PreAP World Geography Mexico Chap. 7
They paid these people very little money for their work and labor and they could not make enough money to ever get to be independent on their own.
How did Spanish landowners take advantage of the indigenous people?
The vertical climate zones create the temperate or mild climates which are helpful for growing crops.
How do vertical climate zones affect the economic activity of the Southern Highlands?
Colonial rule last almost 300 years and with this much culture was integrated in the way people lived. The Spanish taught the Mexicans about Catholic religion and today many identify themselves as Catholic.
How does Mexican society and culture reflect the country's colonial past?
It can affect farmers in the valley and people who graze cattle in the Northern plateau because they both rely on rain to water their crops.
How does climate affect human activities in Mexico?
In his famous mural called From Conquest to 1930 he showed images of peasants and workers to show foreign influence and their struggle for independence.
How does the art of Diego Rivera reflect Mexico's cultural heritage?
Drug cartels invest their money in the communities with private loans and bribes to police and politicians. Many communities depend on this drug money to survive.
How does the illegal drug trade affect Mexico?
plant materials and animal wasted used for energy.
what is biomass?
*Corruption--remains a common reality in the government **small group of very wealthy landowners still control most of Mexico's wealth.
what remains a common reality in the Mexican government? AND who owns most of Mexican's wealth?
Mexico has a strong GDP (gross domestic product) which is 12th globally. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement has increase trade and the economy greatly in Mexico of the years since it was formed in 1992. It has invested in high tech industries and is strong in tourism.
How has Mexico place in the global economy changed over time?
Over 70% don't have access to the internet in Mexico, but most have a cell phone. Most internet access is in and around the major cities and some on the border with Texas.
How is communication in Mexico?
The US and Japan set up manufacturing plants called MAQUILADORAS in FREE TRADE ZONES to outsource to Mexico's lower labor cost. Some say these ignore labor laws.
How is globalization affecting Mexico?
Southern Highlands
In the south, a series of mountain ranges and plateaus called the _________ __________ reach from just south of Mexico City to the southwest edge of Mexico's border with Guatemala.
Tenochtitlan
Mexico City was named ______________ and ruled by the Aztec Empire
silver
Mexico is the world's leading producer of ______________ and helps Mexico's economy.
oil/petroleum
Mexico ranks 13th in this and is vital to Mexico's economy?
indigenous cultures and Spanish heritage
Mexico's arts have been greatly influenced by its indigenous ____________ and _________ ________.
1.) biomes
Southern Mexico has a variety of ____________. This helps support very diverse plant and animal life and is essentially a rainforest.
machismo
Spanish culture established the rations of ___________ or male dominance in Mexico.
1.) Climate-mild, rainy winters and hot summers 2.) Plant life- cacti, shrubs 3.) good for grasslands
Tell me about the climate, plant life and soil in Northern Mexico?
1.) Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men 2.) They took gold and silver
The Aztec empire was conquered by __________ and they took the wealth of Mexico's _______ and _________ resources.
The Great White Shark and the endangered leatherback sea turtles.
The Baja Peninsula is known for what aquatic animals?
manatee
The Gulf of Mexico is known for a ancient sea creature known as the _____________.
Lake Chapala
The Lerma River begins in the Toluca Basin (Central Plains) west of Mexico City and feeds into ________________
Northern Plateau -- Mesa del Norte (Huge) Southern Plateau -- Mesa Central (smaller but heavily populated )
The Mexican Plateau is divided into two parts. They are the ______________ and ____________.
red dye
The Oaxaca de Juárez grew rich on cochineal insect. It was used to make a permanent _____ ________.
Ring of Fire
The Western side of Mexico is part of the _________ ___ ________.
Mexico City
The largest city in Mexico is _____________.
Mexico is more dependent on the US than the US is on Mexico. Both countries think the other is taking jobs from them: The US believes Mexico is taking industrial jobs, and Mexico thinks the US is making its farmers quit.
What are some problems with NAFTA?
