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lesson 1 physical Geography

Defining Latin America

Latin america : Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America

They are Latin because Latin countries colonizers (Spanish, Portuguese) are derived from Latin

culture region: same languages & region

Mexico: Farthest North of the Latin America and include mountains, plateaus, plains

Mexico

2 highest mountains peak

Those are volcanoes and they activity and earthquakes frequently plague mexico

Mexico city: 2nd most populated city, air pollution reaches dangerous levels, located in the surrounding of mountains, automobile exhaust and many pollutants happens. huge population

Another problem of Mexico City

The city is the ground that was a drained lakebed.

vibration of earthquakes send through stronger and more damaging to Mexico City

Central America

It forms a bridge between Mexico & South America

To the east, there are island nations scattered throughout the Caribbean sea

80% are hilly or mountains, most of it is covered with forests

Rain forests cover much of the lowlands

Deciduous trees cloak many of the slopes in the higher regions

More than 40 volcanoes lines 900 miles of the Pacific coast where 2 tectonic plates crash against each other

This is the most active group of volcanoes in whole America

Earthquakes occur frequently

The Caribbean Islands

Lie to the east of Central America

some islands are the peaks of volcanic mountains rising from ocean floor

St. Kitts & Grenada etc.

Some islands, began as coral reefs

Bahamas etc.

South America

Equator runs through some of South America's country

Isthmus of Panama links South and North America

Andes mountain range, stretches over 5,000 miles along the west side of South America

Aconcagua in Argentina is the most highest peak in the Western Hemisphere

Pampas: the plains in southern South america

The Amazon at Risk

Flows for nearly 4,000miles to the Atlantic Ocean

Along with more than 1,000 tributaries

Tributaries: rivers of streams that flow into a larger body of water

drains water from ..

-> Peru, Ecuador, Colobia, Boivia, Venezuela

Deforestation: process of cuting and clearing away trees from a forest

recently Amazon deforestation has provided timber and cleared land for cattle ranches

1. most plants release oxygen into the air and absorb carbon dioxide

2. animals who live in the rain forest need to move

Climate

A large portion of Latin America lies in the Tropical Zone

latitudes 23` 27`north and 23`27` south

temperature: always lower at higher elevation

BUT

Tropical Zone, all elevation are warmer than they are elsewhere

Carbbean sea stay warm most of the year

El nino

"the christ child"

it appears yearly at Christmastime

Warmer water and air

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lesson 2 Ancient Latin America

The Maya

It doesn't

developed in river valleys and thrived there

Cities in South America built in the jungles

Ex) Aztecs of Mexico constructed their capital on a swampy island

Where was it located? Southern and eastern Mexico, western Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize

Existed as early as 1600 B.C. from 250 to A.D. 900

Maya Achievements

Studied math and astronomy extensively

The first civilizations in the world understood the mathematical concept of 0

Made 260 day calendar of sacred days

Made 360 dya calendar based on the sun

Made language and used Hieroglyphs of glyphs

Farming was important, they did slah and burn agriculture

-> cut down and burned trees, planting crops in their place, few years later people let trees to grow again, -> soil will be nutrients

built up ridges of farming land on floodplains

A.D. 900, they stopped to build temples and stone monuments

cities were abandoned

but 6 million maya people still live in many south amrican countries

The Aztec

Mexico City place was Lake Texcoco

City in lake = Tenochtitlán

Tenochtitlán = Aztec capital

200,000 people lived there

Aztec = warrior tribes

Mexica = strongest tribe

"Mexico" name from "Mexica"

1200s → Aztec got strong

1500s → Spanish took over

All men = must fight

War = power + religion

Dying in war = honor for god Huitzilopochtli

Island city = safe from attack

Island = wet land = hard to farm

Solution = chinampas (floating gardens)

Built with plants + mud

Grew corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, avocado, peppers, flowers

Raised turkeys, ducks, geese, dogs for food

The Inca

1400s, Andes Mountains, Peru

Inca people started empire

Capital = Cuzco

Empire big: Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, north Chile, northwest Argentina

Built stone terraces on mountains for farming

Terraces stop soil erosion

Built canals in desert to bring water

Grew potatoes, maize, quinoa

No writing, no wheel

Built stone roads = big technology

Roads still used today

Used runners to send messages

Runners worked in relay teams

Messages = 150 miles per day

Communication important = empire very large

Inca Stonework

Inca famous for stone buildings

Used huge stones, some = 200 tons

Moved stones with wooden rollers

Most famous = Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu = 8,000 feet high in mountains

Walls look like part of mountain

Terraces + stairs go down steep slopes

The Spanish in Latin America

Before 1500s = only Native Americans in Latin America

1500s = Spanish came

Hernán Cortés took Aztec empire in 1521, called it New Spain

Francisco Pizarro took Inca empire after defeating Atahualpa

Spanish made Native Americans work (mining, labor)

Forced them to become Christians

Europeans brought diseases (like smallpox)

Millions of Native Americans died — no immunity

Smallpox killed more than weapons

Trade started between Spain and Latin America = Columbian Exchange

Latin America sent corn, peppers, tomatoes

Spain sent textiles, animals, other goods

Cultures mixed through trade and contact

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The Roots of Modern Mexico

The Founding of New Spain

Hernan Cortes - First leader of the spanish army who landed on Mexico, in 1519 with 500 soldiers

Montezuma II - Ruled Aztec emperor and 5-6 million people

But many of Native American people wanted to be free

So they helped spanish but couldn't expect that spanish would become their rulers

A Clash of Cultures

Montezuma II welcomed Cortes with gifts, allowed Cortes to stay in a palace

-> within a week

Cortes took Montezuma II prisoner and took control Aztec

during the fighting Montezuma II was killed, spanish retook the city

they fight with..

