Latin America
Mr. Olertas 10th grade history class
Climates
• Tropical climates
• Three fourths of Latin America lies in the
tropics
• The warm temperature and heavy rainfall
allows support for Rain forest
• Mexico contains some dry climates
Elevation
• In much of Latin America, the chief influence on
climate is elevation above sea level
• Tierra Caliente – is closest to sea level, these
lowlands offer tropical crops a place to flourish
• Tierra Templada – includes areas that lie above
3,000 feet. The days are hot, but the nights are
cool. Many cities are found in this zone, and
coffee and tobacco crops thrive at this altitude
Elevation Cont.
• Tierra Fria- cold land. This land includes places
at least 6,000 feet above sea level. Night time
is very cool and winter temperatures can
occur. Farmers who live in this zone grow
wheat, barley, and potato's
Natural Resources
• Latin America is rich in natural resources
• Most Latin Americans have not benefited from
the vast resources due the the fact that
people exploited these resources in order to
promote their own interests
• These people where both Spanish and wealthy
ruling groups
Natural Resources Cont.
• Minerals- Gold and silver are the minerals that
lured many Europeans to the Americas. Also
copper, tin, and bauxite are found each year
• Energy resources – Some countries have an
abundant supply of oil and natural gas. Due to
heavy rains, countries like Mexico and
Paraguay have harnessed the force of these
rivers to produce hydroelectric power
Natural Resources Cont.
• Agricultural Resources – The economies of
Latin American countries depend on cash
crops
People of Latin America
• Native Americans were the original people
who inhabited Latin America.
• After 1492, Europeans began to settle in Latin
America.
• Through the slave trade, many Africans where
brought over to the central Americas for
slavery
Population Patterns
• Many people are not settled in rigid mountain
sides and severely high climate due to the
limited farmland that can be produced.
• Another factor is the limited communication
like high mountains or limited contact
between people in coastal areas
Mayans
• Mayans lived in a dense lowland rain forest
• Lived between A.D 300 and A.D 900
• Had roads that connected cities from
Guatemala all the way to Mexico
• Merchants traded cotton cloth as well jewelry
• They also shipped goods to other distant
locations in ocean going canoes
Mayan Farming
• Mayans had to use complex farming
techniques to farm the difficult lands
• Mayans cleared dense forests and built raised
fields for crops
• If too much rain fell, farmers opened channels
to drain fields
• These techniques fed all of the cities, and also
created a surplus to feed cities
Mayan Government/Society
• Each Mayan city had its own government
• At the top was a king who was the most
important military and religious leader
• Below the king was nobles and priests who
helped govern the city
• Merchants and artisans where next in the social
order, but had no government power yet supplied
nobles with fine goods
• The largest group of people were peasants and
laborers but they were lower then everyone but
slaves
Mayan Religion/Achievements
• Polytheistic religion
• The Mayans would build different temples for
gods, these buildings were huge
• The buildings that Mayans Built represented
their skill in architecture
• Mayan priests were also great astronomers
• They made a successful calendar that told
farmers when exactly to plant crops
Aztecs
• Aztecs built advanced civilizations North of the
Mayans
• Began around 1200 A.D
• Used many ideas absorbed from the Mayans
• For example they learned how to build
temples and pyramids
Aztec Government
• Aztecs only had one king
• He was chosen by priests, nobles, and warriors
• When Aztecs would conquer other city-states
they would leave the leadership in place but
they had to pay a tribute
• They would take captives though, and made
some slaves but most were used as sacrifices
to the gods
Aztec Religion
• Polytheistic
• Priests guarded many of the temples
dedicated to gods
• Priests were the only ones who performed
rituals to please the gods
• Priests also recorded knowledge of science,
math, and medicine
Tenochtitlan
• The bustling city at the heart of the Aztec
Empire
• By 1500 it was the home to 150,000 people
• To feed the city the Aztecs developed ways to
farm the swampy land of lake texcoco
• Merchants sold goods in the busy central
market
Aztec Education and Women
• Educated both boys and girls
• Studied history and religion
• Guys learned about war while girls learned
about home making skills
• Aztec women could own property
• Also they could remarry if the husband died
Incas
• Found on the west coast of South America
• Built a vast empire
• By the Late 1400’s, the Inca Empire stretched
2,500 miles
Farming
• Incas were able to feed a population of 9
million
• They had skilled farming methods
• They learned to build Irrigation Systems
• Also acquired the knowledge of fertilizer
• Crops like Corn, potatoes, and beans
flourished
Religion
• Polytheistic
• The highest god was the Sun God
• The temple of the sun was the center of Inca
Worship in Cuzco
• Gold was considered the sweat of the gods
• Priests and priestesses performed ceremonies
in honor of the sun god
Government
• Inca had an Emperor who owned everything
• He ruled with the aid of nobles and priests
• Officials told people where to live and what to
do
• Would give farmers land but put a taxes on
crops
Fall of the Incas
• Pizzaro a Spanish explorer heard about the
wealth in the Incas and decided to conquer it
• Ended up destroying the empire through force
and the spread of European disease
• Destroyed a lot of Incan books and other
important historical items