Transcript Latin America - Pearland ISD

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
Copper Canyon,
Mexico
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DSCK0456.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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
Pampas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CIMG5091.JPG
The Rivers of South America
• Some of the longest
and largest in the
world
Mouth of the Amazon River
• Used for
transportation when
roads are not
available
• Provide fish and
hydroelectric power
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/wiki/Image:Amazon_river_basin.png
Rio de la Plata
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:River_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 300900AD
• 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
Palenque Ruins
• No one knows why
• Their descendants
are still living in
Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala,
Honduras, and El
Salvador
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Palenque_Ruins.jpg
Aztecs
• Arrived in the Valley of
• Science and
Mexico in the 1100’s
Technology
• Found a permanent
• Aztec Doctors made
home in 1523 on an
over 1000 medicines
island in Lake Texacoco
from plants
– city called
• Astronomers
Tenochtitlan
predicted eclipses
• 1400’s Aztecs
and the movements of
conquered other people
the planets
and forced them to pay
• Priests kept records
a tribute.
using Hieroglyphics
• Tribute = a tax this
• Conquered by Hernan
helped them become
Cortes.
rich.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Calend%C3%A1rio_Asteca.jpg
Aztec Calendar
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-Picchu
Lost 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
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