Latin America Exam 1

Chinampas

Floating Gardens in Lake Texcoco. Used Cypress Trees and Human poop for fertilizer. Grew; Agave, Corn, Squash on these floating gardens

Amazon River

Flows east to the Atlantic Ocean, largest river system in the world, and is the most important river in South America Has a seaport (Iquitos) that allows sea vessels to come through -Largest Rain forest in South America -Tropical Forests do not have nutrient rich soil. It is the plant that contains the nutrients

Familiar Latin Americans

Jimmy Morales, President of Guatemala Evo Morales, Served as the President of Bolivia Michelle Bachelet- Female president of Chile

Guyana Highlands

Landmass that encompasses parts of Brazil Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana. Contains Angel Falls: The highest freshwater falls in the world

Quechua

Language spoken by the Incas

Latino Vs. Hispanic

Latino refers to Hispanics born in the Americas Hispanic refers to descendants or people from a Spanish speaking country

Domesticated Animals of the Precolumbia Americas

Llamas Alpacas Guinea Pigs

Iquitos

Located in Eastern Peru. City that sits on the Amazon River. Most inland port for sea vessels coming from the Atlantic Ocean.

Patagonia

Located in the southernmost region of South America. Rivers cut deep valleys. Wind driven electricity has great potential

Tierra Caliente

Lowest level in the geographic zone. (Sea Level to 2500 ft) Includes the Caribbean and Mexico Can be wet or Dry -Crops that are produced here are Bananas, Sugar, Pineapples, Tobacco, and other tropical plantation agriculture

Baja California

Lowlands A Long, narrow, peninsula, it extends south from Mexico's northwestern border with the United States

Maya Pyramids

Made of rubble and faced with Stone -Had Steps going up to a superstructure (generally 9 levels to coincide with the 9 levels of their cosmology each ruled by a God) These 9 levels represented 9 levels of the underworld

Rio Grande

one of the principal rivers in the southwest United States and northern Mexico

Altiplano

Translated to mean "high Planes" Plateau region located between Peru and Bolivia Home to precolombian civilizations: Wari and Tiwanaku

Machu Picchu

Urban creation and site of the Inca Empire. Had giant walls, ramps, and terraces Remote a secluded Inca City on top of a mountain in the Andean region that is 8000 feet above sea level

Pampas

Vast alluvial plain roughly the size of Texas. Has agricultural potential. Buenos Aires, Argentina is located at the edge of the Pampas

Greenhouse Gases

Vast areas of the Amazon Rain Forest are being burnt for grazing pasture and soybean production fields. Petroleum Industry in Ecuador contribute to pollution and destruction.

Saqsawaman

Walled complex on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco Located on a steep hill that overlooks the city Constructed with large polished dry stone walls

Cordillera Negra

West side of the Andes where it is dark, created by the Rain Shadow

Classic Maya Collapse

took at least 150 years. Probably caused by a variety of stresses e.g. overpopulation, agricultural deterioration, consequent disease and warfare.

Las Malvinas/Falklands

At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlement

Huitzilopochtli

Aztec tribal patron god; central figure of cult of human sacrifice and warfare; identified with old sun god, The chief god of the Mexica or Aztec. Aztecs believed he required a steady diet of human hearts.

Extraction Industries

Brazilian's illegal Logging

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.

Cusco

Capital of the Incan Empire "Naval of the World" Surrounded by walls that were once plated with gold. The Spanish took the gold as they invaded Plaza of Awkaypata at center

Maya "beauty"

Cone heads Tattos Semi-Precious stones embedded on teeth -Body Paint -Piercing of the lips, ears, and nose

Tierra Templada

Cooler area , Home to most of the cities Crops: Subsistence Economy: Coffee, Corn, Wheat

Mayan foods grown

Corn Beans and Squash

Garimpieros

Small time miners that work in the Yanachoca Mine

Swidden (Slash and Burn

Technique used to clear a forest for farming. Terrible for the environment and contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions in the air because too much carbon dioxide is being released in the air from the dead trees. This technique is prevalent in Brazil.

Isthmus of Panama

The narrow strip of land that connects Central and South America.

