NAME:_________________________________________
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STUDY GUIDE FOR LATIN AMERICA
Directions: Complete the Study Guide by FRIDAY, Jan.
24. Use the following materials:
 Political & Physical Maps of Latin America
 Mexico PowerPoint
 US-Mexico Border Issues Handout
 Video: “30 Days – Illegal Immigration” Handout
 Caribbean &Central America PowerPoint
 South America PowerPoint
 NY Times article about Bolsa Familia program in
Brazil
 Cuba PowerPoint
Part 1. – Know your map of countries and cities
Part 2. -- Basic Facts (for multiple-choice questions on
the test)
1. Explain how Mexico’s flag includes the country’s
Aztec history.
The flag has a picture of an eagle eating a serpent
on the prickly pear tree, which represents an
Aztec story. The story said that the Aztecs should
locate a city where this eagle was spotted.
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2. What is a mestizo and why are they important to
Mexico?
A mestizo is a person who has a combination of
Native American and European ancestors. They
are important because they represent 60% of
Mexico’s population.
3. Identify the most popular language and religion in
Mexico.
Language: Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic
4. Do most Mexicans live in urban or rural areas?
URBAN
5. Describe four different economic strategies that are
helping Mexico become more developed.
Large-scale farming
Oil drilling
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Mining
Foreign-owned factories (maquiladoras)
Tourism (especially beaches)
6. What are some advancements that were found in the
early civilizations in Mexico?
Pyramids
Calendar
Trade
Number system
Irrigation
Sports
7. Who conquered Mexico and what name was given to
the colony before it became independent?
Hernando Cortes of Spain conquered
Mexico and it was called “New Spain”
8. Explain how Mexico was governed between 1821 and
1917 and how this might have hurt the country’s
ability to develop.
Mexico had several civil wars and a number
of different dictators. This hurt the country’s
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development because the country did not
focus on building schools or hospitals or
factories or railroads in the way that other
nations did.
9. Explain how Mexico is governed today and who the
President is right now?
Mexico is a democracy or representative
government today. The President is Enrique Pena
Nieto.
10.
Explain how the problems of poverty and
overcrowding in Mexico relate to the immigration
issue with the United States.
The bad poverty in Mexico and overcrowding,
especially in the poor areas of cities has caused
many people to seek a better life by going to the
United States. Since they are poor and
uneducated, many cannot come to the U.S.
legally, so we have a big problem with illegal
immigration.
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11.
What does it mean to offer “amnesty” to illegal
immigrants in the USA?
Amnesty means that people who came here illegally would
be given the opportunity to become a legal citizen of the
USA as long as they have not committed crimes here. A lot
of people think amnesty would bring illegal immigrants out
of hiding, enable them to get better jobs, and pay more
taxes. Others say it would be rewarding people for illegal
entry into the USA.
12.
Why do some people favor the Dream Act to give
amnesty to young people who have gone to school in
the USA and stayed out of trouble with the police?
The idea behind the Dream Act is that the young people did
not willingly break the law because they were brought to
the USA by parents when they were young. Many of them,
like Armida in the “30 Days” episode, have adopted
American culture and have done well in school and not
committed crimes in the USA.
13.
What motivates groups like the Minutemen to
patrol the border and oppose amnesty for illegal
immigrants?
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The Minutemen feel very strongly that our government
does not adequately protect our border. They are concerned
about terrorists and criminals who might be entering the
USA and are concerned that our immigration laws are not
being obeyed. Some say the illegal immigrants drive down
wages and put a burden on the school districts and towns
where they live. Some fear immigrants want to take over
USA.
14.
In the “30 Days” episode, how did Frank’s trip to
Mexico help him understand the Gonzalez family
better?
Frank’s trip helped him understand the Gonzalez family
better because he got to see the awful poverty they
experienced in Mexico and then he understood better why
they had crossed illegally into the United States.
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15.
Explain why the U.S. and Mexico must share the
blame for drug smuggling into the USA.
