The paper has to revolve around the prompt: The division between two factions, “liberal” and “conservative,” define and constrain much of Latin America during the 19th century. Is this a logical result of the ways that Latin American nations gained their independence and remade themselves as modern states? Why or why not? For this option, you may want to focus more on the case of Mexico, since it was covered in much greater depth. Consider the battles over the form of land ownership and the power of the Church, as well as the efforts by Liberals to incorporate the indigenous into the “mainstream” of society as exemplified by the Juarez reform laws, especially the Ley Lerdo.