A team of underwater archeologists believe they have found a cannonball from a Spanish ship called the “San Francisco” that sank off the coast of Japan in 1609.[1] The Spanish merchant vessel was believed to be transporting valuable trading goods from the Philippines to Mexico that sank when a storm drove the boat into reefs off Chiba province.[2] Dr Jun Kimura from Tokai University has been leading a team of marine archeologists who have been searching for the San Francisco in waters off Iwawada in Chiba prefecture.[3] The cannonball was discovered by Ian McCann, an Australian researcher at the University of New England, during a deep dive around 130 feet below the ocean surface.[4] Dr Kimura told the BBC “We were in dark, murky waters, Ian just saw an unusual shape on the sandy bed- he recovered it but then we had to go back to the surface as our air had nearly run out.” The team of archeologists and the experts they consulted were “almost certain” it was a cannonball from the San Francisco because it was like cannonballs found in other Spanish trading ships in the Philippines.[5] However, they will be carrying out a chemical analysis to confirm this.

McCann told the BBC: “A cannonball may not sound like much but it indicates the general vicinity where the vessel went down. It is the only Spanish Manila galleon that has not been plundered by treasure hunters,” he also said the trading vessels “carried fabulously valuable cargo… by today’s value the cargo may have had a value of around $80m.” This project is the first scientific mission to search for the San Francisco shipwreck and its funded by the Japanese government.[6] A piece of timber was also found in the area and believed to be related to the shipwreck and further expeditions have been planned to be conducted in the area in early 2018.[7]

The San Francisco shipwreck was of “historical importance because it impacted the relationship between Spain, the Philippines, Mexico and Japan,” said Dr Kimura. The ship had been carrying goods from the Philippines to Mexico, which were both Spanish colonies at the time. Aboard the ship was the governor of the Philippines Don Rodrigo de Vivero Velasco.[8] Mr Velasco, who survived the ships sinking, detailed the account in a book, writing: “the Ship was getting destroyed in pieces among some cliffs on the head of Japan… all of us survivors were over the riggings and ropes, because the galleon was getting broken piece by piece.” Hundreds of people survived the shipwreck, and were treated well, thanks to Velasco’s good relations with the Japanese.[9] They eventually successfully sailed back to Mexico, with several Japanese representatives, on the first western-style ship ever built in Japan.[10] “They were the first Japanese ever to cross the pacific and the Spanish king highly appreciated what Japan had done for the survivors, so diplomatic exchanges between Japan and Spain started,” said Dr Kimura. This article pertains to our class themes about the linkage and colonization of the New world from the Old. Discovering shipwrecks provide a unique insight into the different cultural and economic relations that were going on at the time. The shipwreck of the San Francisco happened in 1609, as the Spanish empire was rapidly expanding and establishing new trade routes around the world. If the San Francisco ship wreckage was found it would provide a rare glimpse into the colonial economic framework of the time. It was seafaring voyages such as this one that ultimetly shaped and defined the world as we know it today.

[1] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[2] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[3] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[4] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[5]“San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[6] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[7] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[8] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[9] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

[10] “San Francisco shipwreck: Divers find cannonball clue.” BBC News. November 13, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41965080.

With all the news about Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico in the wake of this year’s hurricane season, it’s easy to forget about the other US territories in the Carribean. The US Virgin Islands have been apart of the US since 1916 and makeup three islands St. Thomas, St John, and St Croix, all three rely heavily on tourism for their economy. Though they cannot vote in Congress they have sitting Senators and an active Governor and are under Amercian protection and control. In September the islands were hit by both Irma and Maria, Irma quickly decimating St Thomas and St John, Maria coming up from behind taking out St Croix as well and destroying anything that wasn’t damaged with the first round. These islands are not unfamiliar with storms, they are regularly struck by hurricanes but this season was different bringing the strongest storms in recent memory. This story in New York Times examines how the islands are recovering almost two months after the major storms and discusses their road to recovery.

The storm left the islands dark with no power and general infrastructure destroyed. My Nana, a resident of St Croix for more than a decade described the aftermath as “There was not a single leaf left on the island.” This can actually be visibly seen by space with the pictures below. The article states that the Federal Emergency Management Agency still quotes that 73% of the islands still had no power as of last week. Many are simply hoping that the lights will be on by Christmas, assuming their homes were still standing.

This a picture of the Islands of St John and St Thomas after Hurricane Irma. St Criox is farther to the south and a few days after this was taken also looked the same as a result of Hurricane Maria.

