1. OBJECTIVES: Students will identify the main physical characteristics that affect daily life in Mexico's heartland region.
And...
Differentiate between Mexico's four (4) coastal regions.
Capitulo Diez (Chapter 10)
Mexico
Agenda:
1. PDN
2. Notes
3. Ticket out the Door
Standard:
7.2.8.A: Explain the characteristics of places and regions.
Anchors:
CC D: Determine the meaning of words as they are used in text (vocab.).
CC B: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.

2. Intro When you think of Mexico physically, what comes to mind?
He should mention things like the mountain ranges, perhaps desert because Northern Mexico gets little rain.

3. Continued... Mountains dominate Mexico's physical setting.
Largest range = Sierra Madre Occidental
Second Largest = Sierra Madre Oriental
Between the mother ranges lies Mexico's central plateau.
An area of high, flat land.
If he read the section he should be able to recall how when Cortez returned to Spain and was asked by King Charles V to describe Mexico, he crumbled up a piece of paper to describe the rugged terrain because he could not explain it in words.

4. Continued...
Northern Pacific Coast includes Baja California, a peninsula.
Strip of Land.
Tropical coastline on the southern pacific coast.
Yucatan Peninsula, East towards Gulf of Mexico.
He might be able to recall El Castillo the Mayan temple on the left. This is located in the Yucatan Peninsula (fish tale, thumb-like piece sticking out of southeast Mexico).

5. The Heartland Region
Central plateau is Mexico's most important and populated region.
Southern part of plateau, nourished by plenty of rain and rich soil, has Mexico's best farmland.
Roughly 80% of Mexican people live here.

6. Natural Hazards
Mexico is located at the intersection of four (4) tectonic plates.
North American Plate
Caribbean Plate
Pacific Plate
Cocos Plate
Tectonic plates move against one another and push jagged mountain ranges.
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Touching upon the objective. The Sierra Madre mountains affect Mexican daily life, as well as natural hazards like earthquakes caused by the 4 tectonic plates.

7. These are just some pictures (2 above pics) = Mexico City 1985, 10,000 lives lost. $4.1 Billion in damages caused. Bottom left = He should be able to tell you what this is but if not it’s a seismograph measuring an earthquake.

8. Climate Factors
Climate makes Mexico's central plateau a desirable place to live despite hazards.
Sierra Madres block rainfall coming from the ocean (North).
Climate is another thing affecting Mexican daily life. Little water/rain = less population.

9. Climate Factors Continued...
Elevation is a key factor in the climate of the central plateau.
Southern part of plateau is in the tropics, but climate is not tropical due to... ?? High Elevations, roughly 7,000 ft.
Mexico City's attractive climate has caused people to flock to the city in search of a better life.

10. Climate Factors Continued...
The city is now encircled by ciudades perdidas.
Many newcomers are underemployed... Working, but earning little money.
Mexico City's poor live in slums, often without sewage. and running water.

13. The Coastal Regions
Plains are widest along the Gulf and northern Pacific coasts, stretching inland 80 miles before rising to meet the mountains.
Southern Pacific coast mountains crowd close to the ocean (15 miles).
This is just describing the plains going from the coasts to the mountains.

14. Northern Pacific Coast
Dry, hot and thinly populated.
One exception, Tijuana... Fast growing, great farmland.
Irrigation - Artificial watering of farmland by storing and distribution of water drawn from reservoirs or rivers.
The main economic activity in this region is agriculture. Also point out that without irrigation farming wouldn’t be possible in this dry and hot area of Mexico.

15. Southern Pacific Coast
Smaller mountain range, steep-sided Sierra Madre del Sur, edges the narrow southern Pacific coast.
Little farmland, but climate and spectacular environment favorite tourism.
Economic Activity = Tourism, very beatiful.

16. Gulf Coastal Plain Vitally important to Mexican economy.
Beneath the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are deposits of petroleum and natural gas.
Economic Activity = Oil

17. Yucatan Peninsula Generally flat. Limestone bedrock soil.
Rain seeps through surface of land, working its way into the rock. Limestone is dissolved, creating underground caverns.
Periodically the roof of a cavern collapses, and a sinkhole is formed.
Economic Activity = Tourism, Cancun and Mayan ruins like El Castillo.