AP+Miguel+Otero+Silva,+Jose+de+San+Martin,+The+Cathedral+of+Cuzco

Miguel Otero Silva (1908-1985) By: Sara Ramey

 Miguel Otero Silva was a politician and writer most active in the early to mid-1900s Latin America. Silva had a history of rebellion against the Venezuelan government. His exile exposed him to new ideas, as Wikipedia writes that “By 1930 he had become affiliated to the Comintern, having plenty of interest for Marxist thinking” (Wikipedia; “Miguel Otero Silva). By being forced into exile, Silva had time to adopt “Marxist,” or communist, ideas. This “thinking,” his approach to the concept of government, later influenced his political writing. His writing appeared in numerous journals and magazines but he is most well known for his novels, including Casas Muertas (1955) (Venezuela Tuya; “Miguel Otero Silva”). Silva’s political stance influenced a number of citizens, especially via his novels.

 Silva’s work revolved around Venezuelan history and government. Venezuela Tuya writes that “his novel La muerte de Honorio (1963)…denounces the prisoners and torturers that are part of the political police of the regime” (Venezuela Tuya; “Miguel Otero Silva”). The regime, then controlled by Gómez, was harshly criticized by Silva despite the risk of becoming yet another victim of the “political police.” This shows his tenacity throughout his life in both active revolutions and political writing. As a result of his work, some civil movement organizations have been founded in his name, especiaally the Miguel Otero Silva Cultural Foundation. This foundation attempts to influence cultural change in Venezuela, as “the ‘Miguel Otero Silva’ Cultural Foundation… conduct communications campaigns via local newspapers, radio stations, text messaging, and Internet” (Golinger). Due to Silva’s writing and public stance in his life, this “Cultural Foundation,” whose goal is to affect change in Venezuelan political culture, employs various marketing means. Silva’s Marxist ideas, though tempered over time, still influence public opinion of the government and President Chavez today.

 Works Cited

 Golinger, Eva. “America’s Covert ‘Civil Society Operations’: US Interference in Venezuela Keeps Growing.” GlobalResearch.ca. GlobalResearch.ca, 2010. Web. 7 January 2011.  “Miguel Otero Silva.” VenezuelaTuya.com. Venezuela Tuya, 2009. Web. 6 January 2011.  “Miguel Otero Silva.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 26 Oct 2010. Web. 6 January 2011.

Jose de San Martin (1778-1850)

By: Lynn Nguyen


Jose de San Martin is a figure in South America hailed as The Liberator because he freed Argentina, Chile, and Peru from the oppressive hands of Spanish Imperialists during the 1800s (Pryor). He was born in Yapeyu, Argentina in 1778, but later moved to Spain for educational purposes. He served in the Spanish army in the late 1700s, but decided to return to his home country Argentina and switch sides. He created the Lautaro lodge whose goal was to abolish the Spanish government in South America. His regiment called the Mounted Grenadiers scored their first victory against the Spanish on February 3, 1813 in San Lorenzo, Paraguay (Chami). Afterward, San Martin planned to attack the Spanish stronghold that was located in Lima, Peru, but to get there he had to cross the high Andes mountains which were too difficult to pass. As a result, he entered Chile instead, liberated that country, and moved on to Peru. There he took control of Lima and relinquished Spanish control (Pryor). San Martin thus played a critical role in the movement for independence in South America. Without him, South America would perhaps still be under Spanish control.

Works Cited Chami, Pablo. “San Martin.” Pachami.com. Chami, 20 May 1998. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. Pryor, Devon. “Who is Jose de San Martin?” wisegeek.com. wiseGEEK, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Jan. 2011.



**The Cathedral of Cuzco (or Cusco)** By: Hott Coco (AKA Paige Hughes)



The cathedral is located on the main square of Cuzco, Peru, called the Plaza de Armas. Cuzco Cathedral, is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuzco (Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Cusco). The building that stands there today is actually the second cathedral built. The first was built in 1539, but then in 1560 there was an order to build a new cathedral and it was not finished for almost another hundred years, in the year 1654. It was built on top of the palace of Inca Wiracocha. The inside of the cathedral is coated in gold, which was actually an attempt on the part of Spanish Conquistadors to befriend the Incas that lived there. Gold is a sacred metal to the Incas, and the majority of the inside of the cathedral contains some form of gold. Also shown in the Cathedral is a painting of "The Last Supper" by Marcos Zapata. The painting shows Christ and the Apostles about to dine on guinea-pig, washed down with a glass of chicha. This is believed by some to be the Conquistadors attempt to show the Incas that their religion was superior (The Cathedral of Cusco Peru).

Works Cited: "The Cathedral Of Cusco Peru." //George and Eve DeLange Homepage//. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. "The Cathedral of Cuzco." //Digging for the Truth//. The History Channel. Web. 10 Jan. 2011. "Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Cusco." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 11 Jan. 2011.