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CDA Unit 6 STUDY GUIDE—Latin America Cultural Legacy/History
SS6H1: The student will describe the impact of European contact on Latin America.
Indigenous Civilizations of Latin America:
Aztecs = Natives who lived in what is modern day Mexico City
The ruler of the Aztecs was Montezuma II
The name of the Aztecs’ capital city was Tenochtitlan
The Aztecs built floating gardens called Chinampas
Inca = Natives who lived in the Andes Mountains of Peru in South America
The Inca ruler was Atahualpa
The Inca are known for their stonework; they built buildings made from stone
The Inca built roads for transportation and to send messages throughout their empire
The Inca built terraces along the mountainsides for farming
The Inca built canals along the mountainsides to irrigate/water the farm crops
They had runners to carry messages throughout the empire
European Conquerors:
Hernan Cortes
--Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec by capturing the Aztec ruler named Montezuma II
--Hernan Cortes claimed the land controlled by the Aztec for Spain and renamed it New Spain
Francisco Pizarro
--Conquered the Inca by defeating the Inca ruler named Atahualpa
-----Was able to quickly conquer the Inca because the Inca kingdom was already weak from wars
--Francisco Pizarro claimed the Inca land located in the Andes Mountains region of South America for Spain
Smallpox = A disease that killed many Native Americans. This disease made it easier for Hernan Cortes and
Francisco Pizarro to conquer the Aztec and Inca empires
Columbian Exchange = The exchange of goods and ideas between European countries and their colonies
in North America and South America.
= The exchange of goods included the introduction of new crops, tools, animals such as
the horse, medicines, shipbuilding, and even diseases live smallpox
*=Initially, the horse was used as a military weapon to defeat indigenous/native people
= The Columbian Exchange greatly influenced the Native American culture to change
and become more like European culture
Indigenous = people that originated in a land region (for example the Native American originated in the
Americas before the Europeans arrived)
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SS6H2: The student will explain the development of Latin America and
the Caribbean from European colonies to independent nations.
Latin America Independence Movement
Miguel Hidalgo = was a priest who inspired the people of Mexico to rise up against Spanish rule. Mexico
eventually gained its independence from Spain
Simon Bolivar = A general nicknamed “The Liberator” who freed the northern parts of South America
from Spain’s rule
Toussaint L’Ouverture = He helped Haiti gain independence from France by leading the slaves to revolt
against French rule.
-South American countries that got their independence from Spain had unstable governments and an unfair
society. The reason is because the wealthy citizens and former Spanish officials wanted to keep their property
and wealth.
Slavery in Latin America
Effect of the African Slave Trade = Led to further blending of ethnic groups in Latin America
Led to the expansion of sugar cane plantations
mestizo = A person who is mixed European and Native American
mulatto = A person who is mixed African and European
-Europeans needed workers to replace the Native Americans that died from disease. The workers were needed
to work on the sugarcane plantations.
encomienda = Under this system, Spanish rulers were given a Native American village to oversee. They forced
the Native Americans to pay tribute in the form of labor, money (gold/silver), or goods
South America
Ethnic Groups = The majority of people who live in South America are mestizos and mulattos
Roman Catholic = The religion for most people in South America is Roman Catholic
Brazil = Was colonized by Portugal
People in Brazil speak the Portuguese language
The majority of people in Brazil are Roman Catholic
Brazil is the largest and most industrialized country in South America
Brazil’s culture = Brazil’s culture is a blend of Native American, European, and African
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How Brazil gained independence from Portugal = Brazil gained its independence from Portugal peacefully.
The citizens of Brazil demanded their freedom and the King of Portugal agreed
-The mestizos and mulattos wanted to bring about change in South America because they were treated no better
than the slaves
-Europeans needed workers to replace the Native Americans that died from disease. The workers were needed
to work on the sugarcane plantations.
-During the 1800’s, most immigrants to South America came from Spain and Portugal
Ways that Spain and Portugal influenced the people of Latin America:
a. The people of Latin America speak mostly Spanish
b. The people of Brazil speak Portuguese
c. Roman Catholic is the religion for most people of Latin America
d. Spain colonized Mexico, Central America, and the western part of South America
e. Portugal colonized Brazil
The map below shows the land area of Latin America that Spain colonized:
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The map below shows the land area of Latin America that Portugal colonized:
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