The article focuses on Latin American critical pedagogy, which is inevitably associated with the Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire -- a staunch advocate of critical pedagogy and the person who is often seen as the founder of critical pedagogy. Freire's contribution to this field is, of course, beyond question, this article describes the beginnings of critical pedagogy in the Latin American context and shows that its origins can be dated back to a period slightly before the work of Paulo Freire. To explore this the article identifies five periods in the evolution of Latin American critical pedagogy in relation to the work of its major representatives. It finds that the foundations of Latin American critical pedagogy were already being laid in the 18th century, but it was Freire who managed to present these principes on an international level. The article also looks at contemporary curriculum policy and shows that elements of critical pedagogy or its foundations can still be found in various forms in Latin American education.