Physical Regions of Middle America

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

Note how much of Mexico is rugged Note how much of Mexico is rugged. You should associate this with subduction.

See the subduction zone on the Pacific side of Mexico.

Regions Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Neo-Volcanic Axis Sierra Madre Oriental Sierra Madre Occidental Southern Highlands/Crystalline Highlands Yucatan Peninsula Crystalline Highlands Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Volcanic Arc

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

This is the Valley of Mexico, which is at the southern end of the Mesa Central. This painting shows the lake-filled valley at the height of the Aztec, or Mexica, civilization.

Evidence of subsidence.

Water Drain

Although the Valley of Mexico was a beautiful site, it cannot easily sustain 20 million people. Subsidence is caused by the settling of the soft lake sediments on which the city was built. Also as people pump more ground water, subsidence is exacerbated.

Popocatepetl, as seen from above the Valley of Mexico Elevation = 17,802 ft,

Both volcanic mountains were formed by subduction. Iztaccíhuatl, as seen from above the Valley of Mexico Highest elevation = 17,159 ft Both volcanic mountains were formed by subduction.

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

Sierra Juarez in Oaxaca, a part of the Southern Highlands.

Sierra Juarez in Oaxaca, a part of the Southern Highlands Sierra Juarez in Oaxaca, a part of the Southern Highlands. What’s he doing?

Rugged and arid landscape in Southern Highlands.

In Mexico’s large area of arid climates (Think STH) various species of cacti are common.

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

San Juan Parangaricutiro, Michoacan in the Sierra Madre Occidental covered by lava in the early 1900s. Volcanism caused by subduction.

Shores of Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan.

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

A cay in Belize’s barrier reef

Outhouse at Hopkins, a Garifuna village on Belizean coast. Coconut palm being blown by which wind? Young Garifuna boy Esposa Men’s room

I have lots of slides of the Crystalline Highlands. This region of volcanic highlands extends from southern Mexico to southern Nicaragua. Carr’s article, “Weeping Woods” describes the forest communities of this physical region.

Cloud forests somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands

Ocotal somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands

Ocotal somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands Ocotal somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands. Many of the tropical montane forest tree species (pine, oak, sweet gum) migrated from mid-latitude regions during the Pleistocene to the highlands of Central America.

Pino or ocote, depending on which country you are in. Liquidambar, one of the few deciduous trees in the highlands…the Crystalline Highlands Pino or ocote, depending on which country you are in. Somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands

Liquidambar, one of the few deciduous trees in the highlands…the Crystalline Highlands Somewhere in the high relief Crystalline Highlands

Lenca village in Honduras’ portion of the Crystalline Highlands Lenca village in Honduras’ portion of the Crystalline Highlands. Indigenous settlements tend to be where elevations are high but the relief is relatively low.

Many still must cultivate steep hillsides for subsistence. Village Milpa

Lenca children in the highlands …the Crystalline Highlands.

Life is lonely for livestock in the highlands…the Crystalline Highlands. Cattle graze naturally occurring grasses in a sparse ocotal. Transhumance?

Life is becoming less lonely highlands … the Crystalline Highlands. Cell phone technology is connecting isolated settlements with the larger world, outside of the Crystalline Highlands. Many of these settlements never had telephones. Cell tower They are leapfrogging from telegraph lines to cell phones. Ocotal

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

The previous photograph was taken from Honduras’ portion of the Crystalline Highlands, looking southward to the next physical region we’ll look at: the Volcanic Axis

Volcano in El Salvador Window in Honduras Ocotal

Road cut between Ciudad Vieja and Antigua, Guatemala (Two colonial capital cities that were destroyed by volcanoes (1541 and 1773 and earthquakes). The undulating layers are volcanic ash deposited by different volcanic events.

Volcan Agua, looking south from Antigua, Guatemala. Season?

Volcan Agua, looking south from Antigua, Guatemala. Season?

Volcan Agua, looking south from Antigua, Guatemala. And, turn your head ~30 degrees to the right and you’ll see the next slide.

Volcan Acatenango Volcan Fuego

The ruins and volcanoes are tourist destinations Antigua was a colonial capital. Volcanoes and earthquakes destroyed many of its buildings. Some have been restored. Others, like this church, are still in ruins. The ruins and volcanoes are tourist destinations

Lake Atitlan, a large caldera that filled with water. Volcan Agua. The same one that you can see from Antigua.

Lake Atitlan Volcan Santo Tomas

Lake Atitlan Tourist cop Tourist Locals The stunning geography of Guatemala’s portion of the Volcanic Axis attracts tourists to the region.

Coffee and volcanoes?

Red line = our path of slide and Google Earth investigation

El Tigre, Honduras: a volcanic island just off of Honduras’ Pacific coast.

Volcan Telica Jicaral, Nicaragua

Arroz. Kind of like looking at the Sutter Buttes from south of Durham Volcan Momotombo Arroz. Kind of like looking at the Sutter Buttes from south of Durham

Volcan Momotombo Others

Volcan San Cristobal Volcan Casita Click on the link below to learn what happened here in northwestern Nicaragua in October of 1998. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989569,00.html?promoid=googlep

Volcan Momotombo Volcan Momotombito Lake Managua

Sierra Madre Oriental Mesa Central Valley of Mexico Volcanic Arc Sierra Madre Occidental Yucatan Peninsula Neo-Volcanic Axis La Mosquitia Southern Highlands Volcanic Axis Crystalline Highlands

My Miskito friend, Conrad Hooker My Miskito friend, Conrad Hooker. I met him while traveling through the Nicaraguan Depression and looking at the volcanoes there. Conrad is from Sandy Bay, Nicaragua. His village was destroyed by Hurricane Felix fall of 2007. I loaned him a little money to rebuild. Conrad’s first language is Miskito. His second language is English, which sounds similar to Jamaican English.

http://www.palmerministry.com/miskitoinfo.htm

Yellow line = route of Google Earth – slide excursion

Restrooms Mosquitia International Airport

Rain in coastal Miskito settlement

Miskito taxi at the mouth of the Rio Paulaya

Miskito fishing village

From local Wal-Mart

Frontier boom-town in Mosquitia

Palacios, Honduras. 1993

Copan, Honduras

Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico

Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico Note how both Copan and Monte Alban include ball courts.