The Latin American History Podcast

Today we look at the practicalities of a bandeirante expedition. Where did they get their equipment from? What would daily life have been like on expedition? How did they choose where to go? We also look at the Moncoes - a specific type of bandeirante which emerged towards the end of the period, and which developed specific techniques for dealing with a particularly difficult environment.

Today we look at the origins of the bandeirante phenomenon, including the social and economic features which created it and it's link to the city of Sao Paulo

We have devoted a great deal of time on this podcast to the conquistadors and the Spanish invasions of Latin America. Despite it's size and importance however, we have not looked much at how Brazil became Portuguese.

In this episode we discuss the reasons for this and recap what history there has been to cover so far when it comes to Portuguese America. Most importantly, we introduce the bandeirantes - the people who did more than any other to expand Brazil's borders and create settlement beyond the narrow coastline by looking at what they were - and what they weren't.

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 stadium by the junta.

Joseph has published an account of his experiences and it is available here:

https://www.amazon.com/CHILE-Embers-Past-Joseph-Doherty-ebook/dp/B0GSFPQGST

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.

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 eliminated mosquito-borne disease across the width of Panama as a side project.

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.

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.

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.

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 which provided the context for the military junta to emerge, the complex personal struggles which still take place today when someone discovers their links to one of Argentina's darkest episodes, and that they are not who they thought they were.