Luis Ball Discusses "Latin America: The Unnoticed Giant South of the Border”

Venezuelan-born Luis Ball, a Carnegie Mellon University trustee and business leader, recently visited campus to discuss how popular views of Latin America, its history and even its scholarly writing start with pre-conceived ideas based on myth, not reality.

In his lecture, "Latin America: The Unnoticed Giant South of the Border," Ball talked about the history of the region in the context of U.S. history, colonial laws regarding native tribes and peoples, and the Catholic Church and the wars of independence. He discussed the developments in the post-colonial period that shaped Latin America and its attitudes vis-a-vis the U.S. Additionally, he examined the revolutions and dictatorships, economic underdevelopment and Latin America today.

Watch a video of the lecture

Ball also met with several Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences students for a roundtable discussion.

View photos from the lecture and roundtable discussion