EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA

INTRODUCTION

Latin America is a subcontinent with countries as well as people in varied cultures. Studying history, still more the history of education in such a framework, is to dig into the meanders of a conglomerate social, economic and political heterogeneous. This is what invites us, well our search.

It is for us to study the history of education in Latin America. The documents at our disposal are the 16th to the 20th century. It is appropriate, first of all, that history is not linear; away from us so give some claim to want to find a strict chronological order. On the contrary, we will have to make big jumps in time for significant periods, i.e. those that have marked the field of our study. We will ensure as far as possible to the agents, the subject, the purpose of education and the educational method for each period.

In the first part which goes from the 16th to the 18th century, we want to show that education in Latin America, during the colonial period and even after independence, was strongly linked to the Spain. These were religious, all originating in the metropolis which has started education in the colonies. Even if the purpose was not neutral, it has nevertheless evolved under the instigation of the illustrious men of Spain. This link will also be told Horacio Solari that: the Spain 'did not leave its colonies; "she gave everything she had: its language, its religion, its customs, its laws and education, its forms of thoughts, its kinds of studies, teaching methods" [1].

The second part of our work stretches of the 19th to the 20th century. This is the time of the genesis of the nation States. They have experienced tumultuous developments, with obviously implications for education. This is why this part will take care of showing the impact that the regimes which succeeded one another at the head of the Latin American States have had on education. We are thus a path which extends from the Liberal oligarchy to militarism, passing through popular nationalism. The success of Cuba, and his metamorphosis in socialist revolution, catch our attention.