The Human Geography of Latin America

Ch. 10

I. MesoamericaA. Is a region and cultural area in

the Americas extending from Central Mexico to Northern Costa Rica in Central America

B. Conquered by the Spanish in 1500s

C. Pre-Columbian civilizations1. Olmec 1200-400 BCE (First in

Latin America, located in central Mexico)

2. Maya 250-900 CE (Located in Mexico and Central America, mastered various concepts of geometry and astronomy)

3. Aztec 1300-1500 CE (Capital Tenochtitlán had 4 million inhabitants; present-day Mexico City)

a. Practiced human sacrifices at their temples to please the gods

(Aztecs reported that they sacrificed about 84,400 prisoners over the course of four days.)

b. Spanish Conquest- Conquered by the Spanish and Hernando Cortes in 1519

Aztec Empire c.1500

Today Mexico City is built on top of the Aztec ruins.

II. Human Geography of Mexico

A. Spanish Influence on Mexico

1. Today a large Mestizo population exists in Mexico

Mestizo= mixed of Spanish and Native American heritage

2. language=Spanish3. religion=Roman Catholic

EXTRA INFO/NOT IN NOTES/DON’T NEED TO WRITE!Mexico’s Independence Mexico remained under Spanish control

until 1821. In 1822, Agustin de Iturbide proclaimed

himself emperor. Later, Benito Juarez led a reform and

became president of Mexico.

B. Political Parties

In 1929 the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) introduced democracy and distributed land to peasants.

Because it was the only political party, it became corrupt.

In 2000 the National Action Party candidate was elected president.

For the first time in 71 years the PRI did not control Mexico.

PRI=out of power from 2000-2011 (back in power w/recently elected president, Enrique Pena Nieto)

C. Mexico’s Economy:2 main economic

challenges:

1. Gap between rich and poor=political instability

2. Attempting to develop a modern industrial economy in a historically agricultural society

3. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) began January 1, 1994. This agreement lowered tariffs between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Eventually, all tariffs will be phased out, contributing to the economic prosperity of Mexico.

4. Immigration & emigration is a huge issue for Mexico, with many workers going to the U.S. in search of jobs (splitting families).

5. Overcoming the challenges:

Maquiladoras- factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported

III. Human Geography of Central America and the Caribbean

A. Maya – Yucatan, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize

many temples and palaces in present day Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, and Guatemala

Mayan Influence

B. Each city was ruled by a god-king (typo in notes)and served as a center for religious ceremonies and trading posts.

C. Tikal= example of Mayan city The center of Mayan

civilization

Tikal in Guatemala

MAYAN HIEROGLYPHS

D. The Maya developed a highly complex system of writing using pictographs.(not in notes; don’t copy) The Maya carved these

symbols into stone, but the most common place for writing was probably the highly perishable books they made from bark paper.

Because of their perishable nature and Spanish book burning, only four of these books remain today.

E. Mayan Calendar Stone(not in notes; don’t copy): The Maya developed a

sophisticated calendar. This calendar gave each

day a name, much like our days of the week.

Their 260-day or sacred count calendar was in use throughout Central America for centuries, probably before the beginning of writing.

F. was claimed by many European nations (even though Spanish ruled)

G. Africans who were brought to the Caribbean as slaves made a major impact on the role of settling the Caribbean.

H. People of Central America and the Caribbean have been shaped by the cultures of native peoples, Europeans, and Africans.

I. Economy

1. Agriculture- Sugar cane plantations provide the region’s largest export crop along with bananas, coffee, citrus fruits, and spices.

2. Tourism- local inhabitants are able to find work at hotels, resorts, and restaurants, or in other tourist activities such as fishing, snorkeling, hiking, et