Week 7

Independence Era

The independence era of Latin America was from 1806-1825. When Spain’s empire in the New World crumbled, Latin America gained their independence from Spain. Initially, Spain was trying to rule Latin America in areas of politics, religion, education, and law. When Spain lost control of Latin America, each independent country was able to establish their own sovereignty with freedom to practice whatever religion they chose. With the removal of Spain from power, Latin America needed to rely on Great Britain, France, and the United States because of financial investments and industrialization. Latin American countries looked towards these Catholic European models, particularly France, as their cultural model to reshape their society.

Sources:
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/latinamericaindependence/The_History_of_Latin_America_the_Independence_Era_18071825.htm
http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h39la.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Latin_America

Fray Bartolome
I chose Fray Bartolome because I didn’t know who he was at all. Upon performing a quick search to see who he was, I was fascinated by the courage he had to fight against slavery of the natives of his country, and then against slavery completely.

1. Bartolome accompanied Columbus on his second voyage and brought back an Indian boy who he left to be his son’s servant. He also made an abstract and copy of the diary Christopher Columbus kept of his voyages.

2. Bartolome opposed the cruel and harsh punishment of the Native Americans and worked to cease the use of them as slaves. He did not suggest the use of African slaves, but he supporting the introduction of them as slaves in the Americas. After witnessing their maltreatment as well, Bartolome regretted initial support and eventually openly opposed slavery completely.

3. Bartolome was born in Seville, Spain sometime in the 1484. In 1502 he traveled to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) where he witnessed the brutalities against the Native population.


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casas
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03397a.htm

Classmates

1. Alexandra is interested in music from different places all around the world.

2. Annacy learned that Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand were known as the Catholic King and Queen of Spain.

3. Cory chose missions because he feels that he has a responsibility to better understand these unique structures that rest right here in my backyard.

4. Jamie learned that Central Mexico’s population was 19 million before the Spaniards arrived, and then it dropped to an estimated 2 million.

5. Jessica learned that the first mission built in California was the mission of San Diego de Alcala, founded in July 16, 1769 by Junipero Serra.

6. Kevin found out that the Aztecs built the Tlatelolco in the early 1300 with the nearby capital of the Aztecs empire Tenochtitlan, which is now the heart of Mexico City, which the Spanish founded after they conquered the Aztecs in 1521.

7. Mandi found out that Junipero Serra walked over 200 miles to Mexico City where he worked at his first mission in the new world.

8. Mary said that there are 21 missions total along the Camino Real, or Royal Highway of California.

9. Paul learned that Hernan Cortez spent seven years establishing peace among the Indians of Mexico and developing mines and farmlands.

10. Robert found out that genetic studies on the skeletal remains of natives peoples suggest that very few died as a result of violence, but probably by disease.

Week 6

Conquest Era

Tell us an influence the Catholic Church had on this era:

The Conquest era is when the territories of New Spain were expanded through most of Central America and much of what is now the south and west parts of the United States. During this time, a large part of the Native American population was abolished while the Spanish population grew.

History of the Catholic Church in Latin America did not simply just come with the Spanish conquest, but the histories of both are intertwined. The Christian era began in the New World in 1492 when the Spanish introduced their religion to the region. Christian concepts covered up Native American art and forced them to become a secondary population in the social structure.

Sources:
http://academic.sun.ac.za/forlang/bergman/real/mission/h_rcc.htm
http://www.mexperience.com/history/colonial.htm


Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand

In 1468, Ferdinand was named King of Sicily and in 1469, King Ferdinand married Queen Isabella who was the heir of Castile. In 1474 Isabella succeeded to the throne and in 1479 Ferdinand succeeded his father as King of Aragon. With Ferdinand’s succession, he united his crown with Castile and created Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella spent the next few years attempting to drive the Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula and finally succeeded by conquering Granada in 1492. Also in 1492 they expelled the Jews and Muslims from Christian Spain and bankrolled Christopher Columbus’s search for a quick passage to Asia.

Sources:
http://monarchs.suite101.com/article.cfm/king_ferdinand_of_spain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IAqOcyAuKc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile

Tell us why you chose the topic, tell us about the sources you used:

I chose the topic of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand because I did not know anything about them. In the print source that I used, it provided the background knowledge about their heritage, marriage, and creation of Spain. The video source allows one to see their reign from a series of images, informative texts, and artwork.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about your topic in 3 separate paragraphs
1. Queen Isabella’s name in the Castilian version of was Ysabel which is etymologically the same as Elizabeth, but in Germanic countries she is nevertheless usually known by an Italian form of her name, Isabella.

