Mark, Mad Fiddler is obviously correct with the facts regarding Moorish rule and also his understanding of the point i intended to make. I did not learn this from any textbook; instead, it was conveyed to me by the general counsel of a large wireless telco in Buenos Aires during a discussion about the reasons Argentine is the only country to go from being a first world country (at the turn of the 20th century, it’s economy was among the world’s 10 largest to a third world country, as well as the differences between it and the northern LatAm countries. He was a fourth generation Argentine of direct Irish descent, with a surname like McGillicuddy (not his real name). He conveyed to me his belief, held by those of a conservative economic bent in Argentina, that the Spanish culture was (and remains) endemically corrupt, and that the Moors are the source of that cultural DNA. As a frequent traveler to LatAm back then, I discussed his notion with others who traveled there from elsewhere, including several who were Australians, as well as local professional from Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, etc. Most had heard that premise and agreed that the Spanish cultural DNA and the lack of immigrants seeking to build a New World (versus looting) lie at the root of the differences in what evolved in North America vs South America.

The same general counsel also pointed out to me that the US, Central America and the northern cone of South America were far kinder to its indigenous popolation than Chile or Argentina when I inquired about the reasons there are so few mestizos there. That’s probably not in the history books anywhere anymore….