Human geography of latin America: A BLENDING OF CULTURES

SECTION 1: MEXICO

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THE SPANISH CONQUEST Many native groups Toltecs, Maya, and Aztecs are major groups Spanish Conquest began in 1519 when Hernando Cortés landed Conquered Tenochtitlán (Aztec capital) by 1521

COLONY AND COUNTRY Mexico became a Spanish colony Independence won in 1821 1822: Agustín Iturbide declares himself emperor Mid 1800s: Benito Juaréz becomes the first president of Mexico

COLONY AND COUNTRY CONTINUED Porfirio Díaz succeeds Juárez He was dishonest Led to revolution led by Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata 1917: new constitution adopted—redistributes land to peasants

ONE-PARTY RULE 1929: Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) rises to prominence Did not tolerate opposition Led to corruption Ousted in 1997 2000: Vicente Fox becomes first non-PRI president in 71 years

A MEETING OF CULTURES

AZTECS AND THE SPANISH Aztecs came from northern Mexico C. 1200 A.D.: Settled in Tenochtitlán in Lake Texcoco Performed human sacrifices 1521: Cortés destroys Tenochtitlan and builds Mexico City on top

AZTECS AND SPANISH CONTINUED Spanish brought language, Catholicism Mestizos: people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage

MEXICAN PAINTERS Painting became public art Large murals on public buildings Famous artists: José Orozco, Diego Rivera, David Siquerios, and Juan O’Gorman, Frida Kahlo

ECONOMICS

OIL AND MANUFACTURING Large oil reserves Manufacturing is the most important Maquiladoras: factories that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported Many are companies from the U.S.

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement 1994 Goal: eliminate trade and investment barriers between Mexico, U.S., and Canada

EMIGRATION, WORK, AND SCHOOL 2000 mile border with the U.S. Many leave to search for work Many uneducated in Mexico

SECTION 2: CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

MAYA INFLUENCE Mayans built cities in present-day Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras Central city was Tikal, in northern Guatemala

SPANISH IN CENTRAL AMERICA Spain ruled Central America until the 19th century Mexico ruled it until 1823 United Provinces of Central America declared independence from Mexico Late 1830s: UPCA split into El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras

CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES 1492: Columbus reaches Caribbean islands Called natives “Los Indios” They were the Taino Spanish settled and set up sugar plantations Used Taino as slave--- many died of disease and abuse

CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES CONTINUED African slaves were brought to replace Taino The Caribbean today is heavily influenced by African life and culture

COLONIAL MOSAIC By 19th century, Spanish, French, Dutch, British, and Danish all had Caribbean claims They relied on sugar This brought more and more African slaves

CARIBBEAN INDEPENDENCE 1790s: Haiti becomes first independence movement in Latin America Slave revolt led by Toussaint L’Ouverture Won in 1804 Cuba independent from Spain in 1898 Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 from Britain

CULTURE OF CENTRAL AMERICA 2 major elements: 1) Native American influence 2) Spanish Catholicism is major religion

CULTURE OF THE CARIBBEAN Spanish, Dutch, French, British, Danish, African, and Native American influences Mix of Catholic and Protestant Santeria, Voodoo (Haiti), and Rastafarianism (Jamaica)

ECONOMICS: JOBS AND PEOPLE

FARMING AND TRADE Caribbean: Sugar is largest export crop Bananas, citrus fruits, coffee, and spices also important Pay is low for workers Per-capita income low Central America: commercial farming Panama Canal: canal running through Panama, connecting the Atlantic Pacific Oceans

WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND WHY Central America: Most live in rural areas because most people work on farms Caribbean: most live in cities Hope to find jobs in tourism

POPULAR CULTURE, TOURISM, AND JOBS

MUSIC OF THE CARIBBEAN Calypso: music that began in Trinidad and combines musical elements from Africa, Spain, and the Caribbean Reggae: music that developed in Jamaica in the 1960s and is rooted in African, Caribbean, and American music, often dealing with social problems and religion