Mexico can be blamed for allowing drug cartels to bring
drugs through Mexico into the United States. Corruption
among the police and government officials helps the cartels
operate. The USA gets blame for being a huge source of
demand for illegal drugs and for enabling the cartels to buy
weapons in the USA that are used against rival gangs and
police.
16.
List the two major industries in the Caribbean
region.
Farming and tourism
17.
Which of the Caribbean islands belong to the
United States?
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
18.
What are the reasons why the U.S. has always
cared about the countries of Central America?
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They are close to the United States
They trade with us
We do not want our enemies to be friendly with
these countries
19.
How would you describe how Juanita’s family
and the other Mayans in Guatemala live?
They live very simple lives as farmers and
weavers. Their homes are basic with an open fire
and dirt floors. They use manure in their fields
and do the work by hand without tractors.
Nothing is wasted, including corn stalks that can
be used as building material and corn cobs that
are burned in the fire. Children work as farmers
and weavers and do household chores so they
don’t have much time for school
20.
Describe how the U.S. got permission to build the
Panama Canal.
The U.S. helped Panama win a revolution against
Colombia and then the new country of Panama
gave the U.S. permission to build the canal.
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21.
Why did the U.S. decide in 1978 to give control
of the canal to Panama?
Panamanians had been protesting because they
did not like having a rich country like the U.S.
control the canal, so the U.S. agreed to a treaty
that gave the canal to Panama in 1999.
22.
What are locks and why are they needed for the
Panama Canal?
Locks are needed because the lake in the middle
of Panama is at a higher elevation than the
oceans. The locks fill with water or water is
drained from them to raise and lower the ships.
23.
How do Cubans survive if they are paid only
$15-$20 per month?
Cubans survive because Cuba’s government pays
for their education, health care, and housing.
Also, more Cubans are now allowed to make
money on their own in a small business and some
Cubans get money from relatives in the United
States.
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24.
What did Fidel Castro do to become such an
enemy of the United States?
When Castro took over Cuba, he ejected U.S.
companies and took their land and factories. He
also became friendly with the Soviet Union,
supported Communists in other countries, and
allowed the Soviet Union to put nuclear weapons
in Cuba.
25.
Describe our embargo against Cuba and how it
affects trade and travel.
The U.S. embargo against Cuba does not allow
Americans to buy Cuban goods. It also does not
allow Americans to travel to Cuba unless they get
special permission from the U.S. government. It
also limits what goods we can sell to Cubans to
only some foods and medicines. The goal was to
make life difficult for Cuba so they will want to
change their government.
26.
How has Cuba’s economy been changing
recently?
Cuba has relaxed some of its controls on the country’s
economy and allowed more private ownership of
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businesses, such as restaurants. They are now more
socialist than communist.
27.
Explain the immigration policy the U.S. has for
immigrants who come from Cuba?
Our immigration policy allows for 20,000 visas per
year for Cubans who want to come to the U.S. The
wet foot/dry foot policy also allows Cubans who make
it to dry land to apply for citizenship. Cubans who are
caught in the ocean are sent back to Cuba.
28.
Identify the three common themes affecting most
countries in South America.
The three themes are;
1. Politics between the rich and the poor
2. Economic growth vs. protecting the environment
3. Drug production and smuggling
29.
Explain how the tension between rich people and
poor people developed in South American countries
and how it affects those countries today.
Tension developed because Europeans and then
dictators helped to establish a small group of
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people who owned land and were wealthy. This
meant that most other people were poor and felt
left out. This has also helped to build support for
socialism because leaders have promised to help
the poor with more education, health care, etc. It
also leads to a lot of protests when people feel
like the government is not being fair to the poor.
30.
Explain the conflict between environmental
concerns and economic development in Brazil.
The biggest environmental concern in Brazil relates to
protecting the Amazon rainforest, which produces
oxygen and is home to rare species of plants and
animals. The conflict arises because this land could be
used for lumber, farming, oil drilling
31.
