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Latin America
Geography and History
The Physical Geography of Mexico and Central America
• Stretches 2,500 miles from the US border to South America
• Mountains dominate
• Mexico’s Central Plain make up ½ of the country• Most people live
here
• Isthmus of Central America• Connects Pacific
Ocean and Caribbean Sea
• Coastal Plains • Narrow• Volcanic – provides
good soil for farming
Overview of Latin America
Middle America
South America
Sierra Madre Occidental, Durango,
Mexico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DSCK0456.JPG
Copper Canyon, Mexico
http://www.geo-im
ages.com/copper/divis/div2vw
.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Image:42-16719625.jpg
The Panama Canal is a transportation corridor used to move people and products from one
place to another.
The Physical Geography of the Caribbean
• Made up of two types of Islands – Skeleton and underwater Mountains
• Underwater Mountains• People make a living from
farming because soil is so good
• Skeleton Islands• Smaller• Coral – made up of
skeletons of dead sea animals
Cat Island, Bahamas
The Physical Geography of South America
• Many Types of Landforms• Andes Mountains
• Run 15,000 Miles along Western Coast• Rich soil for farming• Very steep
• Rolling Highlands – East • Amazon River Basin
• Home to the World’s largest rainforest = 1/3 of the continent
• Pampas – South• Large plain that stretches through
Argentina and Paraguay
Andes Mountains - between Chile and Argentina
http://en.wikiped
ia.org/w
iki/Im
age:And
es_C
hile_A
rgen
tina
.jpg
Pampas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CIMG5091.JPG
The Rivers of South America
• Some of the longest and largest in the world
• Used for transportation when roads are not available
• Provide fish and hydroelectric power
Mouth of the Amazon River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Amazon-river-delta-NASA.jpg
The Rivers of South America
• Amazon
• World’s 2nd Largest – 7,000 miles• Carries 20 % of the world’s river water• Has 1,000 tributaries• Drains an area of more than 2 million sq
miles
• Rio de la Plata• Separates Argentina and Paraguay
Amazon River
http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Image:A
mazon_river_basin.png
Rio de la Plata
http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Image:R
iver_Plate.jpg
Climate•Tropical Wet• Hot humid, rainy weather all year round (parts of Brazil)• Rainforest will be in this area
•Tropical Wet and Dry • Hot, rainy, but not all year• Parts of Mexico, Brazil, and most of the Caribbean
•Humid Subtropical• Similar to Southern US• Crops grow well he• These climates make tourism a major economic industry in Latin
America.
Early Civilizations - Mayans• Mayan Civilization and
Culture• In Mexico and Central
America• Lasted from 300-
900AD• Most important crop
was maize• Built great cities that
were also religious centers
Capital city Tikal
• Science, Technology and Religion• Hieroglyphics –
system of picture writing
• Number system – similar to present day decimal system
• Mayan Priests• Study the planets
and stars• Designed and
accurate calendar
Mystery of the Mayans
• AD 900, the Mayans left their cities
• No one knows why
• Their descendants are still living in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador
Palenque Ruins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Palenque_Ruins.jpg
Aztecs
• Arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the 1100’s
• Found a permanent home in 1523 on an island in Lake Texacoco – city called Tenochtitlan
• 1400’s Aztecs conquered other people and forced them to pay a tribute.• Tribute = a tax this
helped them become rich.
• Science and Technology• Aztec Doctors made
over 1000 medicines from plants
• Astronomers predicted eclipses and the movements of the planets
• Priests kept records using Hieroglyphics
• Conquered by Hernan Cortes.
Aztec Calendar http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Image:C
alend%C3%
A1rio_A
steca.jpg
The Incas
• About 1200, they settled in Cuzco • In the Andes which is
now Peru• Most were farmers who
grew maize• Got control of entire
Cuzco Valley through wars
• Valley stretched over 2,500 Miles
• Conquered by Francisco Pizarro
• Accomplishments• Cuzco center of
government, trade, learning, and religion
• Built over 19,000 miles of roads with most over very steep mountains
• Increased crop production by building stone terraces into the slopes of the mountains
• Built aqueducts
Machu-PicchuLost City of the Incas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Machu-Picchu.jpg
European Exploration
• 1400s – Spain and Portugal searching for new trade routes to Asia came to the Americas.
• 1492 – Columbus thought he had found India, instead he found the Americas
• Spain and Portugal became rivals over land in the Americas
Spain in the New World
•Conquistadors (Spanish explorers) and Land• Spain would give them the right to hunt for treasure in these new lands
• They would give Spain one – fifth of what they found
• They could use ANY means to get their treasure
Oil Painting by Alfredo P. Alcala
http://christianvolt.blogs.friendster.com/photos/art_exhibits/conquistadors.html
Hernando Cortes
• 1519 went to Mexican Coast in search of treasure
• Aztec thought the Spanish were gods
• Moctezuma – emperor• Welcomed Spanish• Peace did not last• He ended up being
killed
• Spanish teamed up with an Aztec Rival• Able to surround the
city• Aztecs surrendered in
1521
Francisco Pizarro
• Heard the tales of the wealth of the Incas
• 1531 set sail with 180 soldiers
• Captured and killed emperor
• 1535 – conquered most of the empire including the capital
Spain Conquers the Empires of Latin America
• Only took 15 years• Had guns, cannons, and horses• European diseases wiped out villages
Spanish Colonization
• 1540s – Spain had land from Kansas (US) down through South America except Brazil
• Three classes of people• Spanish• Mestizos• Native Americans
• Spain gave its settlers the right to demand taxes or labor from the Native Americans• Many died from
overwork, malnutrition, and diseases
• Population went from 25 million in 1519 down to 3 million in 50 years