Unit 4: Latin AmericaCentral and South
America and the
Caribbean
History, Culture, and
Geography
Central American Important Facts
• Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in the world that has oceanic
animal life.
• The Panama Canal was built through the narrowest part of Panama to
connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for shipping. The Panama Canal is a
major economic force in Panama.
• Civil wars and natural disasters have negatively impacted the economy of
Central America.
• Central America lies within the tropical climate zone and has a primarily
tropical wet/dry climate. Its climates are also influenced by elevation,
distance from the sea, and latitude.
• The first people to live in Central America were Native American groups.
These groups included the Maya, the Olmec, the Nahuatl, and the Chibcha.
• Spaniards arrived in Central America in the early 1500s. Later that century,
the Spanish set up colonies in Central America. The British also set up a
colony in Belize in the 1630s.
•
Central American Important Facts
• In the 1820s, Central America gained independence from
Spain, became part of Mexico, and then gained independence
again. Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and
Costa Rica formed the United Provinces of Central America. In
1840,these provinces divided into five separate nations.
• The majority of people in Central America live in cities. Many
people have moved to the cities to escape poverty in rural
areas and to find jobs in manufacturing and industry.
• Both European and native traditions have influenced culture,
religion, art, and literature in Central America.
• Central America still struggles with a large gap between
wealthy and poor citizens. Many people who live in rural areas
work in agriculture, but agriculture often makes money for
landowners and not necessarily for workers.
South American Important Facts
• The world’s largest rain forest, Earth’s richest biological resource, is located
in the Amazon Basin.
• The Amazon River is the longest river in the Western Hemisphere and the
second longest river in the world. It is the largest carrier of freshwater.
• Brazil today is a democratic republic where people elect a president and
other leaders. In 2010, Brazil elected its fi rst woman president, Dilma Vana
Rousseff .
• In the 1860s an emancipation movement began in Brazil. By 1888 all slaves
were freed.
• With 200 million people, a mix of several cultures, Brazil is the world’s fi fth
largest country in population. There are European (mostly Portguese,
German, and Italian), African, and indigenous American people.
• Brazil has the world’s seventh-largest economy, and ranks among its
leaders in mining, manufacturing, and agriculture. Brazil is a member of
several organizations designed to promote free trade
South American Important Facts
• South America’s Tropical North consists of fi ve countries and a colony:
Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
• There are different landforms in the region. One landform is the Andes
mountain range. Some of the peaks exceed 18,000 feet and about 40 of the
peaks are volcanoes. Rainforests cover much of the land in the lower
elevations of the region.
• Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela are primarily Roman Catholic. Other
religions that are practiced include: Protestantism, Hindi, and Islam along
with indigenous religions.
• • Food, music, and other cultural elements reflect each country’s colonial
past, ethnic makeup, religious makeup, and geographic location.
• • Ongoing struggles over trade and independence, as well as political
unrest, continue in the region today.
Caribbean Important Facts
• Most Caribbean islands have a free enterprise economy, although Cuba has
a communist economy.
• Tourism is a major contributor to the economies of many Caribbean islands
• Languages spoken in the Caribbean islands include Spanish, French,
English, and Creole
• The culture of the Caribbean islands is influenced by European, African, and
indigenous traditions.
• Two major indigenous groups living in the Caribbean islands were the Taino
in the Greater Antilles and the Caribs in the Lesser Antilles. The Caribs were
a violent people, often attacking their neighbors
• Many countries in the Caribbean eventually gained independence from their
European colonizers. Others remain dependent territories because of their
economic ties with the parent country.
• Some Caribbean nations have a constitutional monarchy, which is a system
of government with a king or queen as the head of state and an elected
parliament that makes laws.
Caribbean Important Facts
• Hundreds of islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, which makes up a
western arm of the Atlantic Ocean between North America and South
America. More than 30 countries and territories are located in the Caribbean
islands.
• Three groups of islands make up the land in the Caribbean Sea: the Greater
Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas
• Two types of islands in the Caribbean Sea are cays and volcanic islands.
