Latin America
Central and South America
Mexico’s Geography
• Relative Location?
– Central America
– South of U.S.A., Between Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
• Main language = Spanish
• Main religion = Roman Catholic
• Capital = Mexico City
Mexico’s Physical Geography
• Two long mountain ranges
– Sierra Madre Occidental (west)
– Sierra Madre Oriental (east)
– Video
Climate and People
• Southern Mexico = 4/5 of Mexico’s population
• Why?
– Good soil and lots of rainfall
– Consistent temperature due to high elevation
– (~7,000 Feet)
–Ex. Mexico City
»July = 74°F High
»January = 66°F High
Coastal Regions
• North-west coast = dry and hot
• South-west coast = tropical
• Big tourism spot
• Gulf coast plains = LOTS of drilling for oil
• Yucatan Peninsula
– Cancun, ancient Mayan ruins
Today’s Mexico
• Most of Mexico’s population lives in cities
• Jobs
• Education
• Excitement
– “Slums” near many big cities
Today’s Mexico
• 3-4 million “rural” families
– Farming is the main industry in countryside
• Cash crops = corn, sugar cane, fruit
• Subsistence farming & collective farming
– Many can’t own farmland
• Result = “Migrant workers”
–Travel to find work
Today’s Mexico
• Border industries called Maquiladoras
– Build products mainly for U.S.
• Employ ~450,000
• Bring in ~$3.5 billion/annually
– Concerns = low pay, high pollution
Cuba
Colonial Rule
• Spanish and Christopher Columbus, 1492
• Native groups killed/died from disease
– Guanahatabey, Ciboney, and Taíno
• Spanish culture dominated island
– Stopping point for the Spanish ships
Cuba in the 1800s
• Sugar became main crop in Cuba
– Slaves brought for work
– Spain started making LOTS of money
• Spain kept Cuba as most of Latin America
broke free from colonialism
Fight for Independence
• Cuban “Nationalism” and desire for independence grew
– 10 Years War (1868-1878) did not win independence
• America entered war for independence in 1898
– USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor
– War over by December 1898
• US stayed involved in Cuban affairs after the war
– Platt Amendment and Guantanamo Bay
Rise of Corruption
• Revolutions against Cuba’s government started in 1930s
– Fulgencio Batista became new leader/dictator
• Military became involved with government
– Political violence and corruption increased
– Promised reforms never came
Revolution
• New revolution against Batista started in 1950s
– Fidel Castro took power in 1959
• Castro quickly changed Cuba
– Communism took over politically and economically
– Cuba took US property and business investments
• US – Cuba relations dropped
– United States started an embargo on Cuba
– Cuba became allies with the Soviet Union
– CIA planned an invasion that failed in 1961
– All diplomacy stopped between countries
Cold War
• Period of conflict between US & communism (1945-1991)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962)
– USSR nuclear missiles found in Cuba
• Closest the world ever came to nuclear war!
• U.S.-Soviet agreement ended the Cuban Missile Crisis
– US promised not to attack Cuba
Cuba – US Problems
• Soviet Union ended 1991
– Cuba experienced big economic collapse
• exports fell by 79 percent and imports by 75 percent, the
budget deficit tripled, and the standard of living of the
population declined sharply.
– Little reforms or new freedoms were given to help
• US – Cuban problems continued
– Illegal Cuban emigration
– Human rights violations in Cuba
Changes in Cuba
• Fidel Castro was leader of Cuba from 1950 - 2006
– Cuba's President of the Council of State,
Commander in Chief of the armed forces,
President of the Council of Ministers, and First
Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party
• Power transferred to his brother Raúl Castro 2006
Cuba – US Relations Today
• Prisoner swap changed a lot
– More Americans can visit Cuba
• Students/researchers, artists, human-rights
activists
– American businesses can invest in Cuba
– Cuba taken off US list of “sponsors of terrorism”
• Waiting to see Cuba’s response
Panama Canal
• Panama Canal built between 1904 to 1913
– Saved 7,872 miles from NY to San Francisco trip
• Located in Central America, country of Panama
– Operated by “locks” to raise and lower boats
– Average travel time = 8 – 10 hours
Brazil
Giant of South America
Location: Where is it?
• South America
– Relative Location
• Eastern South America
• Bordering Atlantic Ocean
• Capital = Brasilia
• Language = Portuguese
• ½ South America Lives in Brazil
History of Brazil
• Colonized by Portugal (1500s)
– Sugar and ports on Eastern Coast
• #1 sugar producer in South America
• 3 million slaves brought in
Region: Northeast vs Southeast
• Northeast
– Pushes into Atlantic Ocean
• Coastal Plains
– Inland
• Plateaus
–Extreme Wet & Dry Seasons
–Lots of Poverty
»Life Expectancy = 49 Years
Region: Northeast vs Southeast
• Southeast
– Economic Heartland
• 17% of territory
• 40% of population
• Great growing climate and soil
–Cotton, Sugar Cane, Rice, Cacao
–COFFEE!!!