Migrants who find temporary work/jobs in the informal sector. These jobs are not usually taxed or regulated by the government.
What are underground economies?
These officials were appointed by the Spanish monarch to govern and rule under a highly structure political system.
What are viceroys?
The government invest in a friendly housing development. Plan Verde (Green Plan) includes programs to promote environmental sustainability by easing traffic congestion, reducing gas emissions, and encouraging public transportation, cycling, and walking as options.
What can be done with Rapid Growth?
Vertical climate zones
What creates the temperate or mild climates found throughout the southern part of Mexico?
Without healthcare, education, housing, roads, sewer facilities ALL this leads to the development of Shantytowns. Many of these are built on hill slopes.
What does rapid growth usually lead to in a city?
Food of corn, tomatoes, chocolate, etc...
What else did Hernán Cortés take back to Spain and share with the Spanish people?
Aztec Empire
What empire arose in central Mexico and ruled in their capital Tenochtitlán the site of present day Mexico City?
1.) gold and silver 2.) given large quantities of land to farm and grow cash crops of corn (maize) and chocolate (cacao) in large quantities to be sold and traded.
What enriched the Spanish when they came to Mexico and become a Spanish Empire?
Because Northern Mexico is generally characterized by a dry climate, this makes permanent waterways (river and natural lakes) rare. The high mountain ranges and plateaus create a temperate "vertical climate zones" that does collect the water.
Why does Mexico have few major rivers and natural lakes?
Today's Mexico City is a result of rural-to-urban migration by people looking for better economic opportunities.
Why has Mexico city grown so fast?
Mexico, along with Central America joins the continents of North America with South America thus forming a "land bridge" because it connects two geographic landforms.
Why is land bridge of Mexico?
It has consistent temperatures
Why is the Mexican Plateau such an attractive place to live?
Mexican Plateau
Between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental is the ____________ _____________.
1 million people cross the border both ways. Border town shopping is a major part of the lives of both the US and Mexico and so is tourism.
Border information
Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and South America
Name 4 bodies of land Latin America encompasses?
chaparral biome
Northern Mexico is defined as a __________ ___________.
Baja Peninsula
On the Western side of Mexico, the Gulf of California divides the ___________ ____________ from the northern coast of Mexico.
Regional high-pressure system
This system keeps the north and central parts of Mexico dry and cause occasional droughts? It's the ________ __________________ system
Sierra Madre Occidental
What Mountains stretch along the northwestern edge of Mexico?
1.) regional high-pressure systems 2.) northeast trade winds 3.) vertical climate zones
What are 3 factors that influence Mexico's climate?
petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas and timber: Getting these does affect the environment with more desertification and loss of forests happening at an alarming rate. Loss of rural areas leads more to live in urban areas for jobs.
What are Mexico's natural resources?
People of mixed Spanish (European) and indigenous heritage or decent.
What are mestizos?
Deforestation for farming, ranching, and timber sale.
What are other environmental issues?
Rapid urban growth brings challenges to city government as they struggle to provide housing, services, infrastructure (roads) and jobs as well as pollution.
What are some challenges urbanization in Mexico?
The Maya pyramids, Aztec temples and palaces. Many buildings were decorated with murals (wall paintings) and mosaics (wall pictures made with tile or stone)
What are some of these architectural arts?
1.) Aztec-increased population by growing military and establishing a powerful central urban region in the Valley of Mexico. 2.) The Spanish grew the population by using Catholic missions as religious outpost. Many communities expanded near these missions. 3.) Rural to urban migration greatly altered the populations distribution.
What factors have shaped Mexico's population patterns? pg. 200
The variety of landforms-large plateaus and values to long mountain ranges and highlands
What has made it possible to support large communities of people in Mexico?
The seismic activity of Earthquakes
What helped shaped the landforms of Mexico?
Variations in the physical geography of Mexico led to the development of diverse cultures, languages, and civilizations.
What influenced Mexico's political and social structures?
The Most Famous for murals (He is a muralist) His famous murals were both cultural and political
What is Diego Rivera known for?
