chapter 7 – mexico section notes physical geography history and culture mexico today video impact...
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Chapter 7 – Mexico
Section NotesPhysical GeographyHistory and CultureMexico Today
VideoImpact of Emigration
ImagesCultureEarly Cultures of MexicoHidalgo Calls for IndependenceFocus on Culture: Day of the
Dead
Quick FactsChapter 7 Visual Summary
MapsMexico: PoliticalMexico: PhysicalMexico: ClimateMexico’s Culture RegionsMexico
Physical Geography
The Big Idea
Mexico is a large country with different natural environments in its northern, central, and southern regions.
Main Ideas
• Mexico’s physical features include plateaus, mountains, and coastal lowlands.
• Mexico’s climate and vegetation include deserts, tropical forests, and cool highlands.
• Key natural resources in Mexico include oil, silver, gold, and scenic landscapes.
Main Idea 1:Mexico’s physical features include plateaus,
mountains, and coastal lowlands.
• Mexico shares a long border with the southern United States.
• The Río Bravo, called the Rio Grande in the U.S., runs along part of this border.
• The Río Bravo is one of Mexico’s few major rivers.
Mexico’s Physical Features
• Much of interior is a region called the Mexican Plateau.
• Two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east and the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west, are part of the Sierra Madre, or “mother range.”
• The Valley of Mexico, where Mexico City is located, lies between these two ranges in the south.
• The mountains south of Mexico City include volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are a threat to that region.
BodiesOf Water
• Bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the West and the Gulf of Mexico in the east
• Stretching south from northern Mexico is a peninsula, or piece of land surrounded by water on three sides, called Baja California.
• The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea.
PlateausAnd
Mountains
Coastal Lowlands
• The land slopes down to the coast from highlands in central Mexico.
• The Gulf coastal plain is wide and flat.– This region has good soils and climate for farming.
• The Yucatán Peninsula is mostly flat.– Erosion of limestone created caves and sinkholes that are
often filled with water.
Main Idea 2:Mexico’s climate and vegetation include
deserts, tropical forests, and cool highlands.
• The great variety of climates produces different vegetation.
• Changes in elevation cause climates to vary within short distances.
• The Mexican Plateau can have cool temperatures.
• The southern coastal areas have warm temperatures and summer rainy seasons that support tropical forests that cover 25 percent of Mexico.
• The climate in the Yucatán Peninsula is hot and dry, supporting scrub forest.
• Most of northern Mexico is dry and made up of deserts and grasslands.
Main Idea 3: Key natural resources in Mexico include oil,
silver, gold, and scenic landscapes.
• Mexico has rich natural resources.
• The southern and coastal plains and the Gulf of Mexico have oil.
• Mexico’s mines yield gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.
• Mexico produces more silver than any other country in the world.
History and Culture
The Big Idea
Native American cultures and Spanish colonization shaped Mexican history and culture.
Main Ideas
• Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztec.
• Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped its culture.
• Spanish and native cultures have influenced Mexico’s customs and traditions today.
Main Idea 1:Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec,
the Maya, and the Aztec.
• People came to Mexico many thousands of years ago.
• As early as 5,000 years ago, they were growing beans, peppers, squash, and domesticated corn.
• Farming allowed people to build the first settlements in America.
Three Civilizations
Olmec
• Lived in small villages by about 1500 BC
• Settled in the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico
• Built temples and giant statues
Maya
• Built big cities in Mexico and Central America between AD 250 and 900
• Built stone temples
• Developed a calendar
• Kept written records that do not reveal the reason for their collapse
Aztec
• Moved in from the north
• Built a great capital on an island in 1325
• Established an empire, a land with different territories and peoples under one ruler
• Obtained new lands, taxes, and captives to sacrifice through war
Main Idea 2: Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped
its culture.
• Despite great size and power, the Aztec empire did not last long after Hernán Cortés arrived with 600 Spanish soldiers.
• The Spanish had better weapons and horses.
• The Spanish brought new diseases, such as smallpox, which killed many Aztecs.
• Cortés conquered the empire by 1521.
Colonial Times
Culture
• After the conquest, the separate peoples and cultures mixed.
• Mestizos are people of mixed European and American Indian ancestry.
