Latin American Review

1
Latin American Review
2
Latin American Geography

• Latin America is made up of countries from North
  America, Central America, South America and the
  Caribbean Islands.
• The cultures of this region reflect a combination
  of native beliefs and colonial powers.

3
Topography

• Major topographical features
• Sierra Madre Mountains
• Yucatan Peninsula
• Amazon Basin
• Andes Mountains
• Brazilian Highlands
• Patagonia
• For a Geography essay what could you write about?

4
Pre-Columbian Civilizations

• Olmec empire 1400BC to 500BC
• located along the Gulf coast of Mexico
• Built ceremonial centers, invented a calendar, a
  system of writing and trade links

• Maya 300 to 900
• Large city-states in southern Mexico and Central
  America
• maize and cocoa
• Priests held high position in society, social
  hierarchy
• giant temples, palaces, wall paintings,
  agricultural, picture system of writing, 365 day
  calendar, concept of zero, astronomy

5
Aztecs

• Valley of Mexico and established Tenochtitlan
  1315
• central Mexico
• Wealthy from tribute
• 30 million people
• Emperor, nobles, priests and warriors
• pyramids and human sacrifices to gods
• calendar, emperors palace, floating gardens, and
  pyramids

6
Inca

• Andes Mts. And extended 2,500 miles down the
  pacific coast
• Emperor at CUZCO.
• roads and armies could move quickly
• 12,000 miles or roads, Cuzco, Temple of the Sun,
  terrace farming, surgery and medicinal herbs.
• Quipus records kept by colored strings and
  knots.

7
Exploration and European Conquest

• Europeans looking for routes to riches of Asia
• Technology of printing press, gunpowder and
  cartographers and the astrolabe allowed for the
  success of exploration
• Columbus reaches the Americas and in 1494
• Spain and Portugal split the Americas in the
  Treaty of Tordesillas.
• Conquistadors Gold God and Glory
• 1519-1521 Hernan Cortes conquers the Aztec empire
• 1532 Francisco Pizarro destroyed the Incan Empire
  in Peru
• Spread of Roman Catholicism

8
Reasons for Spanish Success

• armor, horses and weapons
• Spanish formed alliances with other Native
  American groups
• Disease killed millions of Native Americans

9
Columbian Exchange
10
Social Structure of the Spanish Colonies
11
Independence Movements in Latin America
12
Long Term Causes

• European domination
• Enlightenment ideas of Locke, Rousseau
  Montesquieu
• American and French Revolutions
• Growth of nationalism

13
Toussaint LOuverture

• Born into slavery
• Son of a Noble West African Family
• Learned to read
• Inspired by stories of revolt in ancient Rome and
  Julius Caesar

14
1804 Haiti Independente

• Toussaint was betrayed and seized by Napoleons
  men
• Ten months later in a French prison Toussaint
  died
• the only non slave nation in Western Hemisphere

15
Mexican Independence

• Father Miguel Hidalgo el Grito Dolores
• supported by poor Mexicans
• Mestizos and Native Americans march to Mexico
  city
• Called for an end to slavery
• Before 1811 he was executed

• Father Morelos, a mestizo, called for the end of
  slavery and suffrage for all men
• He was captured and shot
• Conservative Creole Agustin de Iturbide feared
  colonial reform
• 1821, backed by Creoles, mestizos and Native
  Americans he overthrew Spanish Viceroy
• Life for most changed little

16
Simon Bolivar Acts

• Simon Bolivar, an educated Creole, saw Napoleons
  occupation of Spain the signal to act
• In 1810 he led an uprising that established a
  republic in Venezuela
• Civil war raged Bolivar forced into exile

17
The Liberator

• 1819 Bolivar marches army across the Andes and
  attacks at Bogotá
• 1821 he freed Caracas, Venezuela
• Moves into Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia
• Joins forces with Jose de San Martin

18
Jose de San Martin

• San Martin , a Creole like Bolivar, was born in
  Argentina
• 1816 he won freedom for Argentina
• He led an army across Andes into Chile
• 1822 San Martin stepped aside Bolivar won final
  victories against Spain

19
Independence for Brazil

• Portuguese King fled Napoleon to Brazil
• Instituted reforms
• Leaves son Dom Pedro to rule Brazil
• If Brazil demands independence, proclaim it
  yourself and put the crown on your own head.
• In 1822 Dom Pedro became Emperor

20
Long-Term Effects

• 18 separate republics are established
• Struggle to achieve stable democratic governments
  to gain economic independence
• Ongoing efforts to bring prosperity democracy
  to the people of Latin America