GEO 373 Exam #2

What has been the response of the Catholic Church towards the diffusion of Protestantism in Latin America?

- Increased lay involvement - Liberation theology movement - Increased attention to social inequalities - Efforts to strengthen the formal institutional church - Episcopal conferences - visits by the Pope

List important impacts of European colonization on Amerindian agriculture.

- Intro of new crops and animals, and tools - Decline of indigenous agriculture - Labor relocation (agriculture to mining) -Abandonment of terraces - Drained, and raised fields

What were the impacts of mercantilism on Latin American society?

- Spain's control held back the colonies from advancement - Kept out any economic products/competition from countries other than Spain - Unintentionally promoted illegal trade with other nations

In colonial times Spanish Latin America was divided into which four viceroyalties; what were their capitals? What did the Treaty of Tordesillas establish?

1. New Spain: Mexico City 2. Peru: Lima 3. New Granada: Bogota 4. Rio de la Plata: Buenos Aires Spain and Portugal arguing about borders, so Pope came in and split it down the middle (but it was never respected)

What was the size and where were the areas of concentration of the Amerindian population at the time of the Conquest?

About 50 million people, in the highlands of Mexico and Central American, and the Andean highlands

What was and was not accomplished by political independence in Latin America?

Accomplished: - Transfer of power - Emergence of the military - Adoption of laissez-faire policies Did not accomplish: -Structural change: - At national level (more equal distribution of land and wealth, more equality for people) - At international level (international structure of trade)

Describe some the outstanding accomplishments of the major Amerindian cultures.

Aztec - Tenochititlan Mayans- intellectual achievements, writing, astronomy, monuments Chibchas - goldsmithing, farming Inca - engineering, irrigation systems, bridges, roads, infrastructure, social control

Locate the culture areas of the Aztecs, Mayas, Chibchas, and Incas.

Aztecs- Mexican Plateau Mayas- Yucatan peninsula Chibcha - small area in northern SA Inca - large Andean region

What Indian languages are widely spoken in Latin America? Where? What countries recognize an Indian language as a second official language?

Aztecs: Nahuatl (Mexico) Mayas: Yucatec (Mexico) Incas: Quechua, Aymara (Peru & Bolivia) Second official language: Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay

What large South American city is located in the Pampa?

Buenos Aires.

In which region of Central America is precipitation most abundant?

Caribbean

Describe the main physical and human characteristics of the Andean Region.

Complex system of mountain ranges and intermontane valleys and plateaus prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. High density population with ancient civilizations

What is the most important resource of the Atacama Desert?

Copper

List important characteristics of Amerindian agriculture (crops cultivated, animals domesticated, technological achievements, polyculture). Describe waru waru agriculture.

Crops: beans, rice Animals: llama, alpaca, guinea pigs Technology: large scale irrigation, terracing of slopes, sunken fields Polyculture: many crops in the same field at the same time A series of troughs and hills with rows of plants and troughs of water.

Define polyculture. Where is it practiced?

Cultivation of many crops in same field at the same time Tropical lowlands

Describe the characteristics of the Pampa's soil (mollisols).

Dark soils, dense in nutrients

Locate the areas of concentration of the African population.

Eastern Brazil, Carribean fringe

Describe the characteristics of Latin American Protestantism. What population(s) is (are) most attracted to Protestantism?

Egalitarian organization dominated by fundamentalist beliefs & practices Popular in rural areas and urban lower classes

What has been a major economic activity in the Pampa?

Farming, cattle ranching

Describe the climate and natural vegetation of the Pampa region.

Featureless plain with a humid subtropical climate. Grasslands and fertile soils.

Define formal and folk Catholicism. Among what population is folk Catholicism growing?

Formal Catholicism is taught in churches, folk Catholicism is syncretic version (formal combined with other culture's religions) Growing among indigenous people & Africans

What minerals are found in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais?

Gold and diamonds (colonial times), iron, nickel, chromium, manganese, tin

In which of Mexico's physiographic regions is petroleum abundant?

Gulf Coastal Plains

Among what population(s) is religious syncretism widespread?

Indigenous people and Africans

Which region of Central America contains densely-populated, ash-filled valleys?

Interior highlands

What were the main causes of death of the Indian population during the colonial period?

Introduction of infectious diseases from Europe that the indigenous people did not have an immunity to

Describe the significance of the Mexican Plateau in terms of size, human settlement and economic activities.

It's a large, north-sloping tilted block. Lots of people (Mexico City) with agriculture based economy.

List main impacts of colonialism.

Language, religion, architecture, depopulation of indigenous people, international trade, rigid social stratification

What is Latin America's fastest-growing non-Catholic religion?

Latin American Protestantism

Briefly describe the following Latin American institutions introduced by the Spaniards during the colonial period: mercantilism, encomienda, and latifundio

Mercantilism: Forced LA colonies into unequal, dependent trade relationships with Spain/Portugal (monopoly on foreign trade) Encomienda: labor systems (pongo, similar to serfdom) Latifundio: Large agricultural estates - plantations - haciendas - estancias

Describe the topographic and climatic characteristics of the Mexican Plateau and the Yucatan Peninsula. What region is associated with an extensive limestone platform?

Mexican Plateau - plateau with series of basins and low ranges (basin and range). Mostly dry, increases to the North Yucatan - limestone, caves, no water bodies on surface b/c it sinks down into the limestone, senotes. Wet-dry tropical, despite tropical location, it gets little rain

Define miscegenation, syncretism and manumission.

Miscegenation :racial mixing of Europeans and indigenous, Europeans and African, etc. Syncretism: cultural blending (ex. Religion, food, music, philosophy) Manumission: The freeing of slaves

In which regions do whites predominate?

Most of Southern South America, except the western coast

Name and locate the main urban settlements of pre-Columbian Latin America (Tenochtitlán, Chichén Itzá, Tikal, Cuzco). With which cultures were these settlements associated?

Northern Brazil (afrobrazilians), Southern Brazil/Uruguay/Argentina (sparse indigenous populations), Andean Region (indigenous people)

What natural resource is associated with the Maracaibo Basin?

Petroleum

Describe the topography, climate, and natural vegetation of the Brazilian Highlands.

Plateau averages 2000-3000 above sea level & drops sharply just before the coast. Wet-dry tropical climate. Vegetation- Savanna, grasslands

What was the mita system?

Rotational system of forced labor invented by the Inca (later used in the mines)

List some important resources of the Amazon Basin.

Rubber, tropical fruits, tin, bauxite, iron, gold.

List important mineral resources of the Bolivian Altiplano.

Silver

Briefly describe Latin America's social stratification.

Small elite upper class, lower class had little opportunity to improve, huge underclass

Describe the characteristics of the Amazon Basin's soil (oxisols).

Soil poor in organic matter

What was the largest city of pre-Columbian America?

Tenochtitlan

What are the principal agricultural products of the tierra caliente, templada, and fria?

Tierra caliente- sugarcane, tropical fruits, maize, rice, poultry, pigs, zebu cattle, lowland tubers Tierra templada- coffee, maize,warm weather veggies, cut flowers, short horn cattle Tierra fria- wheat, barely, maize, cool weather veggies, apples, pears, dairying, short horn cattle

Describe the Amazon Basin's climate and natural vegetation.

Wet-tropical climate Rainforest vegetation

What are the major agricultural products of the Pampa?

wheat, maize, alfalfa, and soybeans