Latin American History Trivia

1. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, which group of indigenous people occupied what is now Port-au-Prince?

From Quiz History of Port-au-Prince

Answer: Taino

The Taino People are believed to have arrived from Venezuela millennia before the arrival of the Europeans. They were ruled locally by a cacique, a chief or king type ruler. The Taino were enemies of the Carib People who lived on many of the other nearby islands. The Taino lived primarily inland to avoid been seen or invaded by the Caribs. Within decades of the arrival of Europeans, almost all, if not all, the Taino People in Haiti had died.

From Quiz History of Montevideo

Answer: Bruno Mauricio de Zabala

Buenos Aires lies along the Rio de la Plata and the Portuguese hoped to counteract the Spanish strength in the region by establishing their own colony. They called their settlement Colonia do Sacramento on the opposite side of the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires. However, the Spanish felt threatened by this despite the Portuguese's largely peaceful presence. Zabala, then Governor of Buenos Aires, established a fort near Colonia do Sacramento and the Portuguese fled their settlement. The city of Montevideo, which means "I see a hill", was founded around the fort.

From Quiz Jesuit Reductions in South America

Answer: Villages set up to gather the natives into proximity of the Jesuit missions

The Jesuit priests who arrived in South America intending to convert the natives to their faith decided that it would be advantageous to organise secure villages for the natives, referred to collectively as the Guarani people. The advantages for the Jesuits included increased opportunity to develop economic and cultural links that might increase the acceptance of Catholicism, while the Guarani gained security by living inside the enclosing fence. The word reduction is used in English; the original Spanish term was "reducciones de indios", or congregations of Indians.

From Quiz Tales of the Treaty

Answer: Christopher Columbus

Before receiving funding from the King and Queen of Spain, Columbus had unsuccessfully tried to sell his plan to reach the east by sailing west to the King of Portugal, John II. While some sources say that he was forced to land in Lisbon due to a storm on his return to Spain, others indicate that Columbus just couldn't resist temptation to stop and tell John what he had found before he returned to Spain after his first voyage. This set off a flurry of activity in Portugal - a nasty letter was sent to the Catholic Monarchs, and an armada was being prepared to go to the New World and claim the land in the name of Portugal.

From Quiz West Indies - History In The Isles

Answer: Caribs and Tainos

When Columbus came to the West Indies in 1492 the Tainos were the main occupants of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. The Caribs (Kalinagos) lived mostly in the lesser Antilles. Historically, the Tainos and Caribs were enemies. The Caribs were a fierce, warlike set of people who would carry out raids on the Tainos who had to defend themselves although they were basically peaceful.

From Quiz Another Man's Cause

Answer: Mexican Revolution of 1910

The Mexican Revolution began in 1910 when Francisco I. Madero, a Mexican politician, rebelled against the then President of Mexico and headed a revolt. After the rise and fall of several leaders, the revolution ended with the approving of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, although fighting continued till the end of the 1920s. Despite the war clearly being another man's cause, the United States was actively involved during a few years, notably 1914 and 1916. A major reason for American involvement was that the revolution could potentially inflict a severe blow on the United States' economy, which at the time was linked to Mexico's economy, which as a matter of course deteriorated during the succession of conflicts.

From Quiz Oh No! The Bananas are Under Attack!

Answer: Spain

The Spanish-American War is interesting for its short duration: John Hay famously called it "a splendid little war." By 1898, Spanish naval strength had far diminished since the empire's height during the exploration of the Americas; on the other hand, American military strength was starting to become evident. The United States hadn't yet tried to imperialize Latin America or anywhere else in the world, even though countries like France, the UK, and Germany had developed vast empires in Africa and Southeast Asia. Spain's empire was mostly limited to territories in Latin America like Cuba, and the Cubans wanted independence badly. Revolutionaries, especially famed poet Jose Marti, continued to fight from exile for Cuba's independence. Spain put down the revolts harshly. American resentment for the Spanish grew, especially with William Randolph Hearst's "yellow journalism." When the USS Maine, an American ship docked in Havana, exploded on February 15, 1898, United States citizens clamored for war, even though no definitive evidence of Spanish involvement was reached. The war was incredibly swift. The US took control of fronts in the Philippines and in Cuba, where Theodore Roosevelt made fame for himself by leading the so-called Rough Riders. A peace treaty was signed less than a year later in Paris, giving the United States control of many Spanish territories, including Guam and Puerto Rico.

From Quiz Latin American Mixture

Answer: Mexico

Benito Juarez (1806-1872) also made many forward looking reforms and was five times president of Mexico. He is also remembered for his staunch and successful resistance to Napoleon III's attempts to install and maintain the Habsburg Maximilian as Emperor of Mexico.