The Lerma River Begins in the Toluca Basin (Central Plains) west of Mexico City and feeds into
What is Mexico's most important rivers?
The diverse landscape east to west.
What is challenging for Mexico's transportation system?
3 or 4 generations live together in the same house. Grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc... Many grandparents and the older generations raise and take care of the younger ones.
What is more common in rural areas and poorer communities with the family?
The northeast trade winds
What is responsible for tropical storms?
4 objectives: 1) conserve and protect, 2) to value the different components of, 3) promote knowledge, and 4) encourage sustainable use of biodiversity.
What is the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan?
Is the area where the PACIFIC tectonic plate collides with other tectonic plates, creating areas of seismic activity with earthquakes. **This activity helps shape the landforms of Mexico**
What is the Ring of Fire
Another name for the Rio Grande
What is the Rio Bravo del Norte?
Dry and permanent waterways are rare. Very few rivers and natural lakes.
What is the climate in Northern Mexico and what is rare about this area?
1.) Lack of Healthcare and education. 2.) Lack of infrastructure-housing, electrical grids, sewer facilities and roads.
What is the disadvantaged rapid growth?
It is the largest body of water or waterway and it borders the United States.
What is the importance of the Rio Bravo del Norte to Mexico
The inland Mexican Plateau area
What is the largest and most densely populated region of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico
What is the largest body of water that forms Mexico's east coast
1.) Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) 2.) Chihuahua, Mexico
What is the largest gorge in the Sierra Madre Occidental called? Where is it located?
Lake Chapala
What is the largest natural lake in Mexico?
Rio Grande Borders Mexico and the United States
What is the largest waterway in Mexico? Where is it?
Mesa del Norte
What is the name of the Northern Plateau?
Mesa Central
What is the name of the Southern Plateau?
environmental problems (pollution) and poverty
What is the problem that Mexico City has with rapid growth and urbanization?
1.) Economic migrants move to the city expecting to find jobs and as a result of this rapid growth is unemployment-which is common.
What is the social impact of rapid growth?
They have westward flowing rivers and streams, which have formed deep gorges.
What is unique about the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains?
There are ample grazing and farmlands
What is unique on the North and Central Plateaus, int he Southern Highlands and along the coastlines?
The elevation of the highlands
What keeps the temperatures comfortable that is helpful for certain crops?
1.) timber (lumber), fish, and agricultural products 2.)zinc, bauxite (the ore of aluminum), lead, gold, mercury, cadmium, manganese and copper.
What other natural resources and minerals are important to Mexico?
Nomadic people or semi nomadic groups The Tarahumara people (indigenous group) live in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains
What people still live in the northern half of Mexico today?
Industrialization--Rapid growth happened in the late 19 century. The pull forces of industrial jobs and the push forces of rural land policies drew people to Mexico City. The rural poor moved to the city as land was purchased around them by wealthy land owners.
What resulted in the first influx of the rapid growth of Mexico City?
Maya Civilization
What was one of the earliest and largest civilizations in Mexico and lived in the southern half of Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula?
Area called Silver Belt on the Mexican Plateau
Where do they mine for silver?
Central Plateau and in the Southern Highlands WHY? This area has the most agriculture
Where is the highest population density in Mexico? and Why?
Central Plateau
Which Plateau is considered the breadbasket or major grain producing region of Mexico. It also has several smaller valleys. Most of the food grown in Mexico comes from this area.
Northern Plateau
Which Plateau is dry an home to several large cities
The Gulf Coastal Plain
_______________ is a wide stretch of land east of the Sierra Madre Oriental.
1.) Seismic Activity 2.) Volcanoes
_____________________ opens parts of the Earth's crust and triggers the formation of ___________________.
The Sierra Madre Oriental
__________________________ is considered the southern extension of the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the United States.
nuclear power and wind, solar energy and biomass (plant materials and animal waste)
one-tenth of Mexico's electric power is created by ___________ power and _______________.