Transcript Latin America - Granbury ISD

S1
Latin America
Past and Present
S2
Early Civilizations
• Maya
• Aztec
• Inca
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Maya
• The Maya dominated
southern Mexico and the
northern part of Central
America starting around
250 AD (Biblical times)
– Southern Mexico,
Guatemala, Northern
Belize, and Honduras
• Maya society consisted of
many independent states
that all had their own
ruling systems
• Economy based on
agriculture and trade
Mayan ruins: Tulum
Maya
• They used
advanced
mathematical
skills to build
large stepped
pyramids
– The temples
were created
to honor the
deities (gods)
that they
worshipped
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Maya
• They also
developed one of
the most
accurate
calendars in the
world.
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Maya
• The Maya Civilization came to an end
inexplicably
• Cities were abandoned, and the people
dispersed themselves throughout Central
America
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Maya: What Happened?
• Some possible
explanations:
– malaria and yellow fever
epidemics
– Scientific study shows a
200 year drought began
in the Yucatan around
800 AD
• Fresh water became too
“minerally”
– Invasion
• Toltec conquest
Cenotes
Aztec and Mayan Lands
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Aztec
• The Aztecs thrived in Central
and Southern Mexico from the
1300s-1500s AD
– Tenochtitlan, the cultural center,
was built on the site of modern
day Mexico City
• The Empire was made up of
city-states that paid dues to
the Emperor
– If the city-states refused to pay
tributes, they were destroyed by
the Aztec military
• The Aztec economy flourished
with trade, where goods such
as clothing, food, firewood,
and jewelry, were exchanged
Aztec
• The Aztec built
pyramids to honor
their gods.
• The Aztec did the
most human
sacrifices to these
gods.
Aztec: Tenochtitlan
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“Chinampas” on Lake Texcoco: When the Spanish Conquistadores arrived there were
over 200,000 people living in Tenochtitlan.
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Aztecs: What Happened?
• Spanish conquistadores, or “conquerors” teamed with other
Native American tribes who refused to pay tribute to the Aztecs
• In 1520 the Aztecs fell to the combined forces of the Spanish
and hostile Native American groups
• Hernan Cortez lead the overthrow
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Inca
• The Inca dominated the area that is now
modern day Peru and the Andes Mts.
Region of South America in the 1400s1500s
– Built their cities in the mountains, which made
them difficult to conquer
Machu Picchu
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Inca
• They also figured
out how to farm in
the mountains.
• This type of
farming is called
Terrace Farming.
• This is where
steps are literally
cut into the
mountain to farm.
• This is still used
today.
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Inca Tech 101
• An important Inca technology was
the quipu (aka talking knots)
– Exact use is unknown, but historians
believe that it was as a writing
system
• Also performed “skull surgery” to
relieve pressure from head
wounds
– Coca plant was used to lessen
hunger and pain during medical
procedures
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Incas: What Happened?
• Francisco Pizarro, a
Spanish Conquistador,
reached Inca territory in
about 1525
– The Conquistadores,
searching for the 3 Gs,
were in luck
– When the Inca King
Atahualpa refused
Christianity the Spanish
imprisoned and eventually
executed him
– The Incas fell to the
Spanish in 1572 after the
last Incan ruler was
murdered
The Incan “bolas” were no match for the
Spaniards’ guns.
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Independence
• Many Latin American groups fought for
independence from the time that the Spanish
arrived
– By the 1800s the efforts escalated, drawing
international attention
• The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
– any attempt by a European nation to oppress or
control any nation in the western hemisphere would
be seen as an act of aggression and the United
States would intervene
• By 1824 most of Latin America was free from
European control
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Modern Latin America
• It’s a big place
with varied culture
and customs, but
Spanish influence
is apparent
wherever you
look…
– Especially
architecture
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Legacy
• The majority of Latin
Americans speak
Spanish
• Mexico City, formerly
Tenochtitlan, is one of
the largest cities in
the world
Legacy
– Mexico has preserved
many sites, which
draw tourists
Modern Mexico City
Modern Version of an “Aztec Temple”
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Latin America has become…
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• A cultural melting pot
– High numbers of European immigrants,
especially in Chile, Argentina, and Mexico
– Direct Native American descendants make up
more than 50% of Guatemala’s population
– The Incan language Quechua is still spoken in
the Peruvian Highlands of the Andes Mts.
– Many modern Latin Americans are “mestizos,”
or of mixed European and Amerindian descent
Latin America has become…
• An economic partner
– NAFTA (North American
Free Trade Agreement)
• NAFTA essentially
eliminated most tariffs on
goods traded between the
United States, Canada,
and Mexico
• Free trade is good for
everyone, in theory,
because it allows products
to be produced in the most
efficient location so that
everyone can get the
benefit of low prices
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Latin America has become…
• An economic partner
(continued)
• Mexico is a draw for
manufacturers because of
its geographical position,
free-trade agreements,
high productivity and low
cost labor.
• As a result, maquiladoras,
or assembly plants, are
positioned along the
Mexico-US border
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Latin America has become…
• An economic partner (continued)
• Maquiladoras import item parts or raw
materials, assemble items cheaply, and
then export the finished product
– Mexican minimum wage is around 50
pesos/day, which amounts to $3.85 USD
– The average starting wage per day for
maquiladora workers is about 110 pesos, or
about $8.50 USD
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Latin America has become…
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• The World’s refrigerator
• Cash crops grown on large commercial farms in
Latin America supply the US and other nations
with food such as:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Corn
Beans
Potato
Tropical fruits
Wheat and other grains
Sugarcane
Latin America has become…
S25
• The World’s Pharmacist, albeit illegally
• The US has sent more than 25 billion
(25,000,000,000) to Latin American countries to
fight drug production.
• 90% of the cocaine, 30% of the heroin
consumed in the US comes form Latin America
• Shot in the foot?
– Only about 2-3 percent of the money spent on the
drugs that come from Latin America actually goes to
the people who grow and manufacture drugs
(poor people)