Rene Descacartes

Rene Descartes was a seventeenth century philosopher who summed up philosophical thinking in his famous statement, "I think, therefore I am." Philosophical influences are prevalent in every culture throughout time. Latin America was strongly influenced by the centuries that it was under the control of the colonial government of Spain and Portugal and therefor Latin America’s philosophical viewpoint stemmed from there. The Latin American culture could best be described as the fusing of three cultures. They are as follows: 1.) the native culture that existed among those indigenous people, 2.) the European culture, which is comprised of Spain, Portugal, France and England and evidenced in language, law, education and religion, and 3.) the African culture when slavery was introduced.

Once Latin America gained its independence from the Spanish and Portuguese empires, the regions began to form Republics. During the period from 1808 to 1814 the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula brought the notion of emancipation from the colonies to the forefront of native thinking. This then led to the liberalism movement. When the liberalism movement was at its peak, its staunch supporters were focused on the necessity of replacing the laws that were rooted in colonial beliefs. The movement wanted to introduce laws that centered on egalitarianism and independence. While some of the old laws remained, by 1825, all of Spanish America, with the exception of Cuba and Puerto Rico, had become liberated which brought about the formation of the native’s republics.

Folk and elite caudillos brought many contributions to Latin American society. Caudillos were charming political or military leaders who were extremely popular among the people. They often acquired their position of power through violence and/or illegal means. Caudillos tended to be educated men with backgrounds in law or religious studies. They influenced a substantial portion of Latin American...