" Originally Posted by Cobol74
As a side issue:
I always found it odd that the Spanish and Portugese got South America, and the British and French got North America - look who ended up rich and who poor. I would have thought that South America has at least the same potential as North America. I wonder what went wrong, perhaps they did not have a revolution/freedom at the right time? Anyone know?"
First off, Mexico is geographically and geopolitically in North America.
Second, Well, more than half of Mexico including once oil rich Texas and once Gold rich California used to be Mexico until the Americans with the "destiny manifest" decided that it was a great opportunity to invade San Antonio with settlers and then force a war since Mexico was a political mess after a revolution.
What would the story tell if all that California Gold and all that Texas oil, and all that cotton land had remained in Mexico? Only God knows.
We Americans are very good at one thing, that is... eating the small guy's lunch. Now I don't know if that is a good thing or not, but that is the way it is unfortunately.