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 It seems train stories are
all the rage this week, so here’s another one. Almost 150 years ago,
in 1869, in Promontory, Utah, the Union Pacific tracks joined those of
the
Central
Pacific Railroad
in the completion of the North American transcontinental railroad. In
many
ways, this was the dawning of the American Age of Empire. Those twin
steel strands grew into the commercial central nervous system of an entire
continent- making possible everything from the development of a national
identity to the agricultural exploitation of the Great Plains, to the
evolution of hobos and American wanderlust.
Since the Dowbrigade first began to study the history of the southern
half of our continent, it has always seemed exceedingly, almost diabolically
odd
that today, 150 years later, there is STILL no land-link between the
Atlantic and Pacific in South America. To get from the Atlantic coast
in Brazil to the Pacific ports of Colombia, Ecuador or Peru, one must
take a convoluted series of riverboats, frequently portaging over often
impassable mud tracks. When asked, most South Americans shrug and mention
one or more of the obvious difficulties; the inhospitable Amazon river
basin, the imposing Andes, the endemic rivalries between the different
latin nations, the institutional ineptitude of public works projects
in general.
But given the advances in engineering and technology and the potential
benefits to the continent as a whole, it seems incredible to the point
of paranoia that east and west remain connected only by sea and air,
not by land. A conspiratorial mind might conclude that the northern powers
that be have manipulated politics and commerce so that the natural treasure
house of the south never achieves continental consciousness and coordination.
However, the
talk of the town here in Manta, at least among the business circles in
which
we are currently hanging out, is a proposal to construct a long-anticipated
rail link from Manta to Manaus, Brazil. This would open up the entire
Amazon region, providing a direct and inexpensive outlet for Brazil to
the markets of the Pacific, a route for billions in Asian
imports
destined
for the Atlantic coast of South America, and the key to unlocking the
treasures and mysteries of the Amazon itself.
Unfortunately, the proposals and discussions are currently mired in
the quagmire of internal Ecuadorian politics – specifically the rivalry
between the coast and the sierra. There are authentic differences
between the two regions – the coastal lowlands, with Guayaquil as its
capital and commercial center, are populated by families of European,
Afro-American and mestizo descent, more relaxed and liberal, warm and
wet like their climate, while in the Andean highlands, whose power center
is the national capital in Quito, the population consists of a few old,
traditional families, descendants of the Spanish hacienderos (large
land-owners) and millions of Native Americans, whose culture is conservative,
religious and whose demeanor is often cold and dry, like their climate.
The rivalry between the two regions permeates all aspects of Ecuadorian
life; sports, politics, business, entertainment, foreign relations, internal
tourism, etc. As an outsider, it is our opinion that this. like so many
ethnic and regional rivalries, is an artificial dividing line, encouraged
if not created by the small, rich power brokers in both areas to keep
the "common" people distracted and at each other’s throats, allowing
them to blame their misfortunes and lack of development on each other
rather than on those really responsible – the small number of families,
both on the coast and in the sierra, who have been extracting huge fortunes
from the natural resources and labor of the population for over 500 years,
since the Conquistadors started shipping gold back to Europe.
In the current case, the costal power block is in favor of making Manta
the Pacific terminal of the southern transcontinental railroad. It
is the only deep-water port in the country, able to accept even the largest
super-tankers and cargo ships. It is only 3 hours from Guayaquil,
has modern infrastructure, and is a favorite vacation getaway for rich
coste?os, many of whom already have vacation homes here.
Unfortunately, the powerblock centered in the mountains finds the idea
of all that wealth and developmental power accruing to the coastal clique
completely unacceptable. They have proposed an alternative: develop
the port of Esmeraldas, at the northern end of the country, only four
hours by modern highway from Quito and the favored beach resort for rich
highland families and politicians from the capital. Of course it would
take at least a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars to deepen
the harbor and develop the infrastructure to make Esmeraldas a viable
alternative to Manta, but hey, the railroad itself will probably take
that long to build, and the expense is worth it if you look at it as
an investment destined to keep the power and the glory from falling to
the coastal group.
Meanwhile, the prospective Brazilian partners are getting frustrated,
and antsy, and starting to cast sidelong glances at the Peruvian port
of Callao. Once again, senseless, artificial rivalries and petty short-sightedness
are providing a perfect example of why it has been so hard for South
America to duplicate the dynamic development of her northern sister.
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