Volcanic islands form when lava builds up from volcanic eruptions on the
ocean floor. Cays form when coral forms reefs, and the reefs build up to form
an island
• The climate of the Caribbean islands is a tropical wet/dry climate. Some
islands receive very little rain, and others receive an average of almost an
inch of rain each day.
• The Caribbean islands have few natural resources. Tourism is a major
Contributor to the economy of the Caribbean islands.
•
The term Latin America refers to the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in
the Americas.
•
Before the arrival of The Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the
region was home to many indigenous people, many of which had advanced
civilizations, most notably, the Aztec, Inca and Maya.
•
Christopher Colomubs landed in the Americas in 1492. Subsequently, the major sea
powers in Europe sent expeditions to the New World to build trade networks and
colonies and to convert the native peoples to Christianity.
•
Spain concentrated on building its empire on the Central and Southern parts of the
Americas
•
The Portuguese built their empire in Brazil
Ancient
Civilizations in
Latin America
AZTECS in
MEXICO
MAYANS in
GUATEMALA
and HONDURAS
INCAS in
PERU
Aztec
Maya
Inca
Location
Central America, Mexico
Central America
South America, along the
Andes
Time Periods
1200 to 1521
400BC-1517AD
Height: 200-900AD
1200-1572AD
Capital
Tenochtitlan
Tikal, Chichen Itza, Copan,
Palenque, Mayapan
Cuzco
Economy
Farming (corn, beans,
tomatoes, squash) chinampas
Farming (corn, beans, squash)
Trade
Farming (corn, cotton,
potatoes) - Terraces
Many gods, sun god most
important, human sacrifice
Many gods, king’s blood is
sacred, sacrificed animals and
some humans
Many gods, some human
sacrifice
Different classes of people
Social System
Different classes of people,
warriors have high social
status
Different classes of
people
Government
Very powerful king, highly
centralized, war was for
captives and tribute
Well organized city states each
with a king, war was for tribute
King at the center of
empire,
War is for conquest
Technology
Built monumental
architecture, chinampas,
calendar
Writing, math, monumental
architecture, calendar
Terraces, irrigation,
medicine, monumental
architecture, roads
Abandoned cities, disappeared
End of Civilization
Cortes and the Spanish kill
the king, the empire ended
Civil war and Spanish
invasion
Contributions
Corn, calendar,
architecture
Calendar, corn, writing, math,
architecture
Medicine, irrigation,
terraces
Religion
 In 1494, SPAIN and PORTUGAL signed a
TREATY (Treaty of Tordesillas) that
divided control of Central and South
AMERICA.
 Portugal gained the present-day territory of
BRAZIL – it became Portugal’s largest
COLONY, and Spain gained the rest of
Central and South America




In the 1500s, Europeans
arrived and CONQUERED the
AZTECS, MAYANS , and
INCAS
Aztecs were conquered by
Hernando Cortes and Spanish
conquistadors in 1521
The Mayans were conquered
by Pedro de Alvarado
Incas were conquered by
Francisco Pizarro in the early
1500s
By the 19th century, the Caribbean
islands were claimed by FIVE different
EUROPEAN nations:
 SPAIN
 FRANCE
 GREAT BRITAIN
 NETHERLANDS
 DENMARK
When Europeans colonized Latin America
and the Caribbean, they brought with
them their:
1. LANGUAGE: mostly SPANISH &
PORTUGUESE, but also ENGLISH,
FRENCH, and DUTCH
*There are also hundreds of
INDIGENEOUS languages
still spoken in Latin America today
2. Religion: ROMAN
CATHOLICISM
 Dominant religion of
MEXICO and CENTRAL
AMERICA
 BRAZIL has the LARGEST
Catholic population in the
world
 Many beautiful
CATHEDRALS can be found
in Latin America
AFRICAN INFLUENCES
 After establishing colonies, Europeans
ENSLAVED native peoples in the
CARIBBEAN and BRAZIL to work on
SUGAR PLANTATIONS
 After many natives DIED from DISEASE
and MISTREATMENT, Europeans brought
AFRICANS over the ATLANTIC OCEAN
by force to REPLACE the natives → this
began the ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
 More Africans were brought to BRAZIL
than to any other area in the Americas →
an estimated 3.6 MILLION total (nine
times as many brought to the English
colonies)
 By 1820, EIGHT TIMES as many Africans
as Europeans had arrived in the
Caribbean and SIX TIMES as many
Africans as Europeans had arrived in
Brazil.