TOURISM AND THE INFORMAL ECONOMY Hotels and resorts are an important industry in the Caribbean Informal economy: jobs outside official channels, w/o benefits for workers Ex: street vendors

SECTION 3: SPANISH-SPEAKING SOUTH AMERICA

INCA Civilization in the Andes (Peru) Centered in Cuzco Empire extended 2500 miles at height Built roads

SPANISH CONQUEST Francisco Pizarro conquers Inca empire Harsh treatment of natives Inca language Quechua, taken over by Spanish Quechua is still spoken today

INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS Began in 1st half of 19th century Simón Bolívar led rebellions for Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia José de San Martín helped to liberate Argentina, Chile, and Peru

GOVERNMENT BY THE FEW Oligarchy (rule by few) and military rule are common in S. America Authoritarian rule— obedience to authority over individual freedom—also is common

CULTURAL MOSAIC

LITERATURE Gabriel Garciá Márquez (Colombia) Most famous S. American author Won Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1982

MUSIC Pop music and folk music Music combines Indian, African, and European elements Classical music is also very important throughout the region

ARTS AND CRAFTS Artisan works popular Pottery, textiles, glasswork, and metalwork Mix of aesthetics and usefulness

ECONOMICS: RESOURCES AND TRADE Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana: crops for export Colombia and Venezuela: oil, coffee, narcotics Peru and Ecuador: fishing Argentina: grain and livestock Paraguay: beans, cotton

CHILE’S SUCCESS STORY S. America’s economic success story Rich mines (copper is Chile’s largest export) Fruits and vegetables Associate member of Mercosur: an economic common market that began operations in 1995 (Think of NAFTA)

LITERACY IN S. AMERICA Higher literacy rates than Central America Literacy rate among women is about equal with men

LITERACY IN CHILE Literacy rate is 95% in Chile 98% among those 15- 19 Education is highly valued in Chile

SECTION 4: BRAZIL

HISTORY: A DIVIDED CONTINENT Spain and Portugal were competing for colonies To avoid conflict, Pope Alexander VI created the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) This divided the world between Spain and Portugal Portugal got Brazil in S. America

PORTUGUESE CONQUEST Colonists arrive early 1500s 1-5 million natives already there Search for gold and silver was fruitless Sugar plantations set up instead Settlement patterns were on the coast African slaves brought

INDEPENDENCE FOR BRAZIL Napoleon defeated in 1815 Demand for independence Petitioned the king of Portugal People asked that Dom Pedro, son of the king, rule the independent Brazil Sept. 1822: Brazil declared independent

A NATIONAL CULTURE A mix of Portuguese, African, and Native elements…

THE PEOPLE OF BRAZIL Only around 200,000 natives remain Many immigrants They come from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, and Syria Brazil has largest Japanese population outside of Japan

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION Speak Portuguese Catholic majority (largest Catholic population in the world) 20% Protestant Other: mix of African and Catholic practices

AN ECONOMIC GIANT AWAKENS Brazil is a growing economic power. It has abundant natural resources

AN INDUSTRIAL POWER Rich in iron, bauxite, tin, manganese Gold, silver, titanium, chromite, tungsten, and quartz also available Hydroelectricity Large oil and natural gas reserves One of the most industrialized countries in S. America

MIGRATION TO CITIES Large gap between rich and poor Urbanization occurs to improve life 87% now live in cities

MIGRATION TO THE INTERIOR Capital city of Brasília built in 1957 to attract people to the interior Commercial ag in the Cerrado (Great Plains of S. America) draws new jobs to interior

BRAZILIAN LIFE TODAY

FROM CARNIVAL TO MARTIAL ARTS Carnival: most colorful feast day in Brazil Big in Rio de Janeiro Samba: Brazilian dance with African influences Capoeira: martial art; blends Brazilian dance; brought from Angola

CITY LIFE IN RIO DE JANEIRO Rio is the cultural center of Brazil Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay, Copacabana Beach are popular tourist sites Favelas: very poor slums—high crime rate