The Cultural Geography of Latin America

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The Cultural Geography of Latin America

• Unit 3 Chapter 9

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I. Section I

• Population Patterns

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A. Human Characteristics

• Blending of People
• Indigenous People the areas native people
• European settlers
• Mostly Spanish Portuguese
• Also Italians, British, French, Germans
• Asian settlers on many of the islands
• Language
• Most countries have Spanish as their primary
  language
• Brazil Portuguese
• Some English some French countries
• Dialects different versions of the same
  language

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B. Where Latin Americans Live

• South Americas Populated Rim
• Densely populated area around the continents
  edges (coasts)
• Why do you think that people live here instead of
  the continents interior?
• Population Density
• Varies greatly throughout Latin America!
• Look at the map on pg. 184

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C. Migration

• Migrating North
• Many people try to enter the U.S. looking for a
  better life
• California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Florida
  have the highest populations of immigrants
• Internal Migration
• Rapid urbanization

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D. Growth of Cities

• Urban Setting
• Megacities cities with more than 1 million
  people
• Primate City influences other cities
• Mexico City 18 Million
• List 5 reasons people would move to a city
• List at least 5 problems this overcrowding can
  cause
• 4 of the 20 largest population cities in the
  world are located in this region!
• 2 Mexico City, Mexico
• 4 Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 10 Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 19 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Make sure you read pgs. 218-219!

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II. Section II

• History Government

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A. Native American Empires

• 3 Native Groups
• Maya
• A.D. 250 - 900
• S. Mexico N. Central America
• Tikal (Guatemala) was their greatest city
• Skilled in math
• Developed a symbol for zero
• Created a calendar based on 365 days!
• Conquered by the Spanish

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Native American Empires (Cont.)

• Aztec
• A.D. 1300
• Tenochtitlan capital city now Mexico City
• Grew beans rice on chinampas floating islands
• Developed a class system
• Spanish defeated them

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Native American Empires (Cont.)

• Inca
• A.D. 1300
• Cuzco capital city Peru
• Cut terraces in the Andes mountains to grow crops
• Built irrigation systems to bring water to desert
  areas
• No written language kept records on quipu
• Built Machu Picchu in Peru
• Conquered by Spanish

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B. Empires to Nations

• European Conquests
• Conquistadors Spanish conquerors
• Conquered many of the native people in the 1500s
• Viceroys Royal appointed officials
• Gaining Independence
• In the late 1700s, resentment grew against the
  Europeans
• The first country to earn independence was Haiti
• Many of he islands of the Caribbean did not gain
  their independence for much longer some still
  havent today!

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C. Era of Dictatorship

• Caudillo dictator
• Made all of the decisions

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D. Movements for Change

• Panama the U.S. signed a treaty creating the
  Panama Canal Zone
• Slavery still existed in many countries
• Communism in Cuba still today!

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III. Section III

• Cultures Lifestyles

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A. Religion

• Roman Catholicism
• During the colonial era (when Latin America was
  being colonized by European countries), many of
  the Latin Americans became Christians
• Most Christians are Roman Catholic
• Protestantism
• Mixing of Religions
• Syncretism mixture of religions
• Look at pie graph on pg. 227

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B. The Arts of Latin America

• Traditional Arts
• Weaving, woodcrafting, pottery, metalwork
• Murals Mosaics
• Modern Arts
• Artists, architects, dancers, musicians

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C. Everyday Life

• Family
• Extended family includes grandparents, aunts
  uncles, cousins
• Latin Americans have a strong sense of loyalty to
  this
• Education Health Care
• Education quality varies greatly!
• Malnutrition lack of proper food
• Sports Leisure
• Sports
• Futbol Soccer
• Jai Alai Fast-paced game like handball
• Fiestas festivals
• Best known is Carnival
• Marti Gras Rio de Janeiro