Latin America

Past & Present

The Maya

• Central America

• Tikal – city in modern Guatemala

• Pyramid shaped temples

• Written language

• Skilled in mathematics

• Developed concept of zero

• Calendar – based on orbit of the earth & sun (365 ¼ day calendar)

• Invented game that is a cross between basketball & soccer

Pictures of Ball courts

The Maya … continued…

Aztecs

• Capital of Tenochtitlan on an island in the middle of a lake (modern day Mexico City is built on top)

• Advanced farming – Chinampas –

floating artificial islands built on large rafts covered with mud.

Aztecs

• Complex political system with an emperor

• Worshipped many gods & goddesses ceremonies with prisoner sacrifices

• Hernan Cortes – conquistador from Spain, conquered the Aztecs

• People of the Andes Mountains

• Capital is Cuzco in Peru

• Political system with an emperor

• Terrace farming – cut into the side of mountains

• Domesticated the alpaca & llama

The Incas

• Quipu = a rope with knotted cords of various lengths and colors, used to keep records and send messages

• Machu Picchu – “Lost city of the Inca”

The Incas

• Did not have a written language; however their language of Quechua survives to this day.

The Incas

Spanish Conquistadors

Hernan Cortes & the Spanish Conquest of Mexico• Conquered the Aztecs• Spanish conquest:

1519-1521• Last Aztec Emperor:

Montezuma II• Built Mexico City on top

of Tenochtitlan

Pizarro & the Conquest of the Incas

• Conquest of the Inca Empire: 1531-1533

• Last Inca Emperor: Atahualpa

• Spanish used horses, guns, & swords

Culture Changing Events

• Columbian Exchange: Movement of people, plants, and animals.

• New crops came to the Americas as well as Europe.

• Horse: Allowed Native Americans to hunt over large areas

African Slavery

• Direct result of the Columbian Exchange

• Sugarcane farming• Saint Domingue:

the wealthiest colony in the Americas

Haitian Revolution

• Toussaint L’Ouverture• Fought against the

French• Haitian Revolution

sparked other independence movements in Latin America

• Independence from European powers ended slavery

South American Independence

• Simon Bolivar• George Washington

of South America• Bolivia, Colombia,

Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela gained independence

• Led to rule by the oligarchy and military juntas

Mexican Independence

• Miguel Hidalgo• Mexican independence

from Spain• Mexico gains

independence after 300 years of Spanish rule.

Latin America Today

• Federal, presidential democracies; with the exception of Cuba.

• Fidel Castro created a communist dictatorship after taking over in 1959.

U.S. Relationship with Cuba

• One time trade partners: U.S. has had an embargo on Cuba since the 1960’s

• Cuban Missile Crisis: Cuba gives the Soviet Union permission to build nuclear weapons in Cuba