts arose between the settlers and the society in the United States. By the time Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first black governor in 1841, the decision had been made to give the colonists almost full control of the government. A constitution modeled on that of the United States was drawn up, and Liberia became an independent republic in July 1847. Roberts was its first president, serving until 1856. Liberia was recognized by Britain in 1848, by France in 1852 and by the United States in 1862. The Americo-Liberian communities eked out a precarious existence during the 19th century. Claims over i nterior territory were disputed not only by the indigenous Mandinka (also known as Mandingo or Malinke), Kru, and Gola peoples, but also by European states that did not recognize Liberian jurisdiction over the interior. U.S. support led to a series of agreements with Britain and France between 1892 and 1911, which marked the present boundaries. (Liberian control over the interior peoples, however, was not completely assured until the 1940s.) Loans from Britain and the United States partially eased the country's financial difficulties. Liberia declared war on Germany on August 14, 1917, which gave the Allies an additional base in West Africa during World War I (1914-1918). In 1926 the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company opened a rubber plantation on 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land granted by the Liberian government the year before. Rubber production became the mainstay of the nation's economy.
Originally racial designators, the terms mestizo and Indian have lost almost all of their previous racial connotation and are now used entirely to designate cultural groups. Historically, the term mestizo described someone with mixed European and indigenous heritage. Mestizos occupied a middle social stratum between whites and pure-blooded indigenous people (see Socieconomic Structures, ch. 1). Whites themselves were divided into criollo (those born in the New World) and peninsular (those born in Spain) subgroups. In contemporary usage, however, the word mestizo refers to anyone who has adopted Mexican Hispanic culture. Seen in this cultural context, both those with a solely European background and those with a mixed European-indigenous background are automatically referred to as
...y became independent from Spain under some conditions; United States Military would occupy Cuba and the Platt Amendment would be place in their constitution. The Platt Amendment was a guideline that was added by the United States Congress. This kept Cuba controlled and protected by the US. The Platt Amendment “gave the United States the right intervene in domestic politics at will.” Cuba was an American territory. Cubans looked at this as an elimination to their independence. The Platt Amendment remained in force until 1934 when both decided to cancel the amendment. At that point, Cuba broke away from the United States and became a free country. Just as Latin American nations were getting their independence from Spain and Portugal, Northern Europe and the Unites States, were going under the process of industrialization and were very much in need of raw materials.