Mexico Chapter 10

Mexico What do else you know about Mexico? Women stepped in as chief of police http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39760545/ns/world_news-americas/ Man killed by Mexican drug cartel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKLvu0mnOUY&feature=channel U.S. / Mexico Border http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/

Quiz Next Thursday Mexico Dominican Republic Guatemala Haiti Belize Honduras El Salvador Nicaragua Panama Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Haiti Jamaica Puerto Rico The Bahamas Tobago and Trinidad Barbados St. Lucia Dominica

Mexico Sierra Madre Oriental Plateau of Mexico Sierra Madre Occidental Gulf of Mexico Baja California Sierra Madre Oriental Plateau of Mexico Sierra Madre Occidental Gulf of California Bay of Campeche Yucatan Peninsula Pacific Ocean

Peninsula Irrigation A strip of land that juts out into an ocean That artificial watering of farmland, often by means of canals that draw water from reservoirs or rivers

Sinkhole A hole formed when limestone is dissolved causing the land above to collapse Hacienda A large Spanish-owned estate in the Americas, often run as a farm or a cattle ranch

Ejido Land redistribution A Spanish word describing farmland owned collectively by members of a rural community Land redistribution A policy by which land is expropriated from those who own large amounts and redistributed to those who have a little or none

Latifundio A Spanish word describing a large commercial farm owned by a private individual or a farming company Cash crop A farm crop grown for sale and profit.

Migrant worker A worker who travels from place to place, working where extra help is needed to cultivate or harvest crops

Mexico – Geological Dangers Mexico’s central plateau is geologically unstable Because it is the intersection of the North American, Caribbean, Pacific, and Cocos Tectonic Plates Some active volcanoes

Mexico – Climate Factors Mexico’s climate is a factor making it an attractive place to live The Sierra Madres block rainfall in Northern Mexico Mexico City’s climate attracts many people. Many in search of a job Families in the surrounding area survive on about $4 a day

Mexico – Northern Pacific Coast The Northern Pacific Coast of Mexico is dry and hot This area, although arid in climate, has the best farmland in the country Because of irrigation Tijuana is one of Mexico’s fastest-growing cities

Mexico – Southern Pacific Coast Little farmland in this area The region has a tropical climate that attracts a lot of tourism Many resort cities like: Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta

Mexico – Gulf Coastal Plain An important region to Mexico’s economy Large deposits of petroleum and natural gas This is a major oil-producing region

Mexico – Yucatan Peninsula A flat region When rain falls in this area, it seeps through the surface and works into the rock The limestone is gradually dissolved, and creates underground caverns Occasionally, the roof of a cavern collapses and forms a sinkhole The area is dotted with sinkholes Area does attract tourism along the Caribbean coastline Mayan ruins attract tourists and archaeologists

Mexico - Aztecs One of the earliest civilizations in Mexico were the Aztecs They were the most powerful empire By the 1400’s the capital city was Tenochtilan (where modern Mexico City is today) Around 60,000 Aztecs gathered in the city every day

Mexico – Spanish Conquest 1519 – Hernan Cortes march to Tenochtitlan Within two years, the Spanish had destroyed the Aztec empire The area became New Spain Four social classes emerged when the Spanish settled Peninsulares – born in Spain and help high official positions Criollos – people of Spanish ancestry born in the Americas Mestizos – people of mixed ancestry Indians were the lowest rank

Mexico – Mexican Revolution The Spanish ruled until into the 1800s Criollos were angry with the peninsulares In 1810 a criollo priest (Miguel Hidalgo called for a rebellion against Spain A war for independence started and by 1821 Mexico was an independent nation The country struggled for another hundred years over the political rule of the country

Mexico – Mexican Revolution In 1910 – peasants and middle-class rebelled By the time the fighting ended in 1920, Mexico had a new president and a new constitution

Mexico – Rural Life Most of the people living in the countryside work in agriculture After the revolution the government began a program of buying out landowners and breaking up the large haciendas The land was divided among peasants Most farmers practice subsistence farming About 1/3 of farms are huge, commercial farms Many rural families have no land or opportunities for work – some travel from place to place looking for work

Mexico – Urban Life More than 2/3 of Mexico’s population lives in cities Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world Cities offer education and more economic opportunities Most urban dwellers in Mexico are very poor and struggle to survive

Mexico – Major Industries NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement Petroleum extraction and tourism are two of Mexico’s largest industries Border Industries – along the U.S. and Mexico border are cluster cities These cities have formed around factories that assemble products almost exclusively for consumers in the United States These factories (maquiladoras) employ more than 450,000 people. What about border cities today???