SOCIAL
STRUCTURE
Europeans
MEZTIZOS
 Eventually the
Pure Native Americans
NATIVES,
EUROPEANS, and
AFRICAN SLAVES
AFRICANS began
to INTERMARRY.
 MESTIZO: Someone
This led to a very
who is part NATIVE
rigid SOCIAL
(Indian) and part
STRUCTURE
EUROPEAN (Spanish)
MUSIC
REGGAE
CALYPSO
(TRINIDAD)
STEEL DRUMS
(TRINIDAD)
(JAMAICA)
TRADITIONAL DANCES
 BOLERO → Spanish in origin, adapted in Cuba
 CHA-CHA → Cuban, derived from the mambo
 MAMBO → Cuban, grew popular at end of
WWII
 MERENGUE → origins in Haiti and D.R.
 SALSA → developed by Puerto Ricans in
New York
 SAMBA → native Brazilian dance
 TANGO → originated in Argentina
FUTBOL
The game of FUTBOL (Spanish) or
FUTEBOL (Portuguese) is
played throughout Latin America
and the Caribbean. In the United
States the game is called
SOCCER
PELE is one of the most famous
soccer players in history. He
scored 1,281 goals in his 22-year
career.
FOOD
Caribbean meals often include SPICES,
BEANS, RICE, FRUIT, and COCONUT
MILK.
Popular Caribbean dishes include ARROZ
con POLLO (chicken with rice), Jamaican
JERK CHICKEN, and CURRIED GOAT
STEW.
Ingredients in Mexican dishes include
CORN, TOMATILLOS, FRIJOLES, and
CHILES
Popular Mexican dishes are TACOS,
ENCHILADAS, EMPANADAS,
and QUESADILLAS
ART & LITERATURE
 DIEGO RIVERA
 FRIDA KAHLO
 GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ
POPULATION & CITIES
 Years of colonization led to a DISPARITY
(GAP) of income DISTRIBUTION and
contributed to an extreme DIVIDE between
the RICH and those in POVERTY
 In Latin America
there is NOT a
large MIDDLE
CLASS
 Part of the reason for the DISPARITY OF
INCOME DISTRIBUTION is because a
very SMALL % of the population owns
MOST of the land in Latin America
 Since most people do not own a lot of
land, they can only grow enough food to
survive on. This is known as
SUBSISTENCE FARMING. In addition,
some people in Mexico work on EJIDOS
(COMMUNALLY OWNED and operated
farms)
 Latin America has been experiencing
RAPID POPULATION GROWTH in recent
years because of IMPROVED standards
of living.
 Because of the POVERTY in RURAL
areas, people move to the CITIES to find
JOBS and have a better life. People
moving to cities is called URBANIZATION
 Many of the islands in the Caribbean are
densely populated
 More than 85% of people in ARGENTINA,
CHILE, and URUGUAY live in cities
 The steady flow of people into cities has
caused several MEGACITIES to form - a
megacity has at least 10 MILLION people
living there
MEXICO CITY, Mexico
SANTIAGO, Chile
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
 One problem associated with these
megacities is POLLUTION. Mexico City
has a problem with SMOG because the
city is surrounded by mountains which trap
the polluted air.
 Another major problem associated with
Latin American megacities is that the
INFRASTRUCTURE (systems that serve a
city – communication, transportation,
schools, etc.) cannot keep up with the
growing populations.
 This leads to people moving out of the
cities, known as OUT-MIGRATION. They
move to places called SQUATTER
SETTLEMENTS.
