The death of Gabriel García Márquez was a major seismic event that generated a tsunami of coverage in the Latin American media.  It focused the attention of the entire region, and was the top story in every major paper in Spanish-speaking Latin America (and Spain, as well).  Stories about Gabo will likely continue to pour

Though the real troubles had started in 1960, a process began on March 31, 1964 that led to the overthrow of President João Goulart by the Brazilian military (with the backing of the United States) on April 1, 1964.  The coup put an end to the government of Goulart, also known as Jango, because the

Gustavo Petro, former M-19 guerrilla, senator, and mayor of Bogotá was finally removed from power on March 19, 2014.  Petro was dismissed from his post by Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez (also called the inspector general) in December 2013 over fallout from a botched attempt to overhaul the management of the city’s trash collection services, but

Commemorations of President Hugo Chávez’s death on March 5, 2013 took place in Venezuela in early March, despite protests against his successor Nicolás Maduro that have shaken the country and called into question the legacy of “El Comandante.”  Public criticism of Maduro’s handling of the crisis remained muted in the region, despite his uneven attempts

The massive demonstrations against the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela throughout February 2014 did not emerge suddenly out of the blue.  Since the death of President Hugo Chávez in March 2013, after which Maduro (his vice president and hand-picked successor) took office, and was then elected outright in April 2014, political tensions have steadily

Presidential elections held on February 2nd in El Salvador and Costa Rica will go to second rounds after the favorites failed to get enough votes to win outright.  Economic inequality, corruption and crime dominated the contests, and tilted the scales to the left. 

In mid January self-defense groups organized by individual communities in the Mexican state of Michoacán clashed, yet again, with the forces of Los Caballeros Templarios, or Knights Templar, drug cartel.  The communities, which have been terrorized for years, have lost faith in the ability (or even inclination) of local, state, and federal government officials to

In mid January Pope Francis tapped 19 bishops to be Cardinals (they will be officially elevated at the next consistory ceremony on February 22, 2014)

In early December 2013 Uruguay became the first country to decriminalize the production and sale of marijuana. 

Honduras held general elections on November 24, 2013 that many observers say reflected the poor state of Honduran democracy since the 2009 coup and ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.