Thursday, October 31

• Warm-up: BOO! Halloween fun facts

• Presentation: Current Issues in Latin America

• Activity: Predictions, Key Points

• Closure: Where am I? game

History of Halloween

• All Hallow’s Eve• Origins in ancient Celtic

festivals from 2,000 years ago

• Brought to the U.S. by the Irish immigrants

• Bobbing for husbands?

Religion Deforestation Education Health Poverty

Prediction

Description

Effect

Religion

• Most Christians (83%) are Roman Catholic• The Church is active in movements for land

reform, education and health care.

Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil• A symbol of Christianity and an icon for Rio de Janeiro and

Brazil• 98 feet tall• Arms stretch 92 feet• Weighs 635 tons

Deforestation• Due to expansion of

agriculture & industry• Has actually been

decreasing

Education

• Quality of education varies widely

• Many children do not complete elementary school

• Literacy and attendance rates are on the rise

• The Internet is helping to transform education

Health • Overall, health is improving• Education & the Catholic Church have played a role• Most people now have access to clean drinking water• Some lesser developed countries though have high

disease rates & low life expectancy

Poverty

• Rates are falling, but poverty still affect 167 million (28%) in Latin America

• Many live on less than $2 a day

• The poorest 40% receive just 15%

Resentment towards European countries begins to grow in the 1700s.

• Inspired by the American Revolution, Latin American nations began to revolt for self-rule

• By the mid-1800s, most territories were free• Brazil became independent without violence• Today, many people in Latin America are

demanding more political power and economic benefits.

Mexico

Latin America

Today

The Caribbean

Brazil

Brazil Today• Influenced by African culture from slave

trade• Carnival: Holy feast day where people dance

& parade in the streets• Crime and drug abuse, especially in large cities

Behind the glamour of the gleaming buildings of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, lie the favelas, where the poor live

among swamps, garbage dumbs and barren hillsides.

Favelas expanded in the 1970s because people could not afford to live in cities.

History of Mexico

• A story of conflict between native peoples and Spain

• Blend of Indian and Spanish culture

Cultural Diffusion in Mexico

• Spanish language• Catholic religion• The name “Mexico” comes from the word Mexia, an older name for the Aztecs

• Mexico has a large number of Mestizos- people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage.

Mexico Today

• Mexico has a large number of Mestizos- people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage.

• Today, Mexico struggles economically.• Many people are abandoning farms & moving

to cities for jobs• NAFTA has led to the creation of many

factories along the U.S./Mexico border– NAFTA: trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico

& Canada

The Caribbean today• Tourism remains an important industry• Various cultures represented– Many islands are/were colonies of Europe– African slave trade

Panama Canal• Ship channel cut through

Panama that connects the Caribbean with the Pacific

• Built by the U.S. in the early 1900s

• Crossroads for world trade

Where am I?1. If I visited this country, I’d see the pope’s

hometown.2. This country throws a big party called Carnival.3. Here I can visit the ancient city of Macchu Picchu.4. El Castillo, the Mayan ruin, is located in this

country.5. If I wanted to take a shortcut from the Pacific to

the Caribbean Sea, I’d visit this place.6. Here I can see the giant statue, Christ the

Redeemer.

If you could take a trip to anywhere in Latin America, which country would you visit and

why?

Think, pair & share with a neighbor

Dia de los Muertos

• Day of the Dead begins tomorrow• Mexican holiday focused on remembering

friends and family members who have died• Traced back to the Aztecs