Pulque

Fermented Agave (n) a fermented milky drink made from the juice of agave plants from Mexico Aztec elderly are typically known to drink this

Orinoco

An important river in Venezuela which runs through the plains and Guiana highlands and eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean

Pachakuti

"Earth Shaker" Spent 25 years expanding the Inca Empire Leader of Incas who launched a campain to conquest that brought the whole region under their control, divided realm into 4 quarters

Popocatepetl

"Smoking Mountain" Located in Mexico. Contains one of the three glaciers in Mexico City

Los Sierra Madres, Mexico

"The Mother Mountain Range". Made up of three mountain ranges located in Mexico: 1.) Sierra Madre Occidental 2.)Sierra Madre Oriental 3.) Sierra Madre de Sur

Chichimecs

"barbarian" to describe people living outside settled, agricultural areas nomadic, "uncivilized" group of peoples identified as the ancestors of Aztecs

Maya Writing

-Wrote on Paper -Carved writing in Stone -Painted Writing on Ceramics -

Cenote

A deep sinkhole lake at Chichen Itza where the Maya threw captives along with gold, jade and other offerings. They believed that human sacrifice pleased the gods and kept the world in balance. Believed that these Cenotes lead to the underworlds (Xibalba) "Place of Fear" Here the Maya death God ruled

Latin America as a World Region

A lot of crops that are eaten in the United States are grown in and imported from Latin America. Many Latinos immigrate to the United States because of the poor economic and working conditions that are present in their country.

Isthmus of Tehuantepec

A narrow strip of land that separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean.

Quipu

A system of knotted strings used by the Inca people for keeping records. Collection of knotted, colored strings used to keep records of things like dates, events, populations, and crops

The Tropics

All Latin Americans are either all or partially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn EXCEPT URUGUAY

Atacama

Desert Located in Chile Created by the Rain Shadow Driest non-arctic place on earth

Cordillera Blanca

East side of the Andes where is Snows

Chico Mendes

Environmentalist in Brazil. Specifically fighting for the preservation of the Amazon Rain Forest. Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples. He was assassinated by a rancher on December 22, 1988.

Brazilian Highlands

Heart of the Brazilian Nation. Makes up 1/3 of the country. Highlands contain rich mineral deposits in the region called Sertao such as Gold, Iron and Titanium. Contains the Parana Plateau which is the heart of Brazilian agriculture

Tierra Fria

Higher elevation Most of this zone is found in South America (Andes) Crops: able to group in volcano soil. potatoes, barley, and coffee are the main crops grown here

Tierra Helada

Highest Level in the geographic zone of Latin America NO crops are able to be grown because this area is frozen.

Lake Titicaca

Highest Navigable lake located between Bolivia and Peru. People can live on the lake by using totora reeds. One of the most navigable lake in the world.

Angel Falls

Highest freshwater fall in the world. Located in Guiana Highlands

Pico de Orizaba

Highest mountain and Volcano in Mexico

Espanola/Hispanola

Hispanola is the second largest island in the Caribbean. It is the site of the first European Settlement in the Americas that Christopher Columbus encountered.

Maya Human Sacrifices

Humans were often times war Captives of the King. Ripped out their fingernails and heart

Hurricanes, El Nino, La Nina

Hurricanes occur when the waters from Africa that are moving towards central America reach 83 degrees. El Nino and La Nina are opposite Phases of what is known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. The ENSO cycle is a scientific term that describes the fluctuations in temperature between the ocean and the atmosphere in the east-Equatorial pacific. First discovered by Fishermen off the coast of South America in the 1600s. These fisherman noticed unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean.

Ilha de Marajo

Island located at the mouth of the Amazon river

Aztec Empire

Main foods were: Potatoes Quinoa and Maize

Basic Unifying Traits and Experiences

Many countries in Latin America have experienced the introduction of new races as well as an exploitation of particular races. For instance in many of the carribean islands that make up latin America Africans were brought from their homeland. Pre-Colombian civilizations such as the Mayans, Incans, and Aztecs were taken over during the Spanish Inquisition.

Wattle and Daub Construction

Material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6000 years and is still an important construction material in many parts of the world.

Anconcagua

Mountain Range in Argentina located in the Andes

Los Andes

Running down the left hand side of South America. the Andes stretches 5,500 miles long and has a narrow width of 300 miles. -Can find that the Andes run through all South American countries except Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Andes gets it's name from "Adenes" (Platforms) created by the Indigenous group (Incas) who cultivated crops there. Also has an impact on the hydrology of Latin America. All the rivers because of the Andes lead to the Atlantic Ocean: The Amazon, Parana Rio de la Plata, Orinoco

Familiar "Latinos"

Shakira- Colombia

Pacific Ring of Fire and Tectonic Hazards

Place of Tectonic Activity. For instance Earthquakes and Volcanoes. An Example of earthquakes that occurred in Latin America are in Chile and Haiti. Chile had a 8.8 size earthquake and Haiti had a 7.1 size earthquake. More people died in Haiti even though the size was less than in Chili. More people died because Haiti's economy is not as wealthy as the Chilean economy. With wealth comes better construction to protect the people from the earthquake. An Example of an active Volcano in Latin America is Popocatepetl which is located 70 miles from Mexico City. Popocatepetl means "Smoking Mountain" Another volcano is called Pico de Orizaba. It is the 3rd highest Mountain in North America between the Yukon and Colombia The most recent Volcano eruption occurred in Colima Mexico on August 20th 2015.

