South America 1800-1900

1799–1803 German explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) travels across present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where access had been previously forbidden to any non-Spaniard. His accounts inspire many followers, including artists Johann Mauritz Rugendas (1802–1858) from Germany and Frederic Church (1826–1900) from the U.S.

1800–1805 Aleijadinho, or the Little Cripple (pseudonym of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, ca. 1738–1814), sculpts the Prophet statues for the Sanctuary of the Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Brazil: a native masterpiece.

1808 In an inversion of political and cultural hierarchies, the Portuguese court establishes itself in Brazil from 1808 to 1821. Portuguese Prince Regent Jõao VI (1769–1826) and some 10,000 functionaries move to Rio de Janeiro, which becomes the capital of the Portuguese empire for the next thirteen years.

1816 The French Artistic Mission arrives in Rio de Janeiro, led by Joachim Lebreton (1760–1819) and architect A.-H.-V. Grandjean de Montigny (1776–1850), initiating the strong and enduring influence of French styles.

1818 The Spanish are defeated by the Army of the Andes at the Battle of Maipú and Chilean independence is achieved.

1819 Called the father of Latin American independence, Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) leads armies to liberate Venezuela and Colombia.

1821 Bolívar is ratified as president of the new country of Gran Colombia. José de San Martín (1778–1850) declares the independence of Peru. Myriad portraits of the heroes of the Revolution displace sacred imagery of the colonial period.

1822 Bolívar's general Antonio José de Sucre (1795–1830) defeats the Spanish in Ecuador. In Brazil, Dom Pedro I is declared emperor.

1823 The U.S. proclaims the Monroe Doctrine, stating that all the territories of the Americas are off limits to further European expansion.

1824 The defeat of the Spanish at Ayacucho, Peru, signals the end of Spanish rule in Central and South America.

1825 Bolivia achieves Independence.

1826 The Academia Imperial das Belas Artes (Imperial Academy of Fine Arts) is founded in Rio de Janeiro.

1831 Dom Pedro I of Brazil abdicates.

1835 The Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Academy of Painting and Sculpture) is founded in Caracas.

1840 Once he comes of age, Dom Pedro II is crowned emperor of Brazil. He fosters the arts and especially photography, of which he is an avid practitioner.

1845 Facundo: civilización y barbarie is published by Domingo Sarmiento (1811–1888), a key literary and historical figure of the century.

1850–59 The Comisión Corográfica conducts a pioneering survey of Colombia, and establishes the precedent for native artists and geographers recording their own lands and peoples.

1852 Dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793–1877) is driven from Buenos Aires; the Argentine Federalist constitution is established the following year.

1860s A boom in export development—agricultural goods in Argentina, copper in Chile, and coffee in Brazil—continues into the twentieth century.

1865–70 The War of the Triple Alliance pits Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay against Paraguay.

1870s The beginning of mass European emigration to Latin America is accompanied by increased foreign investment, major railway building, industrialization, organized labor, and the rise of positivist philosophy.

1871 In Brazil, the Free Womb Law (Lei do Ventre Livre) frees all children born to slaves.

1872 Argentine José Hernández (1834–1886) publishes the gauchoesque poem Martín Fierro, a popular epic that represents one of the greatest achievements of Romantic poetry in Spanish.

1879–84 Bolivia and Peru engage in the War of the Pacific with Chile, with the result that Bolivia is landlocked.

1886 Slavery is abolished in Cuba.

1888 Slavery is abolished in Brazil.

1889 Dom Pedro II abdicates and Brazil is proclaimed a republic.

1896 Teatro Amazonas opens in Manaus, Brazil, an attempt to foster culture in the Amazon region, away from the established centers.

1898 The Spanish-American War is fought. Cuba and Puerto Rico are ceded to the United States.

1900 Uruguayan philosopher and literary critic José Enrique Rodó (1871–1917) publishes Ariel, calling upon Latin America to resist the materialism represented by the U.S., whose influence has been increasing since the 1890s.

1903 Panama is separated from Colombia, a prelude to the creation of an independent nation and the construction of the Panama Canal.