An enslaved African. Some military officers. A poor Mexican priest. A king’s son. All of these people started revolutions in Latin America.
Latin America is South America, Central America, Mexico, and most of the Caribbean islands. Enlightenment ideas came to this area in the late 1700s and early 1800s. People there were ruled by European countries that were very far away. They liked the idea of picking their own leaders. In Spain’s colonies, society was divided along class lines. People born in Spain had the most power. Creoles, or Spaniards born in Latin America, could not hold major offices. However, they could get rich. After these two groups came persons of mixed heritage. Next came enslaved Africans. At the very bottom of society were American Indians. Creoles led most of the revolutions in Latin America. Most of these revolutions helped the wealthy and not the poor.
