Excerpt from Travels in the Free States of Central America: Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Salvador

This document from the Independence period is a book titled Travels through the Free States of Central America: Nicaragua, Honduras and San Salvador. It was written by Karl Ritter von Scherzer, an Austrian explorer, diplomat, and natural scientist and his book details his observations and journey through Travels through Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Salvador. In describing his journey through Nicaragua, Scherzer discusses the mining industry there, which reflects elements of the continuation of the exploitation of labor during the Independence period, demonstrates part of the composition of the Nicaraguan economy, and hints at practices that will become more prominent during the Neocolonial period.

During his journey, Scherzer describes the development of the Nicaraguan mining industry by explaining that in 1813, several mines were opened, such as the Guadaloupe, San Jose, Dolores, Santa Rosa, and Las Animas (Scherzer 1970, 218). Scherzer’s discussion of the Nicaraguan mining industry relates to the economic makeup of Latin America during the Independence period whereby large landowners dominated major industries, such as mining industries, and exploited the working class by forcing them to perform labor under harsh conditions while receiving little or no pay. These practices also demonstrate a continuation of economic methods consistent with the Encounter period and the Colonial Crucible period. Moreover, Scherzer continues his description of the Nicaraguan mining industry by explaining how the aforementioned mines were bought and invested into by the American Mining Company, which ultimately abandoned the mines (Scherzer 1970, 219). The American Mining Company’s purchase and abandonment of Nicaraguan mines is an instance that is representative of practices that will become much more common as Latin American nations eventually transition into the Neocolonial period.

Works Cited

Dauthage, Adolf, “Karl von Scherzer” Eigenes Foto einer Originallithographie. Accessed February 12, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_von_Scherzer

Scherzer, Karl. Travels in the Free States of Central America: Nicaragua, Honduras, and San Salvador. New York: AMS Press, 1970.

By: Giovanny Bravo