From Quiz An Episode in the Life of a Banana Republic

Answer: Honduras - fleeing the law

In his eventful life William Porter (he adopted the pseudonym O. Henry later) was a journalist, writer, pharmacist and bank teller, but never an ambassador. He was obviously a good writer since there is a prestigious award named after him, but apparently not as good a bank teller as it was his problems with book-keeping that got him into trouble. He was indicted for embezzlement and jumped bail to Honduras, returning after a year because of his wife's bad health. She died soon afterwards and he went to jail, where he had plenty of time to write in peace. Most of his writing inspiration came by watching and listening to people in hotel lobbies, not secluding himself. All four countries qualify as banana republics, with sizeable banana exports and a solid history of military dictatorships.

From Quiz Latin American History

Answer: Ferdinand Magellan

Balboa was the first to see the Pacific Ocean, but he called it the South Sea. Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519 and decimated the Aztecs by spreading diseases originated in Spain. Cabral founded Brazil in the name of the king of Portugal.

From Quiz History of the Bahamas: Discovery

Answer: Island People

Columbus called these people Indians, but they called themselves Lucayans. They were a peaceful people who met an untimely end with the coming of the European explorers.

From Quiz Latin American Heroes

Answer: Eva Peron

Eva Maria Duarte was born into a destitute family in Argentina in 1919. At the age of 16, she went to Buenos Aires, with aspirations of becoming an actress, and found work in radio and films. After several years in Buenos Aires, Eva met Juan Peron, an army officer and high government official. They were married a year later. Peron was elected president of Argentina in 1946. Eva was invaluable to Peron, and took a high profile role in the country's affairs. She was tireless in her efforts to help the disadvantaged, and at the same time advance the career of her husband. Evita, as she became known to everyone, provided housing, medical care, financial aid and education for Argentina's poor, and she was enormously popular with them. But not everyone was fond of Eva, particularly the rich and the military. In 1951, she was found to have cancer, but wouldn't allow doctors to perform the surgery that might have saved her life. It is said that she felt it was more important to continue her work for the poor. Eva Peron died in 1952.

From Quiz At a Glance: A History of Caribbean Nations

Answer: Grenada

Power was seized by Grenada's former Deputy Minister Bernard Coard during a bloody coup in front of over 1000 American medical students. Coard's strong Marxist views posed a threat and deep concern among various Caribbean nations as well as in Washington D.C. The U.S. Army invaded Grenada on October 25, 1983 and quickly took control of the island. The U.S. Army left Grenada in 1985. President Maurice Bishop, who was freed by many of his supporters, was executed on October 19, 1983.

From Quiz Pre-Columbian Civilizations

Answer: Aztecs

Because of the large population on the small island of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs used chinampas, or floating gardens, to grow corn, squash, and beans. They made these by piling soil on top of reed mats that were anchored to the bed of Lake Texcoco. They were not just able to grow in otherwise unusable land, but this made the soil more fertile.

From Quiz Napoleonic Efforts to Recapture Haiti

Answer: Saint Domingue

The island was originally known as "Ay-aiti" by the native Arawak Indians. The French renamed it Saint Dominique after acquiring it from the Spanish in 1697. Interestingly, France didn't conquer this area - they earned it through "adverse possession." So many Spanish had moved to Mexico, to search for gold, the French simply moved in.

From Quiz Suriname as an Independent Republic

Answer: Mr. Ferrier

Johan Ferrier was the first president (without executive power).

From Quiz Costa Rica History

Answer: San José

San José is the largest city in Costa Rica.

From Quiz History of Port-au-Prince

Answer: His sister, Anacaona

Bohechio, who was cacique when Christopher Columbus sailing for Spain arrived, had no children and was succeeded in his role as cacique by his sister Anacaona. During her rule, the Spanish intermarried with the Taino in Xaragua (the local name of the settlement in what is now Port-au-Prince). Anacaona's husband was Caonabo, also a cacique and a fierce warrior who was captured by the Spanish in 1496.

From Quiz Tales of Guyana

Answer: Land of Many Waters

The area that the Spanish called "Las Guayanas" eventually consisted of three land divisions; the modern countries in the region today are called Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname. Together they are part of a geographic feature called the Guiana Shield, which consists of the three modern countries, as well as parts of Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia. Rock formations, called the Guiana Highlands, consist of mountains topped by mesas called tepui, and are part of the landscape; they help create some of the most magnificent waterfalls in the world. In addition, there are many streams, creeks, and rivers, such as the Orinoco and Amazon, which, of course, have given the country its nickname.

