Chavez's victory gives him "the opportunity to consolidate his policies" and also reaffirms the approach his government has taken to international relations, said Miguel Tinker Salas, a Latin American history professor at Pomona College in California.

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The new pope may not halt the region's recent shift toward more liberal social issues, illustrated by the recent legalization of abortions in Mexico City and the strong gay rights movement in countries such as Argentina, said Julia Young, a professor of Latin American history at the Catholic University in Washington, D.

WSJ: In Latin America, Catholics See a Lift

Modern Latin American economic history is littered with the detritus of defaults, banking crises and currency controls.

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Pope Francis's election was unique in many ways, not least because of his background -- he's the first Latin American pope to lead the church in its history.

CNN: Catholics: 5 ways for Francis to move forward

San Francisco's long history as a destination for Asian, Latin American and Mediterranean immigrants shows up in data from Pillsbury: Bay Area consumers buy much more enchilada sauce, avocados (for guacamole), teriyaki sauce, olive oil and marinades than the national average.

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"It would be an enormous gesture to name a Latin American pope, " Virginia Garrard-Burnett, a professor of history and religious studies at the University of Texas at Austin, said earlier this week.

CNN: First Latin American pope 'very exciting,' faithful say

"It would be an enormous gesture to name a Latin American pope, " said Virginia Garrard-Burnett, a professor of history and religious studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

CNN: Catholic Latin America eyes conclave

Given the difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan, American officers are relearning the history of their own interventions in Latin America and, more important, the lessons of British imperial policing.

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