Aztec: War clubs, spears, arrows

Spanish: Steel Sword, armor, guns, cannons + horses

New Spain

The fall of Tenochtitlan - 1521

end of Aztec Empire

Starts of Spanish rule in Mexico

spanish established Mexico City as their capital, and they named the name of the country as "New Spain"

they ruled Mexico for the next 300 ys

Changes after spanish ruled

1. region

Christianity (Roman Catholic was powerful in spain)

Catholic priests set up

churches, school, hospitals

-> many native american accepted Christianity

2. new animals

horses, cattle, sheep, pigs

3. trades

ironsmithing, shipbuilding

Change in Mexico

The Native American accept way of new life, but old ways were not lost entirely

Ex.) Tortilla, Flat, Corn bread

Many other aspects of the 2 cultures blended in the new Mexico culture

The ruling class

1. Peninsulares (Spanish; born in Spain)

2. Criollos (Spanish; born in Mexico)

3. Mestizo (Mixed; Native American and Spanish)

4. Mexico unwillingly (Africans brought by European slave ships)

Encomienda: Spanish men oversee the village of Native American, the villagers had to pay tribute in goods money or labor

-> Made Spain rich, the villagers lived in poverty and hardship

The War of Independence

Early 1800s = Mexican leaders wanted freedom from Spain

1808 = France took over Spain → demand for independence grew

Sept 16, 1810 = Father Hidalgo rang church bell in Dolores

Gave speech = Grito de Dolores (“Cry of Dolores”)

Called people to fight Spanish rule

Native Americans + mestizos joined him

Army had few weapons — used farm tools

Government soldiers defeated them

Hidalgo was captured and killed

But revolution continued

New leaders joined, including some criollos

War lasted 11 years

1821 = Mexico won independence from Spain

But peninsulares + criollos still had power

Native Americans + mestizos got little benefit

War With the United States

1821 = Mexico very big, included today’s U.S. Southwest

Spain had claimed land in 1500s–1600s

Spanish/Mexican priests built missions there

Land mostly desert = hard travel, hard communication

Mexico fought Native tribes (Apache, Comanche)

Few Mexicans lived in the area

Mexico invited foreigners to settle

Many settlers came from the U.S.

By 1830s = U.S. settlers in Texas > Mexican settlers

U.S. settlers still loyal to the U.S.

Texas Independence

1835 = Texas settlers rebelled against Mexico

1836 = Texas became independent, made Republic of Texas

Most Texans wanted to join U.S.

1845 = U.S. accepted Texas

Mexico and U.S. argued over Texas border

1846 = border fight became war

U.S. took northern Mexico

1848 = Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended war

U.S. got big land area

1853 = Gadsden Purchase gave U.S. even more land

Border changed a little later, but no more war after that

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Government in Mexico

A Struggle for Power

1917 = new constitution made after many struggles

1821 = Mexico got independence from Spain

1840s = lost war with U.S. (Texas, California, more land)

Mexico also had power struggles inside the country

Army leaders often took control of government

Bandits attacked people in some areas

Fights between Mexicans and Spanish landowners

Few rich people, many poor people everywhere

Benito Juarez Brings Reform

1850s = many Mexicans wanted reform

Leader = Benito Juárez (came from poverty)

1855 = became minister of justice

Later = became chief justice

1858 = became president → reformers took power

1857 = new constitution written

Gave bill of rights: free speech, legal equality

Ended slavery and forced labor

No freedom of religion in constitution

Catholic Church lost official status

Army power reduced in government

Response to Reform

Reforms made church, army, rich landowners angry

1858–1860 = War of Reform (reformers vs. opponents)

War left Mexico weak — many deaths, debt, no jobs

Spain, Britain, France sent troops

1863 = French took Mexico City

French made Maximilian emperor

1867 = Mexicans overthrew and executed Maximilian

Juárez came back as president, stayed until 1872

After Juárez = leaders didn’t care much about reform

Poverty and poor education continued

Rich families kept power

Real reform started again in 1900s

The Mexican Revolution

big gap between rich and poor

few families own most farmland

poor people have no land

people want change

revolution starts 1910

many rebel armies fight

Francisco Madero new president 1911

fair elections and land for poor

The problem of land

poor farmers want their own land

haciendas = huge farms (up to 50,000 acres)

rich ranch owners took land from villages

1883 law made it easy to take land

millions of acres taken in 1880s–1890s

Emiliano Zapata fights for farmers

his motto: “Land and Liberty!”

builds army in south of Mexico

calls farmers to join him

A Continuing Revolution

many armies fought each other 1910–1920

Madero killed in 1913

Zapata killed in 1919

over 1 million people died

new government made peace in 1920

1917 constitution promised fair land

1920–1940: big farms (haciendas) broken up

land given to small farmers or ejidos

ejido = village-owned farm

farmers happy to have land again

“Revolution” became a strong idea

new party called itself party of the Revolution

later called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party)

PRI won all elections 1929–2000 peacefully

Mexico's Government Today

Dec 1, 2000: Vicente Fox became president

first non-PRI president in over 70 years

Fox was from PAN (National Action Party)

showed new political change in Mexico

Mexico’s full name: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States)

31 states make up the country

Mexico = democracy + republic

citizens 18+ can vote

3 branches: executive, legislative, judicial (like U.S.)

federal system: power shared national & state

each state elects a governor & has a legislature

national gov can remove governors

towns rely on national money → less local power

local gov handles things like sewers, safety