From Quiz West Indies - History In The Isles

Answer: ubutu

The ubutu was not as powerful as the cacique except in times of war. The ubutu was a war leader. He would decide the day on which they would carry out attacks on the Tainos. The ubutu's position was not hereditary. Ubutus were chosen by village elders and the chosen one had to carry out a successful raid to earn the title. In times of peace the ubutu was not the leader of the districts.

From Quiz Aztec, Inca, Olmec, or Maya?

Answer: Maya

It's the only one that linguists have managed to translate into modern languages, at any rate. It is still being taught in Mexico in many areas where it is currently spoken. The Inca used knotted ropes known as quipu in lieu of writing. The Aztec system did not include an alphabet and was internally inconsistent. The Olmec used a system that was relatively simplistic compared that to the Maya.

From Quiz Another Man's Cause

Answer: Occupation of Veracruz

The Occupation of Veracruz had several causes, one of which was the Ypiranga Incident, when the United States attempted to intercept the Ypiranga, a ship allegedly bringing weapons to Mexico for the use of the Mexican government in power at the time. The relationship between the two countries had already been strained, however, and the incident (which culminated in the Ypiranga reaching Mexico, anyway) was merely a factor. American forces entered Veracruz on April 21, 1914. During the ensuing conflict, approximately 20 Americans and 150 Mexicans lost their lives. The US marines occupied Veracruz until November.

From Quiz Latin American Mixture

Answer: Brazil

Brazil, the only former Portuguese colony in Latin America, had the biggest population of slaves for several reasons, the main one being the vast quantities of natural resources that were being extracted from Brazil's terrain. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery (in 1888).

From Quiz An Episode in the Life of a Banana Republic

Answer: A railroad company in Costa Rica

Almost all banana republics owe their status to the arrival of the railroad. Costa Rica is just one example demonstrating a sequence of events that happened very similarly in Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Colombia. Minor C. Keith was the son of a lumber merchant and owner of a Texas cattle ranch when in 1871 he accepted his uncle's invitation to help build a railroad in Costa Rica. The government needed one to transport coffee from the central highlands to the Caribbean coast. With immense difficulties, it was built, but the government couldn't pay Keith. It offered to compensate him with a 99 year lease on the railroad and giving the land along the line. To increase revenue from his railroad, Keith started planting bananas on the given land. In 1899 he merged his business with the Boston Fruit Company to form the United Fruit Company.

From Quiz Bolivar: The Other Great American Revolutionary

Answer: A somewhat eccentric tutor named Simon Rodriguez

Simon Bolivar was fond of his tutor throughout his life, often seeking him out during times of uncertainty or need. In Venezuela, young Bolivar is reported to have had his first sexual encounter with his tutor's fifteen-year-old wife. They met up again in Europe, traveled together, and in Rome, Rodriguez witnessed Bolivar's oath to free Venezuela from Spanish rule. Later, Bolivar made Rodriguez Director of Public Education for Bolivia. Bolivar loved "Mama Hipolita" dearly, and she is the only non-family member to be buried in the Bolivar family crypt. Bolivar met Don Jose Maria, but thought that he was lacking the experience and courage to lead a successful rebellion. Bolivar was right, Maria was hanged on May 8, 1799 for a failed attempt of rebellion. Francisco Miranda was a 61-year-old man when Bolivar met him in England, and although they formed a bond and became involved in politics together, Bolivar had already been inculcated with his liberal ideas before they met.

From Quiz Latin American History

Answer: Augusto Pinochet

Once ruler, Pinochet ended the Chileans' rights to freedom of speech while arresting, torturing, and murdering many citizens.

From Quiz Taino and Kalinago

Answer: Venezuela

The Kalinago and Taino migrated to islands in the Caribbean from the Orinoco Valley in Venezuela.

From Quiz History of the Bahamas: Discovery

Answer: Haiti

The Spanish explorers called the island Hispaniola, however, the Lucayans refered to it as Haiti. The aboriginal people of Haiti were known as Tainos and were regarded by the Lucayans as kinsmen.

From Quiz Latin American Heroes

Answer: Argentina

Jose de San Martin was born in Argentina in 1778. After receiving a military education in Madrid, he returned to Buenos Aires to join the rebels involved in the crusade to liberate South American territory from Spain. In Chile, he united with rebel forces, and they went on to defeat the Spanish royalist armies. They continued on to Lima, and after ousting the Spanish there, Peru was declared independent. San Martin is often called the father of Argentina and of Peru. He was an invaluable leader in the struggle for South American independence. In Argentina, August 17th, the anniversary of his death, is a national holiday.

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