GGC.3 Latin America Key Terms

Indigenous people people original or native to an area

megacities a metropolitan area with a population over 10 million people, known for their rapid population growth, poverty, crime, and big difference between the rich & poor

Squatter settlements illegal settlements of poor people who live in make-shift homes, typically with no electricity or water. Located outside megacities, they exist around the world. In Brazil they’re called favelas

conquistadores Spanish soldiers who invaded and conquered Latin America between the 15th and 19th centuries

mestizos people of mixed European and American Indian ancestry

NAFTA North American FreeTrade Agreement: an agreement between Canada, USA, and Mexico to remove tariffs of the products traded between the three countries

maquiladoras special factories in Mexico owned mainly by American companies

hacienda a large Spanish estate usually owned by wealthy families, often run as a farm or cattle ranch and worked by peasants

ejido farmland in Mexico owned collectively by members of a village. After colonialism, the government broke up haciendas and redistributed the land into ejidos

pampas a grasslands region in Argentina and Uruguay; much of this area is used for cattle grazing

gauchos a cowboy who herds cattle in the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay

Vertical (altitudinal) zonation the division of land (like the Andes Mountains) into zones based on elevation, which determines climate and vegetation

guerilla a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment

mulatto In colonial Latin America, Spanish/African who were denied basic political, economic, and social rights due to their mixed heritage.

Isthmus A narrow strip of land that connects two larger bodies of land.

Altiplano The high flatlands (elevated plains) of South America.

Pampas The treeless plains in South America

Llanos A treeless grassy plain

Archipelagos A group of islands that are part of another country.

Cash crops Crops produced to be sold for value. In Latin America, there’s coffee and cocoa

Food Crops Food grown by a farmer to feed his or her own family (avacado, pineapple,

Income disparity Different incomes between the rich and poor in a society

Favela A shack or shanty town in Brazil; sometimes called slums (poor neighborhoods)

Slash and Burn Agriculture Farming method involving cutting and burning of forests to create fields for farming

Organization of American States (OAS) Peace-keeping organization made up of the countries in North and South America

Caribbean (West Indies) The island countries in the Caribbean Sea between N. and S. America. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic speak Spanish.