The Cuban Revolution was not the last time that
photography was used for political purposes. Re-
bels in El Salvador during the 1980s continued the
tradition. However, the Salvadorans also added a
new twist to traditional documentary photography.
They made the genre more pragmatic and media-
savvy. The 1980s was a decade of media events, and
in places like El Salvador, where conflict was ram-
pant, a good photograph could be just as impor-
tant as a military victory.
In 1978, Latin American photographers staged
the First Colloquium of Latin American Photogra-
phy in Mexico City. Subsequent meetings would be
held in Mexico City in 1981 and Havana in 1984.
The events brought a new prominence to Latin
American photography. In the wake of the Cuban
Revolution and influenced by more recent events
such as the Sandanista Revolution in Nicaragua,
leftist political rhetoric dominated the meetings.
The Colloquium was accompanied by an exhibition
called Hecho en Latinoamerica (Made in Latin
America). The exhibition clearly had a point of
view, as photography was seen as an anti-imperial-
ist tool. Some used the term ‘‘liberation photogra-
phy,’’ in reference to Liberation Theology, which
was so prevalent at the time. One critic described
the exhibit as ‘‘documentary and humanistic with
an occasional tinge of exoticism and leftist poli-
tics.’’ While some Latin American photographers
did produce alternative styles of images, they were
largely unrepresented at the Colloquium.
The Colloquium was also important in that it
helped to internationalize Latin American photo-
graphy. It led to a series of international exhibitions
that helped to bring Latin American photography
to a global audience for the first time. Also impor-
tant is the fact that for the first time, some of these
exhibitions were based on extensive curatorial
surveys. Generally, Latin American curators had
lacked the funds to conduct such a survey.
While the Colloquium had emphasized the poli-
tical and social nature of Latin American photo-Martı ́n Chambi, Fiesta Familiar, Cusco 1930, placa de vidrio, 1318 cm.
[Courtesy of Julia Chambi Lo ́pez y Teo Allain Chambi, Archivo Fotogra ́fico Martı ́n Chambi, Cusco, Peru]
LATIN AMERICA: AN OVERVIEW, PHOTOGRAPHY IN