 Latin America = 4 Regions  Mexico  Central America  South America  Caribbean (a.k.a. West Indies)  Major Features  Andes Mountains-runs length of S.A.  Amazon River (& surrounding Rain Forests)  Yucatan Peninsula  Gulf of Mexico  Caribbean Ocean

 Home to Ancient Inca civilization  Stretch 2,500 miles N to S  DIP: Divide, Isolate, Protect

 Largest River basin/System in world  Home to many diverse tribes, animal species, and plant life  Deforestation big issue today

 Part of Mexico Today  Used to be home to Ancient Maya

 Maya (200 BC-700 AD)  Aztec ( )  Inca ( )

 Located around Yucatan peninsula  Polytheistic  Sacrifice to gods  Temple builders  Used Glyphs: early writing/record keeping system  Created 2 inter-locking Calendars  Math and Astronomy  Mysteriously declined (famine, food shortages, natural disasters, Spanish)

 Central Mexico  Polytheistic  Heavy Human Sacrifice  Fierce warrior class  Temple Builders  Architecture & City Planning: Tenochtitlan  Two Calendar system  Emperor Montezuma II Conquered by Spanish Conquistador Cortez in 1521

 Andes Mountain Civilization  Polytheistic  Connected empire through extensive roads and bridges, running massagers  Emperor ruled from capital Cuzco  Terrace farmers  Defeated by Spanish conquistador Pizarro in 1533.

 Italian explorer Christopher Columbus “discovers” the Americas while trying to find a quicker water route to the East Indies.

 Columbian Exchange- Global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of America  Encomienda- land grants given to wealthy Spanish settlers  Peninsulare- Pure-blooded Spaniard living in the “new world”  Mercantilism- Process of using colonies as a source of raw materials and as a market for finished goods.  Gold, God, Glory- Reasons for Exploration

 Toussaint L’Ouverture- Haiti  Simon Bolivar- Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru  Jose de San Martin- Argentina, Chile  Miguel Hidalgo- Mexico  Jose Maria Morelos- Mexico  All fought against European Colonial rulers (France & Spain); all inspired by American and French Revolutions (and Enlightenment ideas!)

 Cuban Missile Crisis- Soviets install Missiles 90 miles from US in Cuba.  US & USSR reach agreement to avoid disaster  Cuba was a socialist (communist) ally to USSR.  Fidel Castro dictator of Cuba  Height of Cold War tensions

 Illegal Immigration  Drug trade  Single cash crop economies- not diversified enough  Deforestation (Amazon)  Corrupt, unstable governments  Difficulty transitioning from dictatorships to democracies