Colonization in Latin America and the Caribbean

The period of colonization in Latin America and the Caribbean provided many different dynamics that not only impacted the area at that time, but also still impact the region today. The aspect of colonization that I will be discussing throughout this essay is the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange dramatically changed the way of life for those in the Americas, as well as those in Africa and Europe. This dynamic of colonization provided both positives, like increased food and populations, and negatives, like the rapid spreading of disease, for all involved in the process. The Columbian Exchange also allowed for the region to become integrated with other areas of the world that had previously not been connected. Like many other aspects of the colonization in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Columbian Exchange drastically impacted both regions involved in many ways, all while integrating the Americas with the outside world of other continents.

The Columbian Exchange is described as the exchange of ideas, plants, animals and disease between the New World of the Americas and the Old World of Africa and Eurasia. It developed almost immediately after Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492 and has been continuing ever since. Not only did the Columbian Exchange spark the connection between multiple continents with Latin America and the Caribbean, but it also affected the history of both worlds economically, politically, and socially as we have come to understand them today. With the Columbian Exchange, many good things, such as crops, animals, and ideas were transported across the oceans. However, with the good there is always the bad and in this case it came in the form of disease and infections. All of these would go on to affect the way history played out from way back in 1492 until today.

The crops and plants that made there way between Latin American and the Caribbean and the Old World during the Columbian Exchange impacted the world drastically and continues to do so today. Pretty much any crop that you can think of came from either the New World or the Old World. For example, rice and wheat came from Eurasia and Africa, while corn and potatoes came from the New World. However, that is not even close to the total amount of crops and plants transported during the Columbian Exchange. Beans, peanuts, squash, pumpkin, papaya, guava, avocado, pineapple, tomato, Chile pepper, cocoa were all brought from the Americas back to the East, and sugarcane, which could be used to make coffee, tea, chocolate and rum, was introduced to the Americas. These crops and plants would eventually become intertwined in the cultures of both Latin America and the East. For example, potatoes would become a relied upon food source for low-income families in European nations and sugarcane would be developed on plantations all across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Along with plants and crops, animals were another important dynamic to the Columbian Exchange. Sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens, new dogs, and goat were all brought over from the East and introduced to the Americas during this time. Animals were also transferred to the East in the form of turkeys, llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs. Perhaps the most important animal that was transported during this time was the horse. Initially, horses provided the Old World countries with an advantage over the Americans. This came in the form of war and the battlefield. While Americans, such as the Aztecs and Incas, were unable to get around and fight via horseback, the invading Spanish rode around the area with power and ease. This provided a tremendous advantage for the Spanish in the colonization of Latin American and the Caribbean. However, once horses and other animals began to be transported over to the New World, they provided the Americans with the opportunity to become equals on the battlefield, as well as the ability to increase productivity during times of peace with a new form of labor, better transportation, and even new food sources.

However, with the good there are also the bad aspects of the Columbian Exchange. The bad part of the Columbian Exchange came in the form of disease and infections. This is perhaps the main reason why the Columbian Exchange is well known to historians and the general public as well. When the invaders from the Old World came into Latin America and the Caribbean they brought with them many different pathogens and diseases that, although they themselves