1. LATIN AMERICA A basic history

2. How did that come to be?  Essential Question:  How did the period of European exploration affect the outcome of human settlement and development of nations in these regions?

3. Native civilizations: Maya***  Southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala  250-900 CE  City-states, kings, priests  Sacrifice and blood-letting  Slash and burn farming

4. Are human sacrifices still prevalent in Latin America? Why not? Mayan sacrifices

5. What type of vegetation zone did the Maya live in? How did that affect their livelihood? They practiced slash- and-burn farming and grew many crops

6. They also had impressive art, architecture, systems of writing, and had a calendar (that was ultimately WRONG! The world never ended)

7. Native civilizations: Aztec***  Central Mexico – Tenochtitlan  1400 -1520 CE  Sacrifices, blood letting, and large pyramids

8. Aztec society*** Aztecs practiced city planning The Aztecs were also very accomplished in architecture

9. Native civilizations: Inca  Peru and Chile  1500’s  Roads connected their empire  Kept records with ropes and knots

10. Inca society*** How does the Geography of Peru and Chile affect people living there?  Terrace farming

11. European Colonization***  Spain colonized Mexico and most of central and South America  Portugal colonized Brazil  England colonized Jamaica and Belize  French colonized Haiti Spain and PortugalEngland and France

13. Slaves***  Europe used South America as a way to gain new natural resources  Columbian exchange  Plantations and farming  Colonizers forced natives to work the plantations, but also brought over slaves from Africa

14. African Influences***  Music – Calypso, steel drum bands, reggae  Religion – voodoo in Haiti, Candomble in Brazil