The Foundations, Motivations, and Justifications of Latin American Dictator Caudillo Mentality

In the 19th Century, the various personae of local leaders, caudillos, who would arise to national power and function as dictators, played a significant role in the development, or, what could be called the stagnation, of Latin American nations, as almost a universal factor.  The reasons why these leaders arose as such are numerous.  One of the reasons comes from the Latin American environment; a brutal and untamed environment is very likely to breed a brutal sort of leader.  Social reasons also played a part in the creation of caudillo power, coming from the hierarchical, and authoritarian influence of former Spanish rule, and also from the dominant social mentality which gave caudillos not only a reason to desire power, but also a base upon which to build their regimes.  Also, absent from these reasons is monetary motivation, as the caudillo mentality seems to use these social justifications to see wealth as more of a means, rather than an end product of power. The foundation upon which the caudillo nature rests is rooted, fundamentally, in the land.  This foundation comes not from the nature of the land itself - the land's composure - such as Crist would imply, describing, "Big pastoral regions [which] have been the scene of interminable struggles," or how the "Llanos have for centuries been the scene of warlike activities" (72).  While these ideas may be true, the influence of the land extends further than this simple restriction to the plains which Crist focuses on.  The Latin American landscape which Sarmiento describes proves to touch upon a far more plausible explanation; he illustrates that the landscape of Argentina, and, presumably, the remainder of Latin America, is dominated by wild, and undomesticated lands, interrupted only sparsely by civilized areas.