»¼ of world’s coffee
Brazil’s 2 Big Cities
• Sao Paulo
• Rio De Janeiro
– Lots of poverty and lack of education
• Result = Favelas (aka slums)
• What’s Rio De Janeiro Best Known For?
–CARNIVAL!!!
»4 day festival before lent
»Samba = Brazil’s national dance
Brazilian Highlands
• Located in Central Plateau
– Includes capital Brasilia
• Moved from Rio to develop interior
• Government gave away acres of Amazon Land
Amazon River Basin
• Largest & Least Explored Area
– Spreads over ½ Country
– 80°F, Lots of Rain = Year Long Agriculture
• Thousands of Animals
Amazon Indians
• 200,000 Indians/180 Different Tribes
– Originally 2-5 Million Indians
– Continue to Be Effected
• Reservations & Loss of Culture
People
• Lots of poverty
– Agriculture wealth?
• Controlled by small minority
• For many, only options = favelas or subsistence farming
Human-Environment Impact/Interaction
• Amazon rainforest land given away
– When farmers clear land nutrients wash away
–No longer usable after a couple years
–Result = barren red clay
Latin America’s Revolutions
Structure of Latin American Society
• Europeans viewed themselves as superior
– Being born in Latin America = automatically inferior
• “Creole”
• Anyone with mixed European blood had a name
– Mestizo = European and Indian
– Mulatto = European and African
• At social bottom of society = Indians and Africans
Spanish Latin-America
• Spain controlled most of Latin America
– Many areas VERY profitable
• Class tensions grew
– Creoles vs. “Peninsulares” (born in Spain)
• Creoles kept out of power
Revolution against Spain
•Start of Spanish rebellion?
•Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Spain (1807)
• Many encouraged to fight for independence
• Two leaders to know
•Simon Bolivar
•Jose de San Martin
Simon Bolivar
• Bolivar = rich Venezuelan Creole
– Venezuela declared independence in 1811
– Bolivar formed a revolutionary army
• Fought Spain for 10 years
• After victory, led army to Colombia
– Surprised Spanish army and won (1819)
• Helped free Bolivia
– Country named in his honor
Jose de San Martin
• Argentinean Creole
– Spent military career in Spain
– Returned home when Argentina declared
independence from Spain (1816)
Jose de San Martin
• Spain’s military remained in Chile and Peru
• San Martin led troops over Andes mountains
• Surprised Spanish troops, helped Chile win
independence
Bolivar’s Dream
• Wanted to create one large country
– “Federation of the Andes”
• Never fully realized
• President of “Gran Colombia” 1819–30
– Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador
Mexico’s Independence Movement
• Series of violent struggles for Mexico’s freedom
– At first against European rule
– Later against corrupt rule
• Revolutions first led by church priests
– Padre Miguel Hidalgo
• Led army to Mexico City
– Padre Jose Maria Morelos
• Led revolution for four years
• Both priests were captured and killed
Mexico’s Independence Movement
• Who defeated Morelos?
• Agustin de Iturbide
• Appointed to fight revolutionaries
• Worried of Spain’s revolution in 1820
• Joined fight against Spain
• In 1821, Mexico declared independence from Spain
• Agustin de Iturbide became first leader
• “Emperor Agustin I of Mexico”
• Overthrown in 1823
Rise of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
• Series of military leaders emerged
– Most Famous = Santa Anna (rich Creole)
• Became President of Mexico, 1833
– Served four times (1833 – 1855)
– Gave up Presidency twice to fight Americans
Fighting over Texas
• Americans encouraged to move to Texas in 1820s
– Tensions grew over Mexico’s laws
• Rebellion broke out in 1835
• Santa Anna lead Mexico’s military
– War lasted one year
• Santa Anna captured (Battle of San Jacinto)
»Signed treaty recognizing independence
Mexican-American War
• US “annexed” Texas in 1845
– Greatly upset Mexico
• Fighting broke out over border argument
• Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
– War’s End = US received 1/3 of Mexico
• Santa Anna returned to power in 1853
– Exiled in 1855 for 20 Years!
Benito Juarez
• Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca
– Pushed Enlightenment ideas
–Redistribution of land
–Separation of church and state
–Increased education opportunities
– Civil war broke out 1858-1861
• 1861, Juarez elected President
– Mexico owed a LOT of money to Europe
• Spain, Britain, France demanded repayment
France’s Brief Empire
• France sent military in 1862
– Took over country and appointed leader
• Austrian Archduke Maximilian
–Mexicans continued to fight for 5 Years
• “Cinco de Mayo” Victory (May 5, 1862)
–France withdrew its military in 1867
• Juarez resumed power in 1867
– Legacy of peace, progress and reform
Corruption Returns
• General Porfirio Diaz took power in 1876
– Corrupt leader with military support
• Revolution broke out against Diaz in 1910
– Two leaders emerged
• Francisco “Pancho” Villa
• Emiliano Zapata
– Revolution ended 1919
• Over 1 million killed by the end
Mexico’s Constitution
• New constitution written in 1919 (~end of WWI)
– Promoted
• Education
• Land reforms
• Workers rights
– Still in effect to this day
• New political party took power in 1929
– Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
• Remained in power until 1990s