Surely a historian specializing in Latin America could answer the question I asked myself, and continue to ask myself, after visiting Bogotá, Colombia, just a few days ago. It's the same question I ask myself when I visit my beloved Buenos Aires. Or when I visited Santiago, Chile; Uruguay; Brazil; Venezuela many years ago; Costa Rica; Mexico; and the Dominican Republic. I imagine I'm not the only one who asks this question.

 

I am writing this article to think together about some answers.

 

What has happened? Why haven't we been able to sustain this natural wealth, this exuberance that flows from the mountains, runs down the rivers, and is born in this untamed and rugged land? Why, with so much natural wealth, haven't we been able to build more prosperous countries for everyone?

 

I don't like to talk about politics, but visiting Latin American countries often fills me with sadness. I do enjoy, of course, the landscapes, the people, the food, the Spanish language. I loved getting off the plane in Bogotá and reading signs in my language, approaching the people, so friendly, where "good morning," "how are you?" is the norm before any question. I loved the flowers they sell on the street and that adorn every balcony, the shops with handicrafts, the architecture with exposed brick that blends with the immense mountain behind it, the trees on the avenues with their names and plaques, and the crime of cutting any tree without permission.

 

I look to one side and it's beautiful, I look to the other and it's just garbage, filth, homeless people. Children selling trinkets who should be in school, houses barely standing, broken pavements, potholes, and crazy traffic where nobody respects the signs or the lane markings.

 

And again the question: why? Some will say corrupt governments, others will blame the local culture, the climate, our ancestors. And they'll all have a point. But it's not very useful to look to the past without considering the future, and it seems that for Latin America there isn't much hope for prosperity. We can add the conditionals: if there weren't so much theft, if people were honest, if education were better, if the economy were better, and it seems that the solution always depends on others.

 

And yet, how easy it is to speak from the outside. How easy it is to write this piece living in the United States. I'm aware of that. But it's precisely because of that, because I live here, that I see it's not a matter of geography, because here it has been possible to build a serious, great, strong country. With all its poverty and pettiness, we can't deny that it's the world's leading power.

 

If you've reached the end of this article, I'd love to hear your thoughts. This way, this writing process can become a dialogue, not just a solitary exercise. You could write to me and tell me what you think about Latin America, where you're from, what hurts you the most, and if you have a solution.

 

I can't give mine right now because I live far away, but if I were to live in Argentina again I would at least try to bring what I learned here, that effort always has its reward if it is done seriously and honestly.

 

I listen to you, I read you in my email mermoresco@gmail.com, or in Instagram message @mermoresco.

 

Mercedes Soledad Moresco, Writer