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Latin America & Caribbean

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Latin America & Caribbean Timeline

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1983

Military 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

United States Invades Grenada

Political instability gripped Grenada after a coup within the Marxist New Jewel Movement government led to the execution of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Concerned about Cuban influence, the safety of American medical students, and regional stability, President Ronald Reagan authorized military action. On October 25, U.S. forces supported by Caribbean allies launched Operation Urgent Fury, landing at dawn to secure key sites including the airport and university campus. Fighting lasted several days as U.S. troops overcame resistance from Grenadian and Cuban personnel. The operation quickly restored a pro-Western interim government.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1985

Disaster 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Nevado del Ruiz Erupts, Burying Armero in Lahars

Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia had shown increased activity for months, with warnings issued by scientists, yet local authorities and residents received mixed or delayed evacuation orders. On November 13, 1985, the volcano erupted explosively in the evening, melting glacial ice and generating fast-moving lahars of mud, rock, and water. These flows raced down river valleys at high speed toward populated areas. The town of Armero, home to about 28,700 people, was largely engulfed overnight. Approximately 23,000 residents perished, with thousands more injured or displaced in what became Colombia's deadliest volcanic disaster.

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1989

Military 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

U.S. Launches Operation Just Cause in Panama

Relations between the United States and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega deteriorated sharply after his 1989 indictment on drug trafficking charges and the nullification of democratic elections. Noriega's regime also posed risks to U.S. citizens and the Panama Canal. On December 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush ordered the invasion, beginning with airborne and special operations strikes just after midnight local time. Approximately 27,000 U.S. troops rapidly overwhelmed Panamanian Defense Forces, secured key sites in Panama City, and installed the elected government of Guillermo Endara. Noriega evaded capture for several days before surrendering on January 3, 1990, and facing trial in the United States.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1990

Military 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Manuel Noriega Surrenders to U.S. Forces

Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega had seized de facto power after the 1981 death of Omar Torrijas and maintained a corrupt regime accused of drug trafficking and election rigging. After the U.S. invasion Operation Just Cause began on December 20, 1989, Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City. U.S. psychological operations, including loud rock music, pressured him during a ten-day standoff. On January 3, 1990, Noriega surrendered to American troops, ending the immediate conflict. He was flown to Miami, arraigned on drug charges, and later convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

1999

Politics 20th Century Latin America & Caribbean

United States Hands Panama Canal to Panama

Under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the United States agreed to transfer full control of the Panama Canal and the former Canal Zone to Panama by the end of the twentieth century. After two decades of joint administration and infrastructure modernization, the handover culminated at noon on December 31, 1999. U.S. and Panamanian officials participated in ceremonies, with former President Jimmy Carter representing the United States. Crowds celebrated in Panama City as the Panamanian flag was raised and the waterway came under exclusive Panamanian jurisdiction. The transfer ended nearly a century of American control that had begun with the canal's opening in 1914.

Event Detail

2006

Politics 21st Century Latin America & Caribbean

Evo Morales Sworn In as Bolivia's First Indigenous President

Bolivia, South America's poorest nation with a majority indigenous population, had long been governed by elites of European descent amid persistent poverty and social exclusion for native groups. Evo Morales, an Aymara leader and former coca growers' union head, won the 2005 presidential election on a platform of indigenous rights, resource nationalization, and anti-neoliberal reforms. On January 22, 2006, he was inaugurated in La Paz in a ceremony blending official protocol with Andean rituals, attended by regional leaders including those from Venezuela and Brazil. Morales pledged to end centuries of colonial-style injustice and initiated policies like land reform and energy sector renationalization. His victory represented a historic shift in representation.

Event Detail

2010

Disaster 21st Century Latin America & Caribbean

Devastating Earthquake Strikes Haiti

Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere with fragile infrastructure and a history of political instability, sat near the seismically active Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone. On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 p.m. local time, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Léogâne, about 25 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, with its shallow depth amplifying surface shaking. The quake lasted roughly 30 seconds, collapsing or severely damaging hundreds of thousands of buildings, including the presidential palace, cathedral, and UN headquarters. Estimates of deaths ranged from 100,000 to over 300,000 according to Haitian authorities, with millions displaced and infrastructure crippled. International aid efforts mobilized rapidly but faced significant logistical challenges.

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