Latin America Four Distinct Areas Mexico Central America South America Islands of the Caribbean

For over 3,000 thousand years (1500 BC – 1530 AD) natives of the Americas developed independently from the rest of the world. Mayans Toltec Aztecs Incas Civilizations

May date as early as 2000 BC, but flourished AD Yucatan Peninsula Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador Polytheistic Religious rituals revolved around agricultural seasons Mayans

System of Writing and Mathematics Used Bricks, Mortar, and Stucco Use of Zero Hieroglyphic Writings Accurate Calendar Elaborate Art Frescoes Great Cities Astronomical Observatories Movement of Planets Mayans

AD Central Mexican Highlands Invaded Mayan territory Extensive Trading Network Copper bells and turquoise Massive buildings and pyramids Painted ceramics Metalwork in gold and copper Toltec

Flourished late 1100’s, warlike ( AD) Central and Southern Mexico Warrior group with rigid class structure and slaves Borrowed ideas from conquered people Forced conquered people to pay tribute, used prisoners as daily human sacrifices to gods Aztecs

Accomplishments Manuscripts Elaborate irrigation systems Hillside terracing for agriculture Metalwork in gold and silver Semiprecious stones as jewelry Artificial lakes, causeways, island cities – Tenochtitlan Astronomy and Mathematics Developed a calendar and counting system Aztecs

AD Peru, and parts of Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina Warlike and farming culture with a rigid class system Extensive Empire with twelve million inhabitants Animistic in Nature – sun god, rain god, etc. Incas

Accomplishments Extensive road network Quipu – system of measurement and record keeping, knotted string, no writing Hillside terracing for irrigation and agriculture Medical knowledge of surgery and diseases Elaborate building and engineering feats Incas

7,000 miles from Mexico to the tip of South America Physical Barriers – hinders unity, trade, and contact Regionalism – loyal to specific locale and geographic area Guiana Highlands – 1,200 miles from Venezuela to Brazil. Largest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls at 3,212 feet Andes Mountains – 4,500 miles in length and the source of most river systems Geography – Diverse Landscape

Amazon River 4,000 miles Vital transportation link Rio De La Plata 3 rd largest commercial waterway Orinoco River The Casiquiare, a natural canal, joins the Orinoco and the Amazon Geography – 3 Large River Systems

Near or South of the Equator Tropical Rain Forests Deforestation: Cutting trees down in the Amazon Rain Forest. Rain forests produce much of the Earth’s oxygen 75% of Latin America is in tropical zone. Tropical Savannas: found in northern and central portions of South America Caribbean Islands: both wet and dry seasons Arid Lands: Atacama Desert is the largest desert in South America and the driest desert in the world. Geography – Climate

Agriculture – topography makes farming difficult Half of the world’s coffee and bananas 1/3 rd of world’s sugar and cocoa Bolivia: 2 nd largest producer of tin in world Chile is the world’s largest exporter of copper Mexico: large deposits of silver Mineral Resources: Oil in Mexico, Venezuela, and Columbia Vulnerable to poor weather conditions and price fluctuations Geography – Natural Resources

Geography – Deforestation