8. Places & Terms
Spanish Conquest: The conquering of the Native
Americans by the Spanish.
Tenochtitlan: Ancient Aztec capital
Mestizo: People of mixed Spanish & Native American
heritage
Maquiladoras: Factories in Mexico that turn imported
materials into finished products for export.
NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement
9. Native Americans & the Spanish
Conquest
The rich fabric of native life in Mexico was torn
apart by the Spanish conquest. In 1519 Hernando
Cortes landed on the coast of Mexico & marched
until he reached the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan
(present day Mexico City). By 1521 he & his soldiers
had conquered the Aztecs.
10. Aztec
Years in existence: 1200-
1530 AD
Location: South Mexico
Inventions/Accomplishments
Conquered peoples were
forced to pay tribute to central
government
Montezuma greatest ruler
Military roads to the outposts
from Capital
Built causeways to connect
island to mainland
Sacrificing of POW’s!!!
One of
the new
7
wonder
s of the
world
Chichen Itza
11.
12. Human Geography
Until 1821 Mexico remained apart of the Spanish Empire.
Spanish influence still remains in Mexico with it’s language & Catholic
religion.
Mexico has large mestizo population – people of mixed Spanish & Native
American heritage.
Economics: Cities & Factories
Mexico continues to struggle with two main economic challenges.
Many people are moving to the cities seeking jobs, largely abandoning their
farming roots.
Most factories or Maquiladoras’ are located along the border of the US.
(Why? Think NAFTA)
13. Places & Terms
Cultural hearth: Heartland or place of origin of a major
culture.
Panama Canal: Ship canal cut through Panama connecting
the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
The Panama Canal connects the two great oceans making
Panama a crossroads of world trade.
14. Central America is know as a cultural hearth as
well as a crossroads.
The Mayan Indians built a great civilization that
spread throughout the region. What exactly
happened to the Mayan people still remains
very much a mystery.
15. Mayans-
Years in existence: 300-900 AD
Location: Tropical highlands of
Central America & Yucatan
Peninsula
Inventions/Accomplishments:
Elaborate irrigations system
Organized independent city states
Cities were religious centers
Polytheistic
Precise Calendar
Numbering system that included
zero
No one knows why they began to
abandon their cities in the 800’s
16. Places & Terms
Inca: People of South America who built a
civilization in the Andes Mountains. (conquered by
Francisco Pizarro in 1533)
Quechua: Language of the Inca Empire. Now
spoken in the Andes highlands.
Mercosur: Economic common market that began
operating in the southern cone of South America in
1995. (think NAFTA for South America)
17. Incas
Years of existence: 1350-
1533 AD
Location: Andes Mountains,
Amazon Rainforest, From
Ecuador to Chile & Argentina
Inventions/Accomplishment
s
Government cared for sick &
elderly by collecting taxes
Dammed rivers to look for gold
Invented the crowbar
Brain surgery
Treated Malaria
One of the greatest civilizations of the
Americas arose in the rugged Andes
Mountains of Peru.
18. Machu Picchu-
Incan nobility
retreat.
Most famous of
the Incan ruins
One of the
new 7
wonders of
the world
Video
19. One of the greatest civilizations of the Americas
arose in the rugged Andes Mountains of Peru.
20. The Mercosur Trade Group
Economic common market that began in South
America in 1995.
Goals include:
Make member economies more stable
Increase trade within the region
Channel some profits to groups who need it most
21. Places & Terms
Treaty of Tordesillas: Treaty between Spain &
Portugal in 1494 that gave Portugal control over the
land that is present day Brazil.
Carnival: The most colorful feast day in Brazil.(think
Mardi Gras)
Samba: Brazilian dance with African Influences.
Capoeira: Martial Arts dance developed in Brazil
from African influences.
22.
23. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) gave Portugal
control over much of the land that became
present-day Brazil. South America became a
continent divided into the Spanish speaking
west & the Portuguese-speaking east.
24. Brazilian Life Today
The most colorful feast day in Brazil is Carnival.
Floats and parade through the streets of Rio de
Janeiro and people dance to the music of the
samba.
There is a widening gap between the rich & the
poor much like other Latin American countries
resulting in crime waves and drug abuse.