2. Isabella was betrothed to Ferdinand at the age of 3.

3. Ferdinand and Isabella’s grandfathers were brothers so a papal dispensation was needed in order for them to marry.

Classmates

1. Amanda went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the art pieces located there done by Banksy.

2. Angelina visited the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York where it occupies more than 2,000,000 square feet.

3. Eric visited the National Civil War Museum where it contains thousands of relics, artifacts, and exhibits telling the story of the American Civil War.

4. Jacob visited the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, Illinois because he’s really interested in photography.

5. Karen visited The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. because she firmly believes that this atrocity is something that we cannot ignore or ever allow to happen again.

6. Karl visited The American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) in Daphne, Alabama where there are over 1,000 pieces including paintings, sculpture, prints, posters, photography and assemblage.

7. Lena visited the World Mining Museum in Butte, Montana where they have an exhibit called the Hoist House where people can not only view, but they can climb into the box to see how it felt to be a miner.

8. Mary visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C. where there are over 3 million artifacts.

9. Nicholas visited the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where there are different anatomical pathological specimens and antique medical equipment, as well as education about medical oddities.

10. Rachelle visited the Smithsonian National Zoological Park where part of it is in Washington D.C. and the other part in Virginia.

Week 5

In a brief paragraph, tell us what "Pre-Colombian' means:

The Pre-Colombian era is the time of the Americas prior to the influences of Europeans. Pre-Columbian is used especially often in the context of the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica (the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacano, the Zapotec, the Mixtec, the Aztec, and the Maya) and the Andes (Inca, Moche, Chibcha, Cañaris) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Columbian_era).


Tell us why you chose the topic:
I chose the topic of the Mayan civilization because I visited the Yucatan Peninsula six months ago and became very interested in the Mayan culture. I visited the ruins of Tulum, about an hour south of Playa del Carmen and was in awe of how advanced the Mayan people were for their time. The beautiful ruins, fabulous legends, and amazing technological creations were very impressive. At another location I attended a traditional Mayan purification ceremony in a cave where the ritual was spoken in Mayan and the High Priest blessed everyone. He covered everyone with something similar to incense smoke, but I believe it was a type of wax that was being burned. We then swam in a couple cenotes and were cooked a traditional Mayan meal. It was such a great experience that I wanted to learn more about the Mayan culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyvw6G9Max0

In this video the temples of Chichen Itza are featured. The Mayan people were very advanced and they even had an observatory where they would gaze at the stars. From this they created a 365 day calendar and were able to predict full moons and solar
eclipses. There is also a large water supply hole that doubled as the cities water supply and human scarification hole. There are images are beautiful and intricate hieroglyphs as well as the largest element of the ruins, El Casteo pyramid. The pyramid stands 79 feet high and has 365 steps, as many days as a year. Two times per year at the Fall and Summer equinox, a shadow appears on the pyramid in the shape of a serpent and makes it way down the pyramid where it lands at the serpents head that is carved out of the stone. There is also an enormous ancient ball court where Mayans would play a game similar to basketball, but the losers would be sacrificed. Eventually the city in the jungle fell to prolonged droughts, exhausted soils, and royals whose wars and rituals overtaxed the Mayan people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_civilization

The Mayan people had a fully developed written language, art, architecture, mathematical, and astronomical systems. The Mayan civilization was initially established between 2000 BC to 250 AD and continued to thrive until the arrival of the Spanish. The Mayan people fully developed writing, epigraphy, and the calendar. The collapse of the Maya is linked to possible draught, climate changes, overpopulation, collapse of trade routes, and disease. However, the Mayan people have never disappeared. Today, there are sizeable populations of Mayans throughout the Mayan area and they still maintain their unique beliefs, rituals, and language.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about your topic in 3 separate paragraphs:

1. The geographic extent of the Maya civilization, known as the Maya area, extended throughout the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán. The Maya area also extended throughout the northern Central American region, including the present-day nations of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and western Honduras.

