Latin American Vocab

MESTIZO

Person of mixed native and European ancestry

NAFTA

Trade agreement between USA, Canada and Mexico that lowered tariffs and increased trade.

Maquiladoras

Foreign owned assembly factories in Mexico

Futbol

Soccer

Campesinos

Poor farmers that migrate to the cities

Indigenous

Native person of a area

Llanos

Fertile lands in inland areas of Colombia and Venezuela

Canopy

Top layer of a rainforest

Quipu

Knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the Inca to keep financial records

Cordilleras

Parallel chains or ranges of mountains

Gaucho

The cowhands (cowboys) of Argentina and Uruguay

Chinampas

Floating gardens or farming islands made by the Aztec

Isolated

Separated from other areas

Pampas

Grassy, treeless plains of southern South America (Argentina and Uruguay)

Tierra Templada

Temperate land, the middle altitude zone of the Latin American highland climates

Tierra Fria

Cold land. The highest altitude zone in Latin America

Tierra Caliente

Hot land. The lowest altitude zone in Latin America