1. Spurred by Enlightenment ideas, peoples in Latin America fought for independence from colonial rule in the early 1800s.
2. Creole leaders like Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín led revolutionary armies that liberated much of Latin America, with Bolívar freeing Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia by 1824.
3. Mexico declared independence in 1821 led by Creole general Agustín de Iturbide, while Brazil peacefully separated from Portugal in 1822 under the leadership of Dom Pedro, who declared Brazil's independence and became its first emperor.