The Birth of International Studies of Latin America: Remarks on the Work of José María Torres Caicedo and Carlos Calvo in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Among Latin American diplomats in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, a debate arose about the history and future destiny of the nations of Spanish and Portuguese America, which prefigures the first modern international studies of Latin America. These include the Colombian José María Torres Caicedo and the Argentine Carlos Calvo, who played a notable role by compiling treaties and historical documents from the wars of independence in Latin American countries. Over time, Calvo became one of the most outstanding and widelyread internationalists in Europe, above all thanks to the lengthy manuals he produced, which were widely circulated and influential for specialists in international law.