Explain at least three reasons why Brazil has
grown economically in the last 10 years.
--More agricultural exports especially to China
--More manufactured exports from factories
--Increased oil production
--Payments to the poor so they can buy more
goods
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32.
Explain why socialists, such as Hugo Chavez in
Venezuela, have been able to win elections in South
America.
Socialists win elections because they say that
capitalists only care about money and business and do
not care about poor people. The socialists promise to
help the poor by improving education and health care.
33.
What are two ways that the U.S. is working with
Colombia to fight the drug war?
The U.S. and Colombia are working together to reduce
the amount of drugs being sent to the U.S.
Both countries are also working to stop money
laundering, which is when the drug cartels hide their
money in bank accounts belonging to other people or
businesses.
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Part 3 -- Connecting Facts (for essay questions on the
test)
1. Immigration is an important issue that affects the
relationship between the United States and Latin America.
Compare and contrast how U.S. immigration policies are
different for Mexicans who want to come to the U.S. than
they are for Cubans who want to come to the U.S. Explain
why you think this difference is either OK or not OK.
--Mexicans can’t become US citizens unless
they have skills or a job waiting for them
--Cubans can get one of 20,000 visas each year
to emigrate or can get to dry U.S. land
--Your opinion of whether this is fair.
2. From the Aztecs in Mexico to the Incas in Peru, we
know that Latin America had some advanced early
civilizations more than 500 years ago. We also know that
many Latin American countries are still developing today.
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Explain three reasons why so many of these countries have
struggled to become developed.
Latin American countries were advanced centuries
ago with pyramids, number systems, sports, etc.
They are behind the USA in development because
they were controlled by Spain and Portugal for a long
time. A second reason is that they had unstable
governments of dictators who fought for power and did
not invest in schools, railroads, or other things needed
to develop. A third reason is that hurricanes and
earthquakes have also badly affected development.
3. Poor Panamanians protested in the 1950s and 1960s
against U.S. ownership of the Panama Canal. Fidel Castro
led poor Cubans in a revolution in 1958 against a dictator
who was friendly to U.S. companies. Poor Bolivians
protested in the streets in 2010 because they were angry
about rising gasoline prices. Explain why so many protests
in Latin America often involve poor people. Identify two
things that could be done to try close the gap between rich
and poor in Latin America.
There is tension between rich and poor because
Europeans and dictators created a small group of
wealthy people who owned land and businesses.
Democracy has seen the rise of socialist leaders who
blame the rich for the neglecting the poor. This leads to
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bad feelings and protests. The gap could be closed if
countries helped people escape poverty. A program like
Bolsa Familia helps get young people ready for jobs.
Creating more jobs in factories, farms, tourism would
also help.
4. The Amazon Rainforest is a subject of controversy in
Brazil and nearby countries. Explain what are the different
sides of the argument over the Amazon. Give your opinion
of what should happen in the rainforest and explain why
you feel this way.
The Amazon argument is between those who see
economic opportunities in northern Brazil for farming,
lumber, mining, and oil and those concerned that the
loss of rainforest hurts the environment because trees
are needed to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Add
your opinion of which way Brazil should go.
5. Culture can sometimes play an important part in
affecting the economic development of people. The
Guatemalan Mayans in “Juanita’s Dream,” the Brazilians
being helped through “Bolsa Familia,” and the Brazilians
planning the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics all must
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overcome cultural traditions to be successful. Explain why
this is true in each case.
Mayans need a cultural change because they live a very
simple farming way of life with close family
relationships. Becoming more developed would require
families to let kids go to school more, rather than have
girls weave with their moms. They’d also have to adapt
to modern homes and money instead of barter.
Brazilians in Bolsa Familia need to change to let their
kids go to school instead of working. The program also
gets Brazilians to view the mother, not the father, as
important. To prepare for the World Cup and
Olympics in Brazil, the cultural change will be for
Brazilians to take responsibilities more seriously. Some
Brazilians say their country will need to stick to
schedule better and not be late.
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