 Squatter settlements are called by several
names:
- FAVELAS (Brazil)
- ranchos (Venezuala)
- barriadas (Peru)
- colonias letarias (Mexico)
 A SQUATTER is a person who lives in
these settlements because they cannot
afford to buy land LEGALLY
 Squatter settlements lack services and
infrastructure such as CLEAN WATER,
ELECTRICITY, SCHOOLS, and market
places
Countries We will Look at
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cuba
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Panama
Brazil
Peru
Argentina
Cuba
Cuba
• Communist Government - a system
of government in which the state plans and
controls the economy and a single -- often
authoritarian -- party holds power; state controls
are imposed with the elimination of private
ownership of property or capital.
• Before Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was
one of the most advanced and successful
countries in Latin America
72% (2013 est.)
Cuba
• Language- Spanish
• Religion- 59% Christian (mostly Roman
Catholic), 23% unaffiliated
• GDP per Captia- $10,200
• Labor force by OccupationAgricultural
18%
Industry
10%
Service
72%
Cuba
• Cuban culture is influenced by its melting
pot of cultures, primarily those of Spain
and Africa.
• Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Native
American Taino food, Spanish, African,
and Caribbean cuisines. Some Cuban
recipes share spices and techniques with
Spanish and African cooking, with some
Caribbean influence in spice and flavor.
Haiti
Haiti
• Located on the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles
archipelago of the Caribbean
• First independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean,
the second republic in the Americas
• It is one of only two independent nations in the Americas
(along with Canada) to designate French as an official
language
• 66.4% of the Land in Haiti is use for agriculture
• Language: French (official), Creole (official)
• 83.2% Christianity and 2.1% Voodoo
• Many Haitians practice elements of voodoo in addition to
another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; voodoo was
recognized as an official religion in 2003
Haiti
• Haitian culture has a unique cultural identity consisting of a
large blend of traditional customs of French and African, mixed
with sizeable contributions from the Spanish and indigenous
Taíno culture
• Haitian cuisine is similar to the rest of the Latin-Caribbean
While the cuisine is unpretentious and simple, the flavors are
bold and spicy that demonstrate a primary influence of African
culinary aesthetic, paired with a very French sophistication with
notable derivatives coming from
native Taíno and Spanish techniques
• Haitian music combines a wide range of influences drawn from
the many people who have settled on this Caribbean island.
Haiti
•
•
•
•
The median age in Haiti is 22.5 years
Life expectancy- 62.5 years
GDP per capita – $1,200
Jean Lafitte – a French pirate who operated around New
Orleans and Galveston on the Gulf Coast of the United States;
was born in Port-au-Prince around 1780
• Haiti depends on NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) for
support
Haiti’s natural resources and proximity to regional capitals and trade
centers are definite assets to the region. The development of Haiti
during the French colonial period as a sugar plantation was also
an advantage. Today, it is a free market economy that lends itself to
low costs in labor, but recent destruction of their infrastructure due
to earthquakes/hurricanes has made the region vulnerable.
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
• The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the
island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west.
• First permanent European settlement in the Americas
• The Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the
Caribbean
• The Dominican Republic is a tropical, maritime nation
• The Dominican Republic is a representative
democracy or democratic republic
• 2014 GDP per capita of $12,803
• Tourism is one of the fueling factors in the Dominican Republic's
economic growth. The Dominican Republic is the most popular
tourist destination in the Caribbean
Dominican Republic
• 63% of the population lived in urban areas.
• The population of the Dominican Republic is mostly Spanish-speaking
• The culture and people of the Dominican Republic are a mixture of the
cultures of the Spaniard colonists, African slaves, and Taíno natives.
European, African and Taíno cultural elements are most prominent in food,
family structure, religion and music. Many Arawak/Taíno names and words
are used in daily conversation and for many foods native to the Dominican
Republic
• Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
• Labor Force by occupation- agriculture: 14.4%, industry: 20.8%
services: 64.7%
• Life Expectancy - 77.97 years
• Dominican cuisine is predominantly Spanish, Taíno, and African. The typical
cuisine is quite similar to what can be found in other Latin American
countries, but many of the names of dishes are different.
