The Latin American History Podcast

Today we have a special interview episode with Joseph Doherty about his experiences living through the coup in Chile which brought Pinochet to power. Joseph not only experienced the atmosphere in the lead up to the seizure of power by the military, and the events of the coup itself, but he found himself personally caught up in crackdown which followed, being arrested and held in the national stadi...

In the final episode in this series we look at the legacy of the migrations from the British West Indies to Central America. We look at how many people stayed in Panama and why, as well as what life was like for them once the canal was finished. We also examine how they changed Central America and how Central America changed the country's which those who did go home returned to. Support this p...

Once the French canal project had collapsed, it was time for the Americans to step in. This meant the final wave of migration from the West Indies, but this time the experience of the work would be very different. In this episode we will look at the society built in the canal zone alongside the canal itself, it's strict hierarchies, it's military-style routines, and how it almost eliminate...

Today we look at the next two waves of West Indian migration to Central America. The end point of the first was Costa Rica, where a new industry was emerging. The second was back in Panama and it was inspired by the first, little known, French attempt to build a canal there. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries:...

Today we look at the first wave of migration from the West Indies to Central America. Instigated by the construction of railway, this arduous work saw extremely high death rates among the imported labour force, and a collection of lawless towns grew up alongside the route of the track. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising...

Today we start a new series looking at the wave of migration that saw people from the English speaking Caribbean moving to Central America 100-150 years ago. Many parts of the coastline of Costa Rica and Panama still have large populations of English speakers, and the legacy of this movement can be found everywhere from the Panama Canal to Reggaeton. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com...

In today's episode we talk to Haley Cohen Gilliland about her new book. Based on interviews with the protagonists of this recent and continuing piece of Argentine history, the book looks at the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and their search for their disappeared family members. The story is a fascinating one, and the book traces through several generations, from the 20th century context wh...

In the final episode of the series we trace the protracted decline of utopia. Split into rival settlements, the inhabitants will gradually abandon their communal ethos. Meanwhile, legal and financial problems in Australia will further undermine the project and its ideals. Finally, we look at what happened afterwards - William Lane's strange political U-turn, the scattered countries where New A...

Today's episode covers the moment when the New Australia project cracked and splintered into separate settlements. We look at the reasons for this split, and how it manifested itself. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The third part of the story of New Australia is marked by conflict. In this episode the divisions within the colonists deepen, and lead to open revolt against Lane's leadership, and even instances of physical violence. Could the colony survive the turmoil? Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcirc...

In part two of the series the idealistic Australians travel to South America and up the River Plate to the land on which they will found their utopia. Then, they begin the actual work of building it. While this was all done without any major drama, things do not go as smoothly when it came to internal dynamics. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/excl...

At the end of the 1800s a group of Utopianist Australians decided to set off to build a worker's paradise in the remote Paraguayan hinterlands. It didn't quite go to plan, but their story is one of those bizarre and unexpected one that Latin American history frequently throws up. In the first episode we look at the political, social, and economic context of the scheme to understand why it...

In the final episode of the series, we look at how Potosi declined from being the rich source of most of the world's silver, to a forgotten and impoverished place. We track the town through the late colonial era, the wars of independence, and the 20th century. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://red...

Today we discuss one of the greatest incidents in Potosi's history - the Great Mint Fraud. This story reads partially like a political investigative thriller, and partially like a mafia expose. It's effects will reverberate around the world, disrupting the global economy, and it will damage Potosi itself for decades. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-histor...

Potosi was an archetypal mining boomtown, filled with hard-working and hard-living characters hoping to make their fortune, and attempting to drown out their tough and dangerous existence with wild parties while they waited. To get a sense of what it might have been like to live there, in today's episode we discuss the city's growth, its population - both rich and poor, and the escapades o...

In today's episode we zoom out and look at the astounding impact Potosi had on even the furthest flung reaches of the world. Among other things, its silver helped provoke dynastic regime change in China, wars in Iran, and a 500% increase in the price of bread in France. It helped create the golden age of piracy, globalisation, and the birth of the study of economics. It's no exaggeration t...

In this episode we take a closer look at the mines themselves, as well as the ore refining industry which surrounded it. We examine the terrible toll it took on those who worked in these jobs, as well as who was actually doing this work, and who owned the mining enterprises. Along the way we discuss who the Spanish adapted and re-used a couple of existing Inca social systems. Support this podcast...

It is hard to overstate the impact one lonely peak high up on the Bolivian altiplano had on world history - the silver which was dug from within it changed the world. It is however, largely forgotten today. In this first part of a short series on the subject, I describe Potosi today using my observations from when I visited. It is a strange place, haunted by it's history and marked by poverty....

In the final part in our series on Brazil and World War 2, we look at what happened after war. We examine if the country achieved the geo-political, military and economic aims it had set out as its reason for participating, and how their involvement influenced the following decades of internal politics. We also discuss what life was like the soldiers of the Expeditionary Force themselves upon thei...

Having looked at what the Brazilian soldiers and pilots did on foreign soil during the war, it's now time to turn our attention towards the impact the conflict had on the country itself. These impacts were many and varied. Today we look at blackouts, secret invasion plans, and the huge sacrifices made by the "rubber soldiers" - more of whom died in Brazil than of their compatriots doin...

Today we look at the Brazilian military campaign in detail. We follow the progress of the Smoking Cobras across Italy, and recount their challenges and most important battles. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Uniquely among Latin American nations, and often forgotten, the Brazilian army fought in WW2, sending troops to fight in Europe. The Smoking Cobras faced numerous challenges, but they proved themselves to be extraordinarily brave and held their own during their time fighting. This is the first of a four part series on Brazil's experience of the Second World War. Today we look at the state of t...

Today we have a special interview episode in which Stephanie Schmidt (Associate Professor in the department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University at Buffalo) tells us about her new book Child Martyrs and Militant Evangelization in New Spain. The book examines a set of tragic stories which occurred in the years following the conquest of Mexico, involving the use of high-class indig...

In the second part of our look at the Manila galleon trade we look at the people whose lives were impacted by it, and how this has affected the very genetics of Mexico and the Philippines. These people include convicts, Portuguese traders, Jews from Iberia escaping persecution, Japanese Samurai, and pirates from Britain and the Netherlands. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin...

Although often forgotten, the Manila Galleon trade route between the Philippines and Mexico was hugely important to Latin America, Asia, and the rest of the world. For hundreds of years this trade across the Pacific helped drive globalisation and fund both Spain and China. In today's episode we outline how the trade worked and the deep cultural influences it had on all those involved. Support...