human geography of latin america: a blending of cultures

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA: A BLENDING OF CULTURES

SECTION 1: MEXICO

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THE SPANISH CONQUEST Many native groups Toltecs, Maya, and

Aztecs are major groups

Spanish Conquest began in 1519 when Hernando Cortés landed

Conquered Tenochtitlán (Aztec capital) by 1521

COLONY AND COUNTRY

Mexico became a Spanish colony

Independence won in 1821

1822: Agustín Iturbide declares himself emperor

Mid 1800s: Benito Juaréz becomes the first president of Mexico

COLONY AND COUNTRY CONTINUED Porfirio Díaz

succeeds Juárez He was dishonest Led to revolution led

by Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata

1917: new constitution adopted—redistributes land to peasants

ONE-PARTY RULE

1929: Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) rises to prominence

Did not tolerate opposition

Led to corruption Ousted in 1997 2000: Vicente Fox

becomes first non-PRI president in 71 years

A MEETING OF CULTURES

AZTECS AND THE SPANISH

Aztecs came from northern Mexico

C. 1200 A.D.: Settled in Tenochtitlán in Lake Texcoco

Performed human sacrifices

1521: Cortés destroys Tenochtitlan and builds Mexico City on top

AZTECS AND SPANISH CONTINUED

Spanish brought language, Catholicism

Mestizos: people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage

MEXICAN PAINTERS

Painting became public art

Large murals on public buildings

Famous artists: José Orozco, Diego Rivera, David Siquerios, and Juan O’Gorman, Frida Kahlo

ECONOMICS

OIL AND MANUFACTURING

Large oil reserves Manufacturing is the

most important Maquiladoras:

factories that assemble imported materials into finished products that are then exported

Many are companies from the U.S.

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement

1994 Goal: eliminate

trade and investment barriers between Mexico, U.S., and Canada

EMIGRATION, WORK, AND SCHOOL 2000 mile border

with the U.S. Many leave to

search for work Many uneducated

in Mexico

SECTION 2: CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

MAYA INFLUENCE

Mayans built cities in present-day Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras

Central city was Tikal, in northern Guatemala

SPANISH IN CENTRAL AMERICA Spain ruled Central

America until the 19th century

Mexico ruled it until 1823

United Provinces of Central America declared independence from Mexico

Late 1830s: UPCA split into El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras

CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES

1492: Columbus reaches Caribbean islands

Called natives “Los Indios”

They were the Taino Spanish settled and

set up sugar plantations

Used Taino as slave---many died of disease and abuse

CARIBBEAN INFLUENCES CONTINUED African slaves

were brought to replace Taino

The Caribbean today is heavily influenced by African life and culture

COLONIAL MOSAIC

By 19th century, Spanish, French, Dutch, British, and Danish all had Caribbean claims

They relied on sugar

This brought more and more African slaves

CARIBBEAN INDEPENDENCE

1790s: Haiti becomes first independence movement in Latin America

Slave revolt led by Toussaint L’Ouverture

Won in 1804 Cuba independent

from Spain in 1898 Jamaica and Trinidad

and Tobago in 1962 from Britain

CULTURE OF CENTRAL AMERICA

2 major elements: 1) Native

American influence

2) Spanish Catholicism is

major religion

CULTURE OF THE CARIBBEAN Spanish, Dutch,

French, British, Danish, African, and Native American influences

Mix of Catholic and Protestant

Santeria, Voodoo (Haiti), and Rastafarianism (Jamaica)

ECONOMICS: JOBS AND PEOPLE

FARMING AND TRADE

Caribbean: Sugar is largest export crop

Bananas, citrus fruits, coffee, and spices also important

Pay is low for workers Per-capita income low Central America:

commercial farming Panama Canal:

canal running through Panama, connecting the Atlantic Pacific Oceans

WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND WHY Central America:

Most live in rural areas because most people work on farms

Caribbean: most live in cities

Hope to find jobs in tourism

POPULAR CULTURE, TOURISM, AND JOBS

MUSIC OF THE CARIBBEAN

Calypso: music that began in Trinidad and combines musical elements from Africa, Spain, and the Caribbean

