SYLLABUS

UNIT ONE: THE GREAT ABORIGINAL CIVILIZATIONS

Ruins of Machu Picchu. Hammond Innes, The Conquistadors. New York: Knopf, 1969.

1. Introduction to the course. Timelines.

2. The Mayans: chronology. The principal city-states; social classes, religion, arts and architecture, scientific concepts, writing system. Numerical system, calendar, prophetic wheels. VIDEO: VHS 1093-2 "Maya: The Blood of Kings."

3. Before the Aztecs: Olmecs, Teotihuacan, Totonecs, Mixtecs, Toltecs. Imperial rule by election; priests and warriors;codices, ceramics, frescoes;human sacrifice: the war of the flowers;internal strife. The myth of Quetzalcoatl. VIDEO: "Ancient Mexico."

4. Before the Incas: Chavín de Huántar, Moche, Nazca, Ica, Paracas, Tihuanaco. Regional states:the warrior/priest. Ceramics and textiles. The creation of Tahuantinsuyo. "The Romans of South America":communications and imperial rule. VIDEO: VHS 1093-9 "Inca: Secrets of the Ancestors." Assignment #1: Writing Systems.

UNIT TWO: THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

Ochún, Goddess of Love.

5. Bartolomé de las Casas: the defender of the Indians/the scourge of the Africans. Leyenda blanca vs. leyenda negra. Encomiendas as a prelude to slavery. Haiti as the center of the sugar industry. VIDEO: VHS 1093-8 "Africa: A History Denied." Assignment#2: Leyenda blanca vs. leyenda negra .

6. The explosion of the sugar industry after the destruction of Haiti. Massive importation of slaves to Spanish America. Places of origin. Languages and rites: abakuá, lukumí, vodoun, palero. VIDEO: "Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti."

7. Cultural and religious syncretism: santería. Assignment #3: Santería.

8. The African influence in the development of Latin American music. From Bembé to Salsa. Assignment #4: The Development of Latin American Music.

UNIT THREE: THE OPEN VEINS

netdotcom.com

9. Wars of Independence: the conflict between democracy and military rule. The encounter at Guayaquil: issues and crossroads. VIDEO: "Simón Bolívar." Assignment #5: Simón Bolívar.

10. The new republics: laissez-faire, positivism
and underdevelopment don't mix. Juárez and the War of Reform. Empire and Restoration. Don Porfirio and the científicos. Prelude to revolution. Assignment #6: The Científicos. Assignment #7: Juárez.

11. Sarmiento: civilization and barbarism revisited. The "campaign of the desert": genocide in the name of civilization. Martí's rebuttal to Sarmiento in "Our America." Assignment #8: Compare Martí's and Sarmiento's Views of Latin American Identity.

12. The twentieth century: revolution and dictatorships. Emiliano Zapata and the Ayala Plan. Assignment #9: Zapata and Agrarian Reform.

13. FINAL EXAM.