C. Regions of Mexico

C. Regions of Mexico

1. Mountains a. Sierra Madre Occidental on west coast b. Sierra Madre Oriental on east coast c. Sierra Madre Del Sur on southern Pacific Coast

2. Coastal Regions a. Northern Pacific Coasts irrigation provides good farmland b. Baja Peninsula mostly mountainous desert c. Southern Pacific Coast tropical tourist region - Acapulco etc. d. Gulf Coast large deposits of natural gas & petroleum under the plain & Gulf of Mexico

3. Central Plateau- The Heartland a. Home to the Aztec Civilization b. Mexico City Today c. Rich soil and adequate rainfall for farming. * High elevation= mild climate

d. Natural Hazards: Mexico s central plateau or area of high flat land is geologically unstable Located at intersection of 4 tectonic plates Some mountains are active volcanoes Earthquakes shake the land

4. Yucatan Peninsula a. Mayan ruins attract tourists and archeologists b. Flat, tropical tourist region c. Rainfall dissolves the limestone bedrock, producing underground caverns that sometimes collapse, forming sinkholes d. Sparsely populated

II. Mexico, A Land of 3 Cultures A. Aztecs B. Spanish C.Modern Mexican

A. AZTECS 1. Complex & advanced civilization 2. Built Tenochtitlan on an island in a lake - site of modern Mexico city 3. One of the largest cities in the world in 1400s 4. Skilled in construction and warfare

Huitzilopochtli One Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli, was of particular importance to the Aztec myths. This Aztec sun god, also referred to as The Eagle, was the god of war. He was considered to be the guardian of Tenochtitlan and the incarnation of the sun. A special temple on the Main Pyramid was created for this Aztec sun god. Many sacrifices took place here and the heads of the victims were placed on a rack.

Aztec Weapons

B. Spanish 1. 1519 Cortes, a Spanish adventurer, came inland from Gulf coast, formed alliances with Aztecs enemies, and marched his soldiers into Tenochtitlan 2. Spanish had muskets and horses giving the much smaller force of Spaniards a military advantage 3. Brought diseases such as Smallpox high death rate weakened Aztec empire 4. Within 2 years, Aztec empire destroyed 5. Territory became New Spain

C. New Spain - social class system 1. Four Social Classes Rigid social class system for 300 years 1. Peninsulares born in Spain; held high offices 2. Creoles Spanish Ancestry, American born 3. Mestizos mixed ancestry 4. Indians native Americans provided labor on the haciendas Peninsulares Creoles Mestizos Indians

2. The encomienda system a. Haciendas: large, Spanish-owned estates of land used as farms or ranches b. Indians provided labor & paid taxes in the form of produce c. Spanish given haciendas and the Indians as rewards from the Spanish King d. Land owners were supposed to care for the workers welfare e. Most Indians lived a slave-like existence

3. Roman Catholicism a. Catholic missionaries tried to convert Indians to Christianity b. Established frontier outposts called missions c. Towns grew up around these churches d. Open space - plaza became community market. Plaza is common feature throughout middle, South America, Spain & other parts of southern Europe e. Majority of Mexicans are Roman Catholic

D. Road to Democracy 1. Creole resentment of the privileges of peninsulares erupted into conflict in the early 1800s. 2. Mexico achieved independence by 1821 3. The Mexican Revolution began in 1910 when peasants and middle-class Mexicans rebelled a. The new Mexican government was a federal republic with an elected president and congress b. The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) controlled Mexican politics until the election in 2000.