Tzompantli

Skull Rack Wooden skull rack. Skulls from war captives or sacrificial victims.

Greater and Lesser Antilles

The Antilles islands span from the Floridian Peninsula to South America Some islands are left out because they do not speak Spanish. They speak French or Dutch. Like in Haiti and Aruba

Andean Rain Shadow

The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth because it is blocked from moisture on both sides (because the Andes Mountains to the east blocks moist Amazon basin air and high pressure over the Pacific and cold ocean currents keeps rain from coming in from the west).

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands is a chain of volcanic Islands west of Ecuador. Famous for their nature Place where Darwin created his theory of evolution by natural selection

Mexica

The dominant people of the Aztec Empire Name Mexico derives from the Mexica people Spoke Nahtual

Yanacocha Mine

The largest gold mine in Latin America located in northern Peru. Owned by a Denver based mining company

Aztec Human Sacrifice

The people believed they had to use human blood (sacrifice) to please their gods. The victim would be painted, held down and then have there heart ripped out and raised to the sun. They would then be beheaded and would role there head and then body down the temple stairs. **

Iberoamerica

The prefix Ibero refers to the Iberian peninsula located in Europe. Ibero-America refers to all Spanish-speaking countries including Brazil and Portugal where Portuguese is spoken.The issue with this name is it generalizes that all countries in this region speak Spanish or Portuguese. It excludes the countries that do not speak Spanish. For instance in Haiti, French Guyana, and Guadeloupe's their official language is French.

Diversity within Latin America

There is influence of French, Spanish, Portuguesse, British, Dutch, African, and Ingenuous cultures in Latin America. In South America Guyana is a country that was originally inhabited by several indigenous groups.The Dutch and The British inhabited this region. The British brought over indentured servants of Pakistani and Indian descent. People of African descent also inhabited Latin America. Africans were brought into countries like Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as part of the slave trade.

Easter Island

This is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is famous for its 887 monumental statues called the Moai

Latin America

This name was given to the region by French scholars because the language Spanish stems from Latin based languages. The issue with this name is that not all countries in this region have languages that stem from Latin. For instance African, Creole, and Indigenous languages are spoken in certain parts of the region.

Tawantinsuyu

Translated as "The Land of the Four Quarters", the name the Incas gave to their empire

Chicha

Women chewed up corn and spit it into a pot to make beer

Hispanoamerica

`Hispanoamerica incorporates the term Hispanic. Hispanic was the Latin term for Spain. It generalizes that all people who live in the region are descendants from Spain or Spanish culture. The issue with this term is that it ignores the fact that there were preexisting indigenous civilizations that thrived before the Spanish came. It also ignores the fact that other races make up Latin America. For example, Africans were brought to St. Dominigue in the middle of the 18th century. St. Domingue was a French colony on the island of Hispanola that was used to produced products such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco for the European market. These goods were produced by the free labor of Africans.

Indoamerica

`Indoamerica refers to the idea that there were Ingenious people living in this region. Again an issue with this term is that not only indigenous people inhabited this land. Influences from French, Spanish, British, and Africa created a mixture of cultures and languages that thrive there today.

Rain Shadow

an area of dry land that lies on the side of the mountain with no wind a condition created when winds blow in primarily one direction over mountains other elevated terrain: the altitude change causes clouds to drop the precipitation on the near side of the mountain, elevating the land on the far side, where winds descend, with little rain or snow

Monctezuma II

as the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520. The first contact between indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europeans took place during his reign, and he was killed during the initial stages of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, when Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men fought to escape from the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.

Mayan blood-letting

cutting part of the body to release blood--is an ancient ritual used by many Mesoamerican societies. For the ancient Maya, bloodletting rituals constituted a way to communicate with the gods and royal ancestors. This practice was usually performed by nobles through the perforation of body parts, mainly, but not only, tongue, lips, and genitals. Both men and women practiced these types of sacrifices. Ritual bloodletting, along with fasting, tobacco smoking and ritual enemas, were pursued by the royal Maya in order to provoke trance-like state and supernatural visions and therefore communicate with dynastic ancestors or underworld gods.

Rio de la Plata

estuary where the Parana River empties into the Atlantic Ocean

Tierra del Fuego

the large island whose name means "Land of Fire". it is located near the southern tip of Chile.

Paleo Indian

the name given by scientists to the first inhabitants of the Americas, an Ice Age people who survived largely by hunting big game and to a lesser extent by collecting edible plants and fishing

The Sapa Inka

was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco and later, the Emperor of the Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) Had special privledges in the form of food to clothing to music whereever they went If anyone ate his food or infringed on other priviledges, they could be put to death.