In 2009, Hugo Chavez forced the closure of a scientific exhibition touring Venezuela which featured human cadavers called “Bodies Revealed,” calling it a sign of “moral decomposition,” noting that the exhibit was made up of “human bodies,” suggesting that the display of human remains as part of an exhibit was wrong morally. On March the 7th,…
Until March 13th, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. Now known officially as “Pope Francis,” he is the first Pope from Latin America, which is home to approximately 40% of the world’s Catholics. Despite official lip service drily congratulating the Pope on his monumental new role, Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez…
Between 1600, and 1820, the Falkland Islands were been claimed by the Dutch, French, British, Spanish, and finally, the nation which would become Argentina. Due to the ambiguity of peace treaties during those years, multiple nations have often claimed the islands, but the United Kingdom has occupied the islands since 1833. In 1982, the ruling military…
Argentina has a history of wine making stretching back to 1557, when the first vine cuttings were imported during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The first vineyards were planted in Santiago del Estero, and northern Argentina continues to account for the majority of wine production as nearby Mendoza accounts for more than 60% of…
Chilean film “No” recently vaulted into international consciousness after winning the Art Cinema Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, for its depiction of a plebiscite in 1988, in which General Augusto Pinochet peacefully relinquished his power after 7 years and 6 months as President of Chile. The film generated a wave of international coverage,…
Chile has a history of wine production going back to the mid 16th century, when Spanish missionaries established vineyards of El País grapes.
Three Spanish-owned airports were nationalized this week in Bolivia. A Spanish firm, Sabsa, had a contract to operate the airports in La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba until 2025. Bolivian President Evo Morales justified the takeover, by suggesting that the airlines weren’t spending enough on infrastructure, but Sabsa has reported that it was operating at…
Despite the fact that the indigenous people in the Americas made alcoholic beverages before European grapes were imported by the Conquistadors, the local vitis genus of grapes were never used to make wine. The first known attempt to grow vines for wine began in Hispaniola after Columbus’ second voyage in 1594. Since then, viticulture spread across the…
According to public data from the Worldbank, total combined GDP for Latin America & the Caribbean grew from $78.5 billion in 1960, to $5.65 trillion in 2011 representing an increase from just 5.82% of global GDP in 1960, to 8.07% in 2011.
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