2. The Maya were keen astronomers and had mapped out the phases of celestial objects, especially the Moon and Venus. Many temples have doorways and other features aligning to celestial events. Round temples are perhaps those most often described as "observatories" by modern ruin tour-guides, but there is no evidence that they were so used exclusively, and temple pyramids of other shapes may well have been used for observation as well.

3. The Maya practiced human sacrifice. In some Maya rituals people were killed by having their arms and legs held while a priest cut the person's chest open and tore out his heart as an offering. This is depicted on ancient objects such as pictorial texts, known as codices. It is believed that children were often offered as sacrificial victims because they were believed to be pure.

Classmates
1. Alexandra found out that the MOLAA features over 800 pieces in their permanent collection.

2. Annacy learned that every Sunday from 1-3pm there are organized workshops for all ages at the MOLAA.

3. Debbie learned that the MoLAA offers school and docent tours, they have special events and activities both for children and adults; including lectures, storytelling, hands-on art workshops, Latin American films and performing arts with dance and music.

4. Francisco learned that the museum was founded in 1996 in Long Beach, California.

5. Jessica learned that that the museum's main focus is to strengthen its position as a multidisciplinary institution providing a cross-cultural dialogue between artists, scholarly community and the general public.

6. Kevin learned that you can volunteer at the MOLAA.

7. Kristen learned that the MOLAA is the only museum in the western United States that exclusively features contemporary Latin American art.

8. Mandi learned that the MoLAA and Target offer free admission and events for the whole family every Sunday.

9. Nicole learned that the MOLAA has doubled its size, recently adding a 15,000 sq. ft. sculpture garden, and expanded its permanent collection.

10. Wanda learned that the MoLAA’s Chief Curator is Cecilia Fajardo-Hill.

Week 4

What does MoLAA stand for?
The Museum of Latin American Art

Explain what you see on the above video clips?
The MoLAA features art forms of all sorts including paintings, photos, artifacts, and sculptures. The creations are made from anything from bright color combinations to earthy tones. There is wide usage of larger people, or curvier people compared to American art.

What did you learn from the video clips?
1. I learned that the MoLAA has an extraordinary sculpture garden that is internationally recognized as the most important collection of contemporary Latin American sculpture in the nation.

2. I learned that the MoLAA features Artistic movements and eras including: Torres-Garcia’s School of the South (1930s), Movimento Madí (1940s), Concretismo (1950s), Neo-concrete (late 1950s), Constructivist (late 1950s), Cinetismo (1960s), Kinetic (1960s) and Reconstructive (1970s).

3. The artwork includes media such as oils, paper machѐ, charcoal, wood, clay, plaster, bronze, acrylic, and wood.
What is one specific work in this location that attracted you? Give us the name, and related background info.


Andrѐs Michѐlena
1963, Venezuela
No-Thing. Nada, 2006
Vinyl and plexiglass



Andrѐs Michѐlena is a famous Venezuelan painter from a long line of family artists. He spent 4 years studying Architecture at Universidad Central de Venezuela, but in his final semester he met an artist named Pedro Leon Zapata, and he became interested in art and never returned to architecture. Andrѐs then began studying art at Federico Brandt Art Institute in Caracas. Andrѐs demonstrates the influence of his spirituality through his art. One can witness the conflict he has with Catholicism, Santeria, Astrology, Alchemy, and more recently as a Zen Buddhist practitioner, his art has always shown the depth that he goes to find his way. He now lives and works in Miama, Florida.

Some artwork:


Classmates Information:

1. Alexandra learned by reading about Paulo Freire that the more she thought about it, the more I realized how important our attitude is.

2. Debbie thinks that by looking at pictures, it seems that Paulo and his philosophies reached many people over many cultures.

3. Kristopher learned that Paulo Freire survived the Great Depression and developed himself within the poorer communities.

4. Mandi has always been more eager to learn about a certain subject if she could relate it to her everyday life.

5. Martin thinks that The words we learn serve the purpose of explaining the understanding we have of the world.

6. Mary thinks that just because something is one way doesn't mean it always has to stay that way.

7. Nicholas feels that it is important to look at why Paulo Friere wanted to help people become educated.

8. Ramona thinks that Paulo's Freire’s discussion "Before The Word", is a good example of how he thinks and his perception of the world.

9. Silvia really liked the quote “you can't teach to love. You have to love. The only way you can teach to love is by loving; I believe that love is the definite transformation".

10. Wanda feels that oppression leads to complacency and a false sense of the reality of the world.