Writing Exercise for Chapters 13 and 8
CH. 13
1.The author draws a distinction between the industrialized zones in Mexico that were developed during
the years of ISI and those that developed as maquila industries along the US-Mexico border in more
recent years. What are the major differences in these two industrial zones as described by the author.
2.The author writes that “the borderline has a double life”, as a symbol of US domination and as a real,
concrete place on the map. What is she talking about?
3.Describe the maquiladora program.
4.What are some forms of informal economy, discussed in the chapter, that have risen along the
border, in response to an increase in population, following the maquiladora growth.
CH. 8
5.How does the author define “drug”?
6.The author created a Hierarchy of drugs, based on historical importance, commercial export success,
and range of geographical distribution. Based on these characteristics, what “drug” is at the top of the
hierarchy?
7.Which four substances are in the second tier of this hierarchy?
8.Which substance was a significant trade item in Mesoamerican , pre-Columbian societies?
9. Which substance has been grown and used in Andean societies for centuries and eventually became a
lucrative commodity in the production of cocaine?
10. The author asserts that one of the constants of drug geographies in Latin America has been the
“uneven and shifting loci of cultivation and production centers over time”. What does he mean by this?
11. What (and where) is the Triangular Trade described in the chapter?
12. What is the “balloon effect”?
13. What was the main thing that you learned from this chapter that you did not know previously?