The article itself talks about places they visited on each island checking their progress since the storm. On St Thomas they talked to a family whose apartment was completely waterlogged and without power since the storm. They tried to keep it clean and functional, but after having a baby that same month the rising mold and unsanitary conditions caused them to leave and abandon their home. The family noted even that many were less fortunate however losing entire walls and furniture being completely blown away. On St John the followed the Caneel Bay Resort who had large portions of its buildings destroyed and even decided to close its doors for the next year to work on repairs. This has caused a layoff of 300 workers who depend on the tourist and hospitality business for their livelihood. The hotel continues to try and provide what little food refrigeration it can to serve residents and emergency workers on the island. In St Croix, they followed a restaurant called Cibone in Frederiksted. They are still checking to see if the building is structurally sound enough for a complete cleanup. It is covered currently by a blue tarp covering a damaged roof like much of the island. Waterlogged houses have become hotbeds for mold and require masks for cleanup work.

The islands themselves have been largely ignored in the larger media because places like Puerto Rico are larger. But the islands still need a lot of help rebuilding power lines and infrastructure. It is currently asking for 7 billion in emergency aid from the federal government, but in the current political climate, it may be tough. These people are Amercian citizens however and often times aren’t remembered to be.

This connects to our class because the islands were once important hotbeds for sugar cane and the slave trade. They evolved with colonialism and still show the ruins and connections today. Often the problems of race and poverty still exist today as disaster strikes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/us/virgin-islands-hurricanes.html

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=90952

The vice-president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Freddy Guevara, has sought refuge in the residence of the Chilean ambassador to Venezuela. He is wanted by the Maduro government for inciting violence by calling for protests against the Maduro regime. The government has revoked his parliamentary immunity and banned him from leaving the country. Guevara says that he is not guilty of these crimes and that he is being persecuted for opposing Maduro. He did organize protests as a member of the Popular Will party, a major opposition party.

The Maduro regime has had many members of the opposition arrested, including the founder of Popular Will, Leopoldo Lopez. Guevara said that he sought refuge from the Chilean ambassador because he did not want to give Maduro another political “hostage.” The Chilean ambassador took in five pro-opposition magistrates that were being threatened with jail time earlier this year. They were then smuggled out of Venezuela into Colombia, and then flown to Chile. Chile has, like many other Latin American countries, condemned the Venezuelan government for its many rights abuses. The US State Department has denounced the attempted arrest of Guevara, calling it, “yet another extreme measure to close the democratic space in Venezuela, criminalize dissent and control information.”

The articles portray Latin Americans in general in no particular light. They do highlight the political problems ongoing in Venezuela. They try to strike a balance between the two parties, but are slightly more favorable to the opposition, as they are portrayed more as the victims of the Maduro regime, while the Maduro regime tries to portray itself as a victim of violence from the opposition.

These articles relate to class themes in that they describe a government’s attempt to concentrate power at the expense of its opponents. This is similar to the efforts of colonial governments to centralize their own power, often at the expense of other groups, whether they were indigenous leaders, earlier Iberian conquerors, or other groups. This event also connects to class themes of conflicts between the rulers of colonial societies and those they ruled over. In this case there is conflict between Maduro and his supporters and the opposition parties.

Reuters article

BBC article

The Miss Perú 2018 Beauty Pageant was held on October 29 this year. In an interesting turn of events, the 23 contestants recited statistics of violence against women instead of their body measurements. The organizers also displayed media portraying prominent gender-based violence during other sections of the pageant. This was not advertised ahead of time, leaving viewers shocked. When interviewed, the contest organizer Jessica Newton said, “Unfortunately, there are many women who do not know, and think they are isolated cases.” Using the publicized event as a platform for this issue was guaranteed to bring more attention to it. Newton then went on to point out that, out of the 150 contestants that started out, five of them had been victims of violence.

http://https://www.inuth.com/trends/social-virals/the-powerful-reason-why-miss-perus-contestants-listed-crime-stats-during-the-beauty-pageant/

Gender-based violence has long been an issue in Perú. According to the Observatory of Citizen Security of the Organization of American States, Perú is the penultimate perpetrator of violence against women with only Bolivia topping it. More than 700 women have been killed between 2009 and 2015 in Perú. The cause of death has been labeled “femicide”, a term attributed to women killed in certain circumstances. The Miss Perú 2018 Beauty Pageant isn’t the only protest against Perú’s problem with violence against women. Despite congress passing a law in 2015 to prevent and punish violence against women, there were large protests in Lima last year demanding that the authorities do more. The winner of this year’s pageant claimed in her end interview that her plan to help end the violence would be to “implement a database containing the name of each aggressor, not only for femicide but for every kind of violence against women. In this way, we can protect ourselves.”

