Latin American Studies Resources

This article, in a way, connects to Escobar's text, as it talks about the negative externalities of shrimp farming in Ecuador, Brazil, and other countries. The argument this article is making, as apparent in the title, is that well-managed fisheries should catch wild shrimp and fish, in stead of cultivating them in the form of aquaculture.

Like the previous bookmark I added, this is another article on the Honduran Crisis. This one discusses the U.S. government's approach to the issue. According to this article, the current US position is to accept the June 28 coup, in an attempt to eliminate Zelaya, elect a new conservative government, and regain legitimacy in international organizations.

In 2003 when Goldman Sachs economists linked Brazil with Russia, India and China as the economies that would come to dominate the world, much contest aroused over the inclusion of Brazil. Many economists questioned how Brazil could participate amongst the ensemble since the country features a declining growth rate, victim to any outside financial crisis, and constant political instability does not make Brazil an appealing candidate as an arising force. China leads the world economy out of recession while Brazil was not far from behind. Brazil was unable to avoid the downturn, but was among the last to fall and among the first to recover with a growing economy again at an annual rate of 5%. With the development of new deep-sea oilfields over the next few years, Brazil's growth will rapidly escalate also a result of Asian countries heightened appetite for food and minerals from Brazil's ample land. Forecasts alternate but in the decades proceeding 2014 Brazil will emerge as the world's fifth largest-economy, excelling Britain and France, and in 2025 it is also speculated that Sao Paulo will be the fifth-wealthiest city. Brazil perhaps surpasses its competing members because unlike China, it is a democracy, unlike India; the country is not plagued with insurgents, or ethnic and religious conflicts, or hostile relationships with its neighbors like India has with Pakistan and Kashmir. In contrast to Russia, Brazil exports more than oil and arms, and has established more cordial relationships with foreign investors. Brazil's emergence has not been hasty but instead steady. Initiatives began in the 1990s when they established a coherent set of economic policies, and the Central Bank was granted autonomy, which stimulated development of new multinationals that may have previously been state-owned companies that are now prospering as a result of operating from a distance from the government. Weaknesses, however, still permeate throughout Brazil, so it is necessary to

On Monday in Buenos Aires, Argentina two men were bestowed a marriage license and are planning on what appears to be the first legal homosexual wedding in Latin America. The couple obtained the authority to marry last week when a judge declared that a prohibition on same-sex marriage violated Argentina's Constitution. Mauricio Marci, mayor of Buenos Aires revealed that the city would not appeal the court order, thus prompting other homosexual couples to address their rights in court. However, the mayor did not appear to be an enthusiastic advocate for the endorsement of same sex marriage license as he said, " We have to live with and accept this reality: the world is moving in this direction." No other country in Latin America permits same-sex marriage, although some jurisdictions warrant same-sex partners to configure civil unions with many similar rights.

This photomontage depicts El Salvador's remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the Jesuit Massacre of 1989, when six distinguished priests; their housekeeper and her daughter were murdered by the government's troops. Students have joined together to create traditional street carpets, honoring the lives of those innocently destroyed in one of the many brutal chapters of El Salvador's twelve-year civil war. In accordance with the Jesuit philosophy, El Salvadorians have decided to display the blood stained clothing of the victims in a memorial room, so the event does not dissipate in individual's memories but rather directly confronts the viewer so they are incapable of ignoring the stark realities of the massacre. Thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil amongst members of the victim's families, and Jesuit priests from around the world assembled to organize an evening mass in which their sermons assailed social injustice and inequalities held in front of the thousands gathered.

This article focuses on the various indigenous groups in Guatemala. Divided up into various sections, it talks about such peoples affect on the country's culture, economy, and religious views. It is important to read about these groups affect on the country because they make up a large number of the population and have been and will continue to be very important in the direction the country takes.

This article was written by a man who was actually stationed in Guatemala when the violence was occurring. The author focuses a lot on the guerrilla movements in the country during this time and their role in the war. Taking you through time, the article continues on with a history of the various stages through the war and his beliefs on the country's current post-war state.