• Mulattoes are people of mixed European and African descent.
• Africans and American Indians also intermarried.
Religion
• The Roman Catholic Church had great influence.
• The church ruled over large areas of northern Mexico.
• The church established missions, or church outposts.
• Priests learned native languages and converted the American Indians to Catholicism.
Colonial Times Economy
• The Spaniards searched for gold and silver.
• The American Indians and the enslaved Africans labored in the mines.
• As a result, many died from overwork and disease.
• The Spanish monarch granted haciendas, or huge expanses of farm or ranch land, to some Spanish people who became wealthy.
• Peasants, usually Indians, lived and worked on haciendas.
Independence• Spain ruled Mexico for 300
years.
• Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, led the revolt against Spain.
• Hidalgo was killed in 1811, but Mexico won independence in 1821.
Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico
fifteen years after independence.
• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.
• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.
• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.
• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.
Independence and Later Struggles
Main Idea 3:Spanish and native cultures have influenced
Mexico’s customs and traditions today.
• Many people speak an American Indian language that ties them to their ethnic group.
• These languages identify a person as Indian.
Spanish• Most Mexicans speak Spanish.
• About 90 percent of Mexicans are Roman Catholic.
AmericanIndian
• Mexicans have unique practices that result from the mixing of cultures.
• For example, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead to remember dead ancestors.
• This holiday is held on All Souls’ Day, but reflects native customs and beliefs.
Spanishand
AmericanIndian
Mexico Today
The Big Idea
Mexico has four culture regions that all play a part in the country’s government and economy.
Main Ideas
• Government has traditionally played a large role in Mexico’s economy.
• Mexico has four distinct culture regions.
Main Idea 1:Government has traditionally played a
large role in Mexico’s economy.• Mexico is a democracy, but the same party ruled for 71 years.
• A different political party came to power in 2000 when Vicente Fox was elected president.
• Mexico’s government controlled most economic activity for many years, but today that has changed.
• As a developing country, Mexico has challenges.– Debt to foreign banks
– Unemployment
– Inflation, a rise in prices that occurs when currency loses buying power
• Mexico’s economy has been growing since 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) made trade with the U.S. and Canada easier.
Agriculture• Farms have long
been a part of Mexican economy.
• Only 12 percent of the land can be farmed.
• Farmers practice slash-and-burn agriculture, burning forests to clear land for planting.
• Farmers grow cash crops, crops that farmers can sell for a profit.
Industry • Major industries
include oil, mining, and manufacturing.
• Many foreign companies have built factories along the U.S. border because labor is cheaper.
• Some Mexican workers come to the U.S. to look for jobs.
Tourism• Tourists visit old
colonial cities and Maya and Aztec monuments.
• Coastal cities are popular with tourists.
Mexico’s Economy
Main Idea 2: Mexico has four distinct culture regions.
• All Mexicans share cultural characteristics.
• Yet, four regions differ in culture, population, resources, and climate:– Greater Mexico City
– Central Mexico
– Northern Mexico
– Southern Mexico
Greater Mexico City
• Includes the capital and 50 smaller cities
• Has a population of more than 19 million
• Second largest city in world
• Huge, dense population causes problems.
– Smog, a mixture of smoke, chemicals, and fog, created by factories and cars
– Poverty
Central Mexico
• North of Mexico City
• Many cities established for ranching or mining during the colonial period
• Colonial heritage: church near main central square, or plaza
• Small family farms that grow vegetables, corn and wheat
• Mining centers
• New industries leading to rapid growth of cities
Mexico’s Culture Regions
Northern Mexico
• One of the country’s wealthiest and most modern regions
• Trade with U.S. helping growth of economy
• Has many maquiladoras, U.S. and foreign-owned factories
• Influenced by American television, music, and culture
• Residents crossing into the U.S. to shop, work, or live
• United States tries to prevent illegal crossing
Southern Mexico
• Least populated and industrialized region
• Many Indian language speakers
• Subsistence farming and slash-and-burn agriculture
• Two major export crops: sugarcane and coffee
• Increased oil production along the Gulf coast
• Yucatán Peninsula: tourism to Maya ruins and beaches
• Tiny fishing towns transformed to booming tourist centers
Mexico’s Culture Regions, continued