Panama
Panama
• Panama was inhabited by several indigenous tribes prior
to settlement by the Spanish in the 16th century
• Panama has the second largest economy in Central America
• Panama, under Spanish rule for almost 300 years (1538–
1821)
• Panama has a tropical climate
• Panama is a democratic republic Country.
• Tourism in Panama is rapidly growing
• Ethnic groups in Panama include Mestizo people. Black,
or Afro-Panamanians account for 15-20% of the population,
and in addition, black ancestry is present in 50%, or half the
population of Panama.
Panama
• Spanish is the official and dominant language. The Spanish
spoken in Panama is known as Panamanian Spanish
• 75% to 85% of the population identifies itself as Roman
Catholic and 15%–25% as Protestant.
• 94.1% of the population was literate
• Panamanian Cuisine is a mix of African, Spanish, and Native
American techniques, dishes, and ingredients, reflecting its
diverse population. Since Panama is a land bridge between
two continents, it has a large variety of tropical fruits,
vegetables and herbs that are used in native cooking. Common
ingredients are Maize, rice, wheat flour, plantains, yuca , beef,
chicken, pork and seafood
• The U.S. influence in Panama can be seen in the country's
sports. Baseball is Panama's national sport
Panama
•
•
•
•
Urban population: 66.6% of total population (2015)
Life Expectancy 78.47 years
$19,500 GDP per Capita
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 17%,
industry: 18.6%, services: 64.4% (2009 est.)
Panama
• Revenue from canal tolls continues to
represent a significant portion of Panama's
GDP, although commerce, banking, and
tourism are major and growing sectors.
Panama’s Transportation Corridor:
PANAMA CANAL- shorten the
distance from the East Coast to
the West Coast Speeding up
travel and Shipping
Panama continues to be one of the major
transportation corridors of the world.
Brazil
Brazil
• The slave trade brought Africans to Brazil;
thus, recreating Africa in Brazil, namely
through religion, food, music, dance, etc.
• most Brazilians speak Portuguese
Peru
• 10-13 million inhabitants of Andean Peru
still speak Quechua, the language of the
Inca
– Since Peru was the epicenter of the Inca
Empire before Spanish colonization in the late
1520s, there are historically more indigenous
people there.
Argentina
• 97% of Argentinians are of European
ancestry
• Argentina could be viewed as the
epicenter of European immigration
historically, especially for refugees; thus,
the low number of indigenous people who
reside in Argentina. Likewise, Argentina is
a recreation of European culture, society,
political structures and cities, especially
seen in its architecture
•Regions in South America –
Brazil, Argentina, Peru
Invaded by Spain, Portugal, France and others
◦Natives were conquered by European nations
◦Lands were colonized by European nations; lands and
natives were exploited
◦Immigration: received more slaves from Africa than the
United States; was (like the US and Canada) a primary
destination for emigration from Europe and other parts of
the world in the 19th century; due to the economic
instability in some of these countries, people have
emigrated from the region and migrated to North America
in search for a better life
•Regions in South America –
Brazil, Argentina, Peru
• Predominately Spanish-speaking with the exception of Brazil where
Portuguese is the official language, a result of Portuguese and
Spanish colonization
• Blended culture and society because of the mixing of enslaved
Africans, American Indian tribes and European colonizers to the
region; the region received more enslaved Africans that did other
regions including the United States via the trans-Atlantic slavery
trade
• Economic systems tend to rely on the extraction of natural
resources, such as mining in Peru, as the region was the supplier for
colonial powers; Brazil has made significant economic development;
Argentina developed ranching activities on a wide-scale after the
introduction of cattle and horses to the region in the Columbian
Exchange
Regions in South America –
Brazil, Argentina, Peru

Trade: historically, the Columbian Exchange
played an important role in what was being
traded between the South American region and
Europe. Although agricultural goods remain
important, today South America’s economy is
based primarily on exports such as petroleum
and finished goods.