E. Social Conditions 1. After the Mexican Revolution, the government divided haciendas among landless peasants in policy of land redistribution 2. The govt awarded most of the redistributed land in ejidos land held collectively by members of a rural community. In ejidos, farmers generally practice subsistence farming, only growing enough to meet their own needs 3. 1/3 of Mexico s farms are huge commercial farms called latifundios, which along with some ejidos, raise cash crops raised for sale and profit 4. Many landless, jobless peasants travel from place to place as migrant workers 5. Cities offer better job opportunities and chances for education than the countryside, but most urban dwellers in Mexico are very poor and struggle to survive

F. Economic Activities 1. Since NAFTA was passed, manufacturing has increased and unemployment has declined in Mexico

2. Major Industries a. Agriculture latifundios b. Petroleum extraction The state-owned oil company provides revenue that rises or falls along with oil prices c. Climate, scenery, and cultural history make tourism an important source of income in Mexico - Tourism is a cleaner alternative to industry; Mexicans call tourism the smokeless industry

3. Border Industries a. Maquiladoras, factories that assemble products for export to the US, are clustered along the US-Mexico border b. People have raised concerns about work and pay in maquiladoras, but employment has increased and workers skills have improved c. Concerns have been raised about pollution from factories and the damage to health and the environment

America as a Market for the Central and South America Drug Industry

America as a Market for the Central and South America Drug Industry Since 2006 Mexican Presidents Calderon and Nieto have tried to curtail cartel activity 80,000 people have been killed directly because of cartel activity (in Vietnam 58k American killed in war, Mexico more dangerous than Afghanistan @ 26K deaths!) 19 to 29 billion annually from direct sales in the U.S. 21-24% of Cartel sales are Marijuana

Do you support this?

III. Population Pyramids A. Show population distribution by age and gender for a given period of time for a given country

B. Why use Population pyramids? 1. graphically display a population's age and gender composition 2. are bar graphs 3. show numbers or proportions of males and females in each age group 4. show gains of cohort members due to immigration and birth, and loss of cohort members due to emigration and death and 5. reflect population growth or decline. Dynamic Population Pyramid for United States

C. Developing vs Developed 1. The developing countries have a population structure that resembles a pyramid with a broad base of young and a small apex of old.

2. The developed countries are beginning to lose their "pyramidal" shape as they become more straight up and down with almost equal numbers of people in adjacent age groups until the ages of high death rates begin after age 65.

3. Very Developed Nation: a population pyramid for an even older and less pyramidal developed country.

4. The United States View the United States population pyramids for 1900, 1960, 1980, 2000, 2010, and 2030. Over time, the pyramid changes from a "pyramid" to a sky scraper or an "empire state building" shape. This is the kind of change that all societies like the U.S. have experienced. Notice how the bulge of the baby boomers impacts successive U.S. pyramids. Imagine the problems connected with providing schools for this group of people in 1960, jobs in 1980, and houses in 1990. These are the people who will be eligible for Social Security between 2010 and 2030. By 2030, many of them will have died out as the earlier baby boomers will be over 85 than, and the population--barring any unexpected changes--will have age groups of roughly similar size up to older ages. At the older ages, the pyramids indicate not only the decreasing numbers of people but also the preponderance of females that occurs at the oldest ages. This "feminizing" of the population as it gets older is due to sex differences in mortality.

D. Why does it matter? 1. people of different ages have different needs, abilities, responsibilities, and entitlements 2. the importance of age differences arise because of the societal expectations and societal circumstances that determine what one does at a given age and what one is entitled to at a given age. Dependency ages (under 18 over 65?)

Period Effects

Special Case

Push/Pull Migration Factors

Push Factors: What factors cause a person/s to leave the country they re in Pull Factors: What factors attract a person/s to go into another country

Organizing the Issues Economic Social Political Environmental

Economic Issues Issues related to money, taxes, employment, and production of goods and services

Social Issues Issues related to culture, lifestyle, family, religion

Political Issues Issues related to government, conflict resolution and decisionmaking for a group of people

I.

