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Some culture and history of Central America and the Caribbean.
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Central America and the Central America and the CaribbeanCaribbean
Central America
• Is a cultural hearth because it was a place from which ideas spread…. mainly because of the Mayans.
• Due to the location of the Mayans on the Yucutan Peninsula, you could consider them part of Mexico or part of Central America.
• The Maya continued to build cities and temples throughout the region. This meant the Mayan culture spread as well.
• When Mexico gains independence from Spain in 1521, it takes over the Central American region before it breaks away in 1523 and becomes the United Provinces of Central America.
• The states didn’t all get along, though, and after a civil war from 1538-1540, they split up into separate countries.
Caribbean
• The Caribbean culture has European, native, and African influences.
• The Europeans (several European powers colonize the islands – see the chart on page 224) imported slaves from Africa to farm new crops there, especially sugar cane.
• The slaves in the French colony of Haiti revolted in 1790.
• There were 500,000 slaves and 32,000 whites (and 28,000 free people of color).
• Ironically, the revolt against France was inspired by the French Revolution.
• It was led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, self-educated freed slave.
• Haiti officially gets its independence in 1804.
• Cuba becomes independent from Spain in 1898 as a result of America’s actions in the Spanish-American War. It is quickly sets up its own government by 1902.
In Panama, you have the Panama Canal.
• Before the canal, a ship traveling from New York to San Francisco would have to go over 14,000 miles around the tip of South America (a dangerous journey around that tip).
• Via the canal, it’s only 6,000 miles. That’s an 8,000 mile shave off the trip.
Music
• One of the music styles that has come out of this region is calypso from Trinidad and Tobago.
Harry Belafonte: ok singer, bad taste in politics
A lot of calypso music makes use of the steel drum.
A more modern version is called soca calypso or soul calypso.
• Another musical style, this one from Jamaica, is reggae, as exhibited here by Bob Marley.
• Don’t take calypso and reggae lightly. Many songs have social and political messages, which you realize if you pay attention to the lyrics.