Mexito

In Latin American history border disputes and changes have been relatively common. In the Valley there is a clear awareness of the United States region between the Rio Grande and the Rio Nueces thatwas formally part of Mexico- El Mesteño. How ever, it is often forgotten that when Mexico gained its independence form Spain in 1821 its territory included what currently are the five Central AmericanRepublics of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. At the beginning of the 19th Century, Central America boasted a minimal population and was a jungle region with a few mediumcommunications with the capital of Mexico. For this reason, it separated from Mexico within about two years and later it divided into the current five countries. During the process there were severalchanges in the borders established for the Spanish colonies. The Mexican state of Chiapas has a name that in its origin was a synonym of “Guatemala”: even today Guatemalans are still known in CentralAmerica as “chapines”. In colonial times the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica was part of Nicaragua. Nicaraguans moreover argue that Costa Ricans have changed the northern border near the San Juan delNorte River. In recent decades, there have been several border disputes among Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The nations of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama were originally one country underthe Liberator Simon Bolivar in the years immediately following from Spain. Venezuela and Ecuador separated from Colombia during the 19th century; Panama gained its independence in 1903 with the helpof the United States for reasons relating to the construction of the inter-oceanic canal. Three yeas ago there was a brief armed conflict between Ecuador and Colombia over important oil reserves in aborder zone. Currently the Colombian government of Alvaro Uribe is blaming the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez for helping Colombian guerrillas in the jungle area between the two countries....