B. Landforms & Climates

Mountainous Core Rugged, transportation difficult Some active volcanoes 6000ft< = cold (potatoes, barley) 3000-6000ft = springlike (corn, coffee) Caribbean Lowlands Tropical climate = hot, humid all year; heavy rain Dense rain forest Rain forest soil not fertile = few crops

Pacific Coastal Plain Tropical wet & dry climate Savannah/grassland vegetation Summer rains Volcanic mts provide ash = fertile soil Freshwater lakes once bays cut off from ocean by volcanic eruptions- home to ocean creatures Climate Hazards Tropical storms Hurricanes Poor construction/poverty contributes to high loss of life and property

Peoples & Cultures

Indians Longest history in CA Distinct history, culture, language Largest #s in Guatemala (50% +) Mestizos European + Indian Large #s in El Salvador & Nicaragua Europeans Arrived 1500 Conquered & colonized Introduced Spanish language Largest #s in Costa Rica (90%) African Descent Caribbean Coast Some are descendants of African slaves Most came in early 1900s to work banana plantations & build Panama Canal

Wealth & Poverty

The Wealthy Small group Mostly plantation owners European or Mestizo Dominate govt & politics in the region

The Poor 2/3 of the population Very little political power Mostly Indian or African descent Landless work for low wages on plantations or factories

Middle Class Growing Own small, noncommercial farmland Some work in cities industry & services

Economic Activities

Agriculture Subsistence Farming rural 50% + in Honduras & Guatemala use hand, basic tools Commercial Farming large plantations owned by rich families or corporations hire workers for low wages use machines, fertilizers, pesticides export coffee, cotton, bananas to US & Europe

Political Conflict Shortage of farmland + growing population Unequal distribution of usable land & limited access to technology Govts serve interests of wealthy RESPONSE? Guerilla movements armed forces outside regular army sabotage, hit & run, booby traps & Civil War

Nicaragua Controlled by corrupt Somoza family 1936-1979 Overthrown in 1979 by Sandinistas Sandinisitas were socialist: took property from land owners, gave it to supporters Govt control of Ag & Industry led to low production & drop in exports contras fought to overthrow communist Sandinistas Cease-fire in 1990 free elections took place Hurricane Mitch in 1998 devastated region

El Salvador Civil War 1979-1992 - great disparity btwn rich & poor - growing landlessness - wealthy landowners hired death squads to eliminate political opponents - fighting btwn army, death squads, antigovt guerillas 1992 peace treaty 1998 devastated by Hurricane Mitch

Guatemala Most populous country in Central America Largest % of pure-blooded Indians (Mayan) After independence in 1821, ruled by caudillos (military dictators) Unequal ownership of land Civil War, 1960 Leftist guerillas challenged military regime Govt fought back using death squads tortured & murdered critics. 150,000 dead, 40,000 missing 1996 peace treaty 1999 free elections held

Physical Characteristics Three islands groups Greater Antilles: tops of volcanic mts that have been pushed up from ocean floor Lesser Antilles: formed by more recent volcanoes some still active Called West Indies after Columbus thought he had made it to the indies Coral Islands: cays created by coral reefs formed form the skeletons of coral polyps

Climate Tropical Wet and Dry Affected more by sea & wind not elevation ~ 80ºF year round, high humidity Prevailing winds affect rainfall. Windward side = heavy rain 200 inches +. Leeward side = much lighter rainfall

Ethnic Roots Most of current population descended from enslaved Africans or from Europeans & native Indians European colonists 1492. native Indians died from disease & harsh treatment African descent brought to work as slaves; harvested sugar cane greatly influenced Caribbean culture Calypso music Asian immigrants when slavery abolished, replacement laborers brought from East & South Asia

Economic Activities ~ 90% live in independent countries others linked to Europe or US (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands) Agriculture grow & process sugar, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, rice. Many work as farm laborers in industries related to ag or on the docks to load & ship exports across the globe Tourism natural beauty draws many, but most profits go to foreign companies

Migration Migrate to find jobs Early 1900s went to work on Panama Canal America got territories of Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1898 after War with Spain Political unrest in Cuba & Haiti has sent many refugees to seek asylum in the US after Fidel Castro took over Cuba in 1959