There are few better places that illustrate the impact of the Spanish conquest of Latin America than the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco, Peru. Cathedrals with foundations of perfectly hewn Incan stone sit atop the ruins of what was once the mountain capital of the great Incan empire. Chapels gleam with Andean gold and silver, a testament to the ambitions of the first conquistadors who set foot there. The local Quechua word for this main square is also telling. The Spaniards brutally executed the famed Incan rebel Túpac Amaru II there in 1781. Ever since, it has been called the Huacaypata — the Place of Tears. But go to Cuzco's Plaza de Armas now, and you'll see that history has its ironies. On a recent visit, TIME witnessed packs of fair-skinned Spanish twentysomethings approaching both local and foreign tourists with baskets of trinkets and souvenirs for sale. Others performed juggling tricks with the hope of picking up a couple of soles in change. Julia, a college grad from Seville hawking felt marionette dolls in Cuzco, spoke plainly of her native country: "There's nothing for me to do back there." These Spanish youth represent a wider phenomenon: with Spain's economy in crisis, and youth unemployment above 50%, many are upping sticks to seek a livelihood on the other side of the Atlantic. Latin America now boasts some of the world's hottest economies, including Peru, whose GDP grew at more than a 6% rate in 2012. "Ten years ago, it would have been far more likely to see Peruvian pipers in Madrid's Plaza Mayor," says Jason Marczak, director of policy at the Council of the Americas. Now, the heady days of Spain's construction boom are long gone and not only are job-seeking Spaniards seeking work in their country's former colonies, but many Latin American migrants are returning home as well. Data charting this new trend of migration are still sparse. A recent study published in Americas Quarterly by two professors of human geography at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid found a 6.7%(http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&blog=19871253&post=84597&subd=timeglobalspin&ref=&feed=1)
Via: TIME GlobalSpin