time travel

A few more stats:
One of the things I like about travelling in the developing world is that it is about a close as one can get to proper time travel. It is always a thrill for me to see how people live and make and do without the hyperabundance of wealth we have in the states.
from gapminder, again, here are the approximate dates of the last time the United States had a GDP per captia income equal to the current income of the following countries.

disclaimer: obviously it's not exactly the same. folks here have cell phones and motorcycles and 3G internet. but still...

(numbers are from 2009...)

Argentina $13,498 average annual income per person = USA 1941
Chile $13,087 =  USA 1941
Uruguay $11,461 = USA 1940
Mexico $11,250 = USA 1940
Panama 10,987 = USA 1940
Venezuela $10,986 = USA 1940
Costa Rica $9,952 = USA 1938
Brazil $9,570 = USA 1938
Peru $7,859 = USA 1934
Colombia $7,091 = USA 1933
Ecuado $7,035 = USA 1933
Domincian Republic $6,388 = USA 1900
El Salvador $5,687 = USA 1894
Guatemala $5,163 = USA 1894
Paraguay $4,054 = USA 1872
Bolivia $4,007 = USA 1872
Honduras 3,473$ = USA 1866
Nicaragua $2,591 = USA 1844
Haiti $1,198 = USA pre-1800?

So, in (USof)American terms, none of Latin America has gotten past the great depression and Paraguay is still in the reconstruction era. Worth bearing in mind...

for maximum effect he ought to be talking on his cell phone and a Mercedes should be driving by