Latin America

1. Latin America

2. Geographic Features Mountains • Sierra Madre East & West, Andes • Mountains part of Ring of Fire, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanoes. Lowlands • Found along the coast, largest is the Great Amazon Basin, 40% of South America, and largest rainforest. • Mountains along with tropical forests in lowlands created barriers for movement of people. Limited contact among areas and people. Regionalism – Strong local traditions that divide people within a country or region. Rivers – Amazon, Orinoco, Rio de la Plata (River of Silver), Rio Grande

3. Climate and Resources Climate • 3/4th lies in tropics • Mostly hot and dry • In Amazon & Caribbean warm and wet. • Dry climates in northern Mexico, parts of Argentina, and Chile • Deserts border semi-arid areas. Resources • Gold and silver lured Europeans • Also have copper, tin, bauxite • Some have oil and natural gas • Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru • Cash crops like bananas, sugar, coffee, tobacco, rubber, lumber • Reliance on single crop or good leads to economic dependence in many countries

4. Peeps People • Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans. • Mestizos – People of mixed European and Native American ancestry • Concentrated in temperate highland areas and coastal plains. Issues/Problems with Geography • 6% of land arable • Irrigation has helped in some areas. • Soil in rain forest areas is not very fertile, can only use for a few years • Leaching and erosion damages land • Landforms and climate limited contact between people creating differences in culture

5. Mayans • Time Period • 300-900 A.D. • Abandoned cities, do not know reason for decline • Soil exhaustion, water loss & erosion, earthquakes, hurricanes, disease, invasions all possible scenarios • Government • City-States, no unified empire • Kings ruled city-states, nobles and priests helped govern • Society • Priests performed rituals to please gods • Artisans & merchants supplied ruling class with clothes & gold • Advanced metallurgy • Agriculture base of economy (primarily maize—then cotton, beans, squash and cacao) • Peasants grew food and built temples • Slaves were captured soldiers or criminals • Achievements • 365 ¼ day calendar • Sophisticated writing system—recorded history; inscribed on building and books from tree bark found in tombs • Complex math, concept of zero • Architecture skills, pyramids

6. Aztecs Time Period • 1200-1520 A.D. Government • 1 ruler from Tenochtitlan (capital) • Very warlike—goal not to destroy but to capture and expand empire productively (although temples were burned to ensure loyalty) • War also used to capture victims for ceremonials use (sacrificed on huge alters in front of large crowds—heart cut out, symbolically offered to the gods, and the body rolled down the stairs) • Fall revolved around internal and external pressures (internal revolts in conjunction with Hernando Cortes arrival who exploited his looks and the internal products)—small pox did not help either Society • Worshipped many gods, priest guarded temples, performed rituals, and recorded advancements. • Religion tied to calendar—deities represented in the Day-count and Solar year (day count had 20 days based on signs and 13 numbers); it was an endless cycle that constantly repeated itself providing a 260 day year; the Solar year provided guidelines for planting and harvesting times • Boys & girls educated, women could remarry and own property. Achievements • Gum, popcorn, chocolate • Education for all • Canoes, wheel, math • Medicine

7. Incas Time Period • 1200-1533 • Conquered by Spain and Pizarro, who killed Emperor, took gold, destroyed temples Government • Capital Cuzco. • Emperor owned all land, mines, wealth; taxes collected on crops • Emperor ruled with aid from priests and nobles • Cities built in mountains and architecture built into the cliffs—stone houses and temples had block weighing several tons and fit together so tightly that a razor blade cannot fit through • Machu Picchu • Violent punishment system • If someone stole, murdered or had sex with a Sapa (holy man) wife or a Sun Virgin, they were thrown off a cliff, hands cut off or eyes cut out or hung up to starve to death • Irrigation (canals and drainage systems)—grew potatoes, tomatoes, cotton, peanuts and cocoa Society • Warrior society & hierarchical—evidence of social classes • Worshipped many gods, main one sun god (royal family thought to be descended from sun god) • Animal spirits lived on earth • Heaven depicted by the condor, the underworld by the anaconda, and the brother who was on earth was the puma • Winter and summer solstices mark important dates in the religious calendar • Skilled farmers. Officials told people were to live and what jobs to do. Achievements • Fertilizer, terraced mountains to grow food, road system, 12 month calendar, instruments, system of measurement, evidence of brain surgery

8. Fall of Empires • Peak for Inca and Aztec empires was 1500 • Spanish conquistadors came and hunted gold kingdoms • Cortés conquered Aztecs by winning allies among conquered people, smallpox killing many people, fear of their weapons and horses, and Emperor Montezuma's belief that Cortés was god-king Quetzalcoatl • Pizarro conquered Incas by taking gold and killing Emperor • Destroyed much of the material wealth, melted down gold and silver, smashed temples and sculptures, and burned books • Rebellions frequent • People who survived preserved their heritage

9. European Rule • By the mid-1500s Spain and Portugal ruled over vast amounts of land in Latin America • Treaty of Tordesillas – Drew a line North to South • Everything west would be Spanish • Everything east would be Portuguese Spain had 2 kingdoms ruled by an official called a viceroy New Spain – Based in Mexico Peru – South America

10. Economy • Treasure from Americas like gold and silver were shipped back to Europe • Spanish and Portuguese colonists set up large plantations set up to grow a cash crop • Grew sugar, coffee, bananas • Also turned some land into cattle or sheep ranches for meat, leather, and wool To work these plantations, turned to slave labor of Africans • Many of the native population had died due to disease and harsh treatment

11. Class System • Peninsulares– Officials from Spain that controlled economic and political life • Creoles – American-born descendants of Spanish settlers, educated and wealthy • Mestizos – Mixed Indian and European descent • Mulattos – Mixed African and European decent • Native Americans – Worked as farmhands or lived in own villages, most became Christian (or faked it) • Free Blacks – Slaves allowed to buy their freedom, were farm workers and laborers • Slaves – Considered property; but could marry, own property and buy their freedom

12. Winning Independence • By late 1700s, many groups demanded freedom from Spanish rule • Creoles often led this struggle, felt they deserved to rule • Mestizos also felt they could move up in society • Influenced by events such as American and French revolutions

13. Revolution in Haiti • First revolt was French-ruled Haiti, leading producer of sugar • 1791 – Slaves rebelled, burning sugar cane and killing slave owners • 13 years of civil war followed • L’Ouverture was a self-educated former slave who led the rebels and drove out foreigners by 1800 • In 1802, Napoleon sent a French army to Haiti to recapture the island • Capture and imprisoned L’Ouverture • By 1804, French soldiers fled after many died of yellow fever • Haiti declares independence, 1st nation in Latin America