Why is Latin America Known as Latin America?

1. Why is Latin America Known as Latin America? Unit: Latin America

2. Where is Latin America? • Mexico, The Caribbean, Central America, and South America make up Latin America • Latin America is located in the Western Hemisphere and in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres

3. Language of Latin America • The most commonly spoken language in Latin America is Spanish • Throughout Latin America, there are different dialects of Spanish • English is also a major language in Latin America

4. Religion of Latin America • The major religion in Latin America is Christianity

6. Colonization of Mexico • Hernando Cortes landed on the Mexican coast in 1519, this became known as the Spanish Conquest • Gold and silver contributed to the success of the Spanish empire • The Spanish brought their language and their religion

7. Colonial Central America • Central America is a cultural hearth – a place from which important ideas spread • After the Spanish conquered Mexico, they conquered Central America and ruled until the 19th century • Although Central America was ruled by Spain, the Caribbean was settled and claimed by many European powers • The Spanish, French, British, Dutch, and Danish all claimed islands in the Caribbean

8. Colonization of South America • The Incas built their civilization in the Andes Mountain region in South America • The Spanish conquered the Incas with the hopes of claiming the gold and silver • The Spanish forced the natives to work and also forced their language and religion on the natives • Spanish rule lasted for almost 300 years

9. Colonization of Brazil • The Portuguese colonized Brazil beginning in 1500 • The Portuguese conquered Brazil in the hope of finding gold or silver • When they did not find gold or silver, they cleared the forests and created sugar plantations • The Portuguese put the natives to work and also brought in slaves from Africa to help work the sugar plantations

10. Independence • In 1821, Mexico achieved independence from Spain • Because Spain controlled Mexico, Mexico controlled Central America. So, when Mexico became independent, Central America declared its independence in 1823 • Many nations in South America gained their independence in the 1800s, but hundreds of years of colonialism did have effects such as strong militaries, underdeveloped economies, and social class divisions • Brazil remained a colony of Portugal until 1822