Download Chapter 12 Notes – Latin America, Shaped by Its History Name

Chapter 12 Notes – Latin America, Shaped by Its History
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Hang on to these notes…they summarize all five sections of chapter 12. To prepare for your test,
read each section of chapter 12 and complete all homework to the best of your ability.
Mayan Civilization:
Occupied the area of Central America up to southern Mexico. We think of the Mayan
civilization of around 300-900. Main cities were Copan and Tikal.
The Mayas were known for their pyramids, their study of the planets and stars, they had
designed an accurate calendar, and they developed a hieroglyphic and numbering system
(including the number ‘zero’). The main food of the Mayas was maize, corn.
Historians are unsure as to why the Mayan civilization came to an end.
Aztec Civilization:
The Aztecs built a great civilization in the area now called the Valley of Mexico, which
includes Lake Texcoco. We think of the Aztec civilization of around 1200 to the early 1500’s. Main
city was Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs expanded their empire by conquering other people in the
region and forcing them to pay taxes.
The Aztecs were known for developing hieroglyphics and medicine, they predicted
eclipses and the movement of the planets, they designed jewelry, pottery, garments, and
sculptures.
The Aztec civilization came to and end because they were conquered by the Spanish
(Cortes). The Spanish killed their leader and took over their capital.
The Inca Civilization:
Occupied the area from Ecuador south along the Pacific coast through Peru, Bolivia,
Chile, and Argentina (western coast of South America). The main city of Cuzco (now in Peru),
was their center of government. It was considered to be as large and beautiful as any large city in
Spain – highly advanced civilization.
The Incas had an extensive system of roads as well as aqueducts across their vast empire.
Building canals and aqueducts allowed for drinking water and irrigation. The Incas would take a
census to get an accurate count of it’s people and to tax them.
The Incas followed the false sun god, Inti. Descendants live in present day Peru, Ecuador,
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia.
The Inca civilization came to and end because they were conquered by the Spanish
(Pizarro). The Spanish killed their leader and took over their capital.
These civilizations (as well as all of Latin America) introduced Europe to maize, chocolate, and
potatoes. Europe brought horses to the New World.
How these civilizations live on today…
• Mayan: millions of descendents still live in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El
Salvador. The Maya language is still spoken today.
• Aztec: Many Aztec foods are still eaten today.
• Inca: descendants of the Incas still speak their native language of Quechua.
European Conquest…
The European desire for new trade goods inspired Spain and Portugal to search for new trade
routes to Asia. Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in search of the riches of the East
Indies and other parts of Asia. Columbus’s discovery set off a fierce rivalry between Spain and
Portugal for land in the Americas. To avoid war, Spain and Portugal set the Line of Demarcation
that was on the Western side of Brazil – Spain would explore to the west, Portugal to the east
(really, Brazil…this is why Brazil has Portuguese as its official language!).
Spain was able to organize its empire in the Americas and gain a lot of wealth from the colonies it
started in the New World. Spain divided its territory into provinces – most notably New Spain and
Peru. Native Americans were forced to work in Spanish-owned gold and silver mines – the most
powerful citizens were from Spain or were descendents from Spanish settlers. The plantations
that were established by the Spaniards or the Catholic Church were called haciendas.
Instead of paying the conquistadors for exploring, Spain gave them the right to treasure hunt and
settle in the new land. The Spanish settlers in Latin America used encomiendas to demand taxes
and/or labor from the Native Americans.
Spain was able to have relatively easy victory over the Aztecs even though Spain had fewer
soldiers. The three main reasons are: 1) because the Spanish unknowingly brought diseases with
them that the Native American had no immunity for – killing many of the Aztecs. 2) Cortes
persuaded other Native Americans to fight the Aztecs too, they didn’t like the Aztecs (they had to
pay tribute or taxes to the Aztecs) so they helped the Spanish. 3) The Spanish also had horses
and much better weapons.
Independence…
Country / Leader / Date of Independence:
Haiti
Toussaint L’Ouverture 1804
Haiti was the first European colony in Latin America to win indepencence. The
American Revolution and French Revolution inspired Haiti’s fight for independence. When Haiti
fought for independence, other people in Latin America were in turn inspired to want
independence as well.
Brazil
Dom Pedro
1822
Venezuela
Simon Bolivar
1821
One of the bigger names to remember!
Under Simon Bolivar’s leadership, Venezuela joined Colombia, Ecuador, and
Panama in the Gran Colombia federation.
Mexico
Miguel Hidalgo
1821
Agustin de Iturbide
Miguel Hidalgo was a criollo priest who began the fight for independence by
assembling an army of 80,000 fighters.
Chile
Jose de San Martin
1818
One of the bigger names to remember!
San Martin surprised the Spanish in both Chile and Peru. In Chile, he
unexpectedly invaded from the high passes of the Andes. In Peru, he attacked
from the sea. Mexico’s independence was different than the rest of Latin America
in that it was led by two priests; the others were led by military men.
After independence, most areas were ruled by very strict Latin American military officers called
caudillos. Most of the caudillos were concerned about them selves – mainly with getting rich and
holding power.
Issues in Latin America Today…
Foreign companies owned large interests in Latin America’s mines and farms during the early
1900’s. These companies made huge profits, some times at the expense of the locals and the
environment. You could say that these foreign companies often controlled the economies of Latin
American countries. More recently, many Latin American countries have tried to control foreign
investment by keeping foreign companies from buying too much land.
In the 1980’s, the price of oil went up. Many Latin American countries felt they needed to borrow
billions of dollars from other countries in order to keep their factories running. Many Latin
American countries began to drill for more oil.
When Brazil moved many people who had no land to the Amazonian Rain Forest, people around
the world reacting with fear and worry about cutting down too much of the rain forest. They feared
that this would harm the environment.
Many people today in Latin America have moved to cities because they could not make a living
farming. They moved to the cities hoping to find jobs, a better education for their children, better
medical care, and other services found in cities.
Terms:
Hieroglyphics, maize, aqueduct, quipu, conquistadors, encomiendas, treaty, Line of Demarcation,
mestizos, hacienda, crillos, caudillos, revolution, invest, economy, rural, urban, campesinos
Maya
• Great cities like
Copan and Tikal
• Honduras and
Guatemala
• Priests and nobles
controlled cities
• Mostly farmers or
artisans
• Achievements –
calendar and corn
Latin American History
Aztec
Inca
• Built city on a lake
• Empire started in
Peru
• Mexico
• Built cities & roads
• Expanded empire
• Aqueducts to irrigate
• One ruler over all
crops
• Religion central to
• Farmers & builders
life
• Religion important in
• Medicine and
everyday life
astronomy
European Conquest
• Spain / Portugal
divided Latin
America
• Cortes conquers
Aztecs looking for
gold
• Pizarro conquers
Incas looking for
gold.
• Spain / Portugal
force natives to
work on haciendas