Latin Americans are portrayed in something of a negative light merely by association to the harsh statistics, but the subjects of the article itself are actively fighting against gender-based violence. Newton and the other organizers took an event generally expected to provide light, easy entertainment and used it to give airtime to a serious problem. This and the article itself paints those involved in a positive light for their activism.

This relates to the themes of our class in that it addresses the treatment of Latino people through the lens of gender. Women in colonial Latin America experienced life differently from men, a fact that perhaps hasn’t changed as much as we might wish. The Spanish have long been notable for their notions of chivalry/chauvinism and strict ideas of the roles of men and women. This article enforces that that’s something that hasn’t changed much.

Links: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41827062

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/peru

In 2013, landowner Bernard Luchsinger and his wife Vivianne McKay were killed and their bodies burnt in the Araucania region of south-central Chile. The couple had been involved in a land dispute with the local Mapuche indigenous community. The incident was labeled “a terrorist act” by Interior Minister Andres Chadwick, and President Sebastian Pinera personally visited the region to announce the deployment of eighty-four additional police officers to protect local landowners. On October 25, 2017, eleven Mapuches suspected of having carried out the attack were cleared by judges due to insufficient evidence.

Tensions between the 600,000-strong Mapuche and the Chilean government have grown increasingly stressed over the past few years. Mapuche extremists have carried out other attacks on residents and companies who they see as intruding on traditional lands. The killing of Luchsinger and McKay may have been related to the murder of Mapuche activist Matias Catrileo in 2008, who was shot and killed by police while participating in an occupation of land owned by Jorge Luchsinger — a cousin of Bernard Luchsinger.

The article paints modern Latin America as being violent and stuck in the past. It mentions how armed groups have launched other destructive arson attacks on buildings and vehicles, and it links the violence seen today to a Chilean military invasion in the 1800s. The portrayal of Latin America, specifically Chile, is not dissimilar to Iraq.

Throughout Colonial Latin American history, indigenous peoples were constantly oppressed and their land encroached upon by greedy colonists. Many natives resisted Spanish conquest, but all eventually fell under at least nominal Spanish domination. The colonial bureaucracy and judicial system were generally stacked against them. Now, however, it seems as though native peoples are receiving fairer treatment. Even if their land is still preyed upon by landowners and corporations, there are people who recognize their plight and they can turn to the courts for justice. Lingering hostilities have nonetheless erupted into violence, and the Luchsinger murders were not the first or last altercations resulting from this. With any luck, the extremists responsible will be brought to justice and existing grievances can be solved peacefully.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41756817

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20917065

As the Argentinian Election cycle draws near, there has been an incident in finding the body of a prominent Argentinian “Native Rights” activist named Santiago Maldonado in Patagonia (Southern Argentina). In his background prior to the disappearance/murder, he was an activist that wanted to help the Mapuche who were facing trouble when a clothing company attempted to interlope on their land claims. Ultimately, the Mapuche people were evicted from the premises by security forces. Santiago was last seen protesting with the Mapuche as the eviction took place and that had occurred two months ago on August 8th, 2017.

There is some speculation that the Argentinian ruling party known as The Republican Proposal, would have done this since Santiago and the party often collided with each other in regards to native rights infringements. The case is described as being a thorn in the Marci Governments side since people speculate that the case isn’t be handled well enough by investigators. But, the Election is temporarily shaken by this event and it could lead to some drastic political results. Otherwise, this is an ongoing story that is going to affect Argentina greatly. 

• This image was taken in August and it shows protestors protesting the disappearance of Santiago. (Image is taken from the NY Times Article)

• This is a picture of the current President of Argentina, Mauricio Marci (taken from the NY Times article)

This relates to what we are talking about in class today since it’s about the treatment of native peoples in colonized territories. Some people are activists who want to help the native people get their well-deserved lands back. Others not so much, they want the resources to go to the government and their pockets.  It is still an ongoing issue that is clearly still with us in the 21st century. Historically, the Argentinian government has done a lot of infringement on native treaties to get much-coveted resources in their given territories.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/08/argentina-santiago-maldonado-benetton-missing-activist  Article about the disappearance/eviction two months ago

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/world/americas/argentina-santiago-maldonado.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Famericas&action=click&contentCollection=americas&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront October 19th, 2017)