HIST 371A Colonial Latin America
The history of Colonial Latin America contains numerous dramatic and compelling narratives: exploration and new encounters; competing religious visions and missions; the formation of new social orders; and countless examples of hegemony, counter-hegemony, resistance, and survival. In this class we will explore all of these themes by studying the narrative history of Latin America from just before the arrival of Columbus in 1492 until the Independence period of the early 19th century. Topics will include pre-contact indigenous and European societies; initial encounters and the formation of a new Colonial order; the role of religion and the Catholic Church in Latin America; slavery and social relations in Colonial life; the Bourbon Reforms; Independence and the establishment of new nations.