Culture BookBy:Trevon Walker

ColonialismCulturesEconomyLife Today

Mexico

Mexico Colonialism

The fall of the Aztec Empire and capture of its ruler Cuauhtémoc left Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in charge of a vast and largely unfamiliar land. By 1522 his sovereign, Carlos V, had bestowed upon him the title Governor and Captain General of New Spain. Cortés promptly founded the Ciudad de Mexico on the ruins of the once-majestic Tenochtitlán, building a European-style colonial capital with the rubble left from razed Aztec pyramids, temples and palaces.

Mexico Culture

● Most Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do. More than 45% of the people in Mexico live in cities of over 50,000 inhabitants.

● The Spanish arrival brought Roman Catholicism to the country, which became the main religion of Mexico, Mexico has no official religion, and the Constitution of 1917 and the anti-clerical laws imposed limitations on the church and sometimes codified state intrusion into church matters.

● When used about ethnic groups the term Aztec refers to several Nahuatl speaking peoples of central Mexico in the postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology, especially the ethnic group that had a leading role in establishing the hegemonic empire based at Tenochtitlan,

Economy

● Mexico was one of the Latin American nations most affected by the 2008 recession with its Gross Domestic Product contracting by more than 6%. Moody's and Fitch IBCA issued investment-grade ratings for Mexico's sovereign debt. In spite of its unprecedented macroeconomic stability, which has reduced inflation and interest rates to record lows and has increased per capita income, enormous gaps remain between the urban and the rural population, the northern and southern states, and the rich and the poor.

● The economy contains rapidly developing modern industrial and service sectors, with increasing private ownership. Recent administrations have expanded competition in ports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution and airports, with the aim of upgrading infrastructure

Life Today

● Today Mexico is the most populous country in the spanish speaking world.

● Education is mandatory for kids ages 5 through 15.

● A gap between rich and poor is vast.

● English is more common in tourist areas of Mexico.

● Mexico has a lot of problems with drug cartels and death rates some parts are dangerous for tourists.

Central America & The Caribbean

Native Peoples

● In 2000 it was estimated that there are between 6 and 7 million of natives living in Central America. The languages and cultures that are called "Mesoamerican" stretch from Yucatan and Chiapas to Matambú on the Nicoya Peninsula .

● Central America is composed of seven independent nations: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. After the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, most of the inhabitants of Central America shared a similar history.

Natives In Carribean

● The three main groups are the Ciboney Taíno and the Carib. Although some of the Taíno referred to their specific tribes by different names , most of the groups that Columbus originally met were ethnic Taíno.

● Soon after the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, both Portuguese andSpanish ships began claiming territories in Central and South America. These colonies brought in gold, and other European powers, most specifically England, the Netherlands, andFrance, hoped to establish profitable colonies of their own. Imperial rivalries made the Caribbean a contested area during European wars for centuries.

Culture

● Multicultural heritage is enshrined in many islands. In parts of the Caribbean, multiculturalism itself is the cultural norm and diversity is the force that unites the community. Although officially quarter of the Caribbean are English speaking, the largest group is attributed to Spanish speakers , some 22% speak French whilst only 1% speak Dutch.

● Caribbean literature is often divided into Spanish, French and English-language literature, which are rooted in the literary traditions of Spain, France and Britain, respectively.

Economy

● By international standards, the nations of the Caribbean are not rich in natural resources. The resources that make significant contributions to domestic economies and regional job sectors include, but are not limited to: fisheries, bauxite, iron, nickel, petroleumand timber.

● Along with contributing to the Caribbean’s GDP, agriculture also contributes to domestic food supply, and provides employment. Whileagriculture is the major economic land-use activity in most Caribbean countries, agriculture accounts for less and less of most islands' GDP. However,the unlikely many developed countries, this trend may be accounted for by a growing tertiary sector, as opposed to industrial growth except for Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico

SPANISH SPEAKING SOUTH AMERICATrevon Walker

Conquest

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most significant events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The invasion began in February 1519, and was declared victorious on August 13, 1521, when a coalition army of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan warriors led by Hernán Cortés and Xicotencatl the Younger captured Tenochtitlan, the capital of theAztec Empire.