The military's efforts to exercise power through terrorizing during the civil war in Guatemala (1960-1966), resurfaces today through the acts of gender-based violence, committed by gangs in Guatemala. This exemplifies how war and violence shapes society and how it has influenced gender equality. There is as much terror and torturing of women as there was during the war. However, now this reality is being reinforced by members of society-since such crimes go unnoticed/unpunished-, normalizing terror and fear in Guatemala.

This article talks about violence against women in Guatemala and how it is not only happening more these days, but the crimes are also seeming to get worse. It also talks about the difference between the murders of both men and women and possible reasons for why they were caused. Recently however, there have been marches in the streets and increased awareness domestically and internationally of the problems facing the country regarding violence.

This article details the growing trend of abused and battered women from Guatemala to seek asylum in the United States. In Guatemala, the law refuses to aid the women or protect them, which has led to enormously high rates of spousal killings. Unfortunately, violence against women in Guatelmala is not considered a crime

This article discusses the notion of poverty and violence within the Guatemalan society. Currently, there are at least 900,000 residents, all above the age of 60 who are living on the dirty, impoverished streets of Guatemalan cities. Although the government has proposed solutions to the overwhelming amount of poverty and economic turmoil, there has been little progress in recent years.

This site reports a recent study of the living standards for Guatemalans. In the past few years, the rates of poverty, crime, and malnutrition have skyrocketed alarmingly. The hardest hit are the elderly and the children. In order to combat this, Guatemala is instituting benefit programs to give welfare to the elderly.

This article describes a non-profit organization named CARE, which focuses on "fighting world poverty by improving the lives of women and girls around the globe" (and in this article's case, in Guatemala). In the past 3 years, the program started in a village in Guatemala has resulted in vast improvements in women's empowerment there.

This article is provided by conciliation resourced. The creators of the laws found in this article discuss topics on the agreement on identity and rights of indigenous people. They include identity of indegenous people, struggle against discrimination, and cultural, civil, political, social and economic rights. It is interesting to see these laws and wonder how often they are followed (not very often at all).

This author of this article is a "travel writing" contest runner-up. This author went into Guatemala and wrote about their experiences there. They wrote this article with a series of pictures and personal stories sharing the life of Guatemala and the author's interactions with the lives of the people after the war. I thought this was an interesting resource because it not only had visuals of the idea of "life after war," but also because it shared a more personal look (instead of a reporter's interpretation).

This is a very recent news about ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya. Honduran lawmakers will not decide whether to restore Zelaya until after upcoming presidential elections, which is on Nov. 29th, the congressional leader said Tuesday, a decision that could undermine international support for the vote. Some say the result of this upcoming election should not be accepted officially because it is held under the interim government.

Thousands of disappearances have occurred in Guatemala during the conflict. This article focuses on a woman who lost four family members in only a week, and has no idea where they are. This story is common among the Guatemalan peoples. An archive of documents has been found in an abandoned police building in Guatemala City. There are millions of documents, and once they are sorted through, might provide some sort of answers. Many people have not heard the whereabouts of their family members in over thirty years.

This article tells of the extreme poverty in Guatemala and speaks particularly on what is being done for people in this area. Guatemala has the highest rate of child malnutrition in Latin American and the fourth in the world. This is because the food that the people eat, such as tortillas and beans, are lacking in protein. The people are too poor to buy beef, eggs, or chicken, which could prevent the malnutrition.

Guatemala is experiencing a drastic inflation in necessary survival items such as food, housing, and clothing. This inflation concerns the entire country, especially the poor and children under five. In May of 2008, The Regional Ministerial Conference met "Towards the Eradication of Child Undernutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean" in Chile. The meeting hoped to find methods of preventing and eradicating child undernutrition in the region, especially under the inflated circumstances. Thousands of Guatemalan families are food insecure, and therefore many suffer from malnutrition. This article discusses the meeting last May; their goals, initiatives, and decisions.