Reggae: music that developed in Jamaica in the 1960s and is rooted in African, Caribbean, and American music, often dealing with social problems and religion

TOURISM AND THE INFORMAL ECONOMY Hotels and resorts

are an important industry in the Caribbean

Informal economy: jobs outside official channels, w/o benefits for workers

Ex: street vendors

SECTION 3: SPANISH-SPEAKING SOUTH AMERICA

INCA

Civilization in the Andes (Peru)

Centered in Cuzco Empire extended

2500 miles at height

Built roads

SPANISH CONQUEST

Francisco Pizarro conquers Inca empire

Harsh treatment of natives

Inca language Quechua, taken over by Spanish

Quechua is still spoken today

INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS

Began in 1st half of 19th century

Simón Bolívar led rebellions for Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia

José de San Martín helped to liberate Argentina, Chile, and Peru

GOVERNMENT BY THE FEW

Oligarchy (rule by few) and military rule are common in S. America

Authoritarian rule—obedience to authority over individual freedom—also is common

CULTURAL MOSAIC

LITERATURE

Gabriel Garciá Márquez (Colombia)

Most famous S. American author

Won Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1982

MUSIC

Pop music and folk music Music combines Indian, African, and

European elements Classical music is also very important

throughout the region

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Artisan works popular

Pottery, textiles, glasswork, and metalwork

Mix of aesthetics and usefulness

ECONOMICS: RESOURCES AND TRADE Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana: crops

for export Colombia and Venezuela: oil, coffee,

narcotics Peru and Ecuador: fishing Argentina: grain and livestock Paraguay: beans, cotton

CHILE’S SUCCESS STORY

S. America’s economic success story

Rich mines (copper is Chile’s largest export)

Fruits and vegetables Associate member of

Mercosur: an economic common market that began operations in 1995 (Think of NAFTA)

LITERACY IN S. AMERICA

Higher literacy rates than Central America

Literacy rate among women is about equal with men

LITERACY IN CHILE

Literacy rate is 95% in Chile

98% among those 15-19

Education is highly valued in Chile

SECTION 4: BRAZIL

HISTORY: A DIVIDED CONTINENT Spain and Portugal

were competing for colonies

To avoid conflict, Pope Alexander VI created the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

This divided the world between Spain and Portugal

Portugal got Brazil in S. America

PORTUGUESE CONQUEST

Colonists arrive early 1500s

1-5 million natives already there

Search for gold and silver was fruitless

Sugar plantations set up instead

Settlement patterns were on the coast

African slaves brought

INDEPENDENCE FOR BRAZIL

Napoleon defeated in 1815

Demand for independence

Petitioned the king of Portugal

People asked that Dom Pedro, son of the king, rule the independent Brazil

Sept. 1822: Brazil declared independent

A mix of Portuguese, African, and Native elements…

A NATIONAL CULTURE

THE PEOPLE OF BRAZIL

Only around 200,000 natives remain

Many immigrants They come from

Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, and Syria

Brazil has largest Japanese population outside of Japan

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION

Speak Portuguese Catholic majority

(largest Catholic population in the world)

20% Protestant Other: mix of

African and Catholic practices

Brazil is a growing economic power. It has abundant natural resources

AN ECONOMIC GIANT AWAKENS

AN INDUSTRIAL POWER

Rich in iron, bauxite, tin, manganese

Gold, silver, titanium, chromite, tungsten, and quartz also available

Hydroelectricity Large oil and natural

gas reserves One of the most

industrialized countries in S. America

MIGRATION TO CITIES

Large gap between rich and poor

Urbanization occurs to improve life

87% now live in cities

MIGRATION TO THE INTERIOR

Capital city of Brasília built in 1957 to attract people to the interior

Commercial ag in the Cerrado (Great Plains of S. America) draws new jobs to interior

BRAZILIAN LIFE TODAY

FROM CARNIVAL TO MARTIAL ARTS Carnival: most

colorful feast day in Brazil

Big in Rio de Janeiro

Samba: Brazilian dance with African influences

Capoeira: martial art; blends Brazilian dance; brought from Angola

CITY LIFE IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio is the cultural center of Brazil

Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay, Copacabana Beach are popular tourist sites

Favelas: very poor slums—high crime rate