CH 10 SEC 2 Central America and the Caribbean

I. Native and Colonial Central America Central America is a narrow isthmus that connects North and South America and divides the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is also a cultural hearth, where important ideas or cultures originate and spread. The Maya created a civilization that spread throughout the region, but then they began to abandon their cities.

I. Native and Colonial Central America The Mayans built many cities with temples and palaces throughout Central America. Each was an independent city- state, ruled by a god-king. One of the largest was Tikal, and the pyramids there were the tallest buildings in North America until the 20 th century.

I. Native and Colonial Central America The Spanish came and conquered the Aztecs in Mexico, and then controlled the rest of Central and South America. They governed their empire from Mexico. When Mexico became independent in 1821, Central America declared its independence and formed the United Provinces of Central America in 1823.

I. Native and Colonial Central America The United Provinces then broke up into separate countries that are there today.

II. Native and Colonial Caribbean The islands of the Caribbean were settled by more than just the Spanish. The people who lived there called themselves the Taino, but Columbus called them Indians because he thought he had reached the East Indies. When the Europeans came, they established sugar plantations and tried to use the Taino to work, but they died from disease and mistreatment.

II. Native and Colonial Caribbean So African slaves were brought in to do the work, and they brought their culture and language with them, changing the Caribbean way of life. The Spanish, French, British, Dutch, and Danish all had colonies in the Caribbean, and were profiting from the sugar trade.

II. Native and Colonial Caribbean There were several revolts against the colonial powers, with Toussaint L’Overture leading Haiti in a revolt against France in the 1790s. Other islands began to revolt, but some did not become independent until the 1960s.

III. Cultural Blends In Central America, there is a blending of two distinct cultures: the Spanish and the Native Americans. The language and religion of the region are imports from Spain. The Spanish also changed the way of life for the Native Americans. They took their land and forced them to work on large plantations, or moved the people off the land into the towns to work and live.

III. Cultural Blends Caribbean culture has more diversity because more cultures interacted there. There is a variety of European cultures, as well as African cultures that mix with the native cultures. Many different religions are found in the Caribbean, including Santeria and Voodoo. Those have roots in African religions and some combine those religions with Catholicism and Protestantism.

IV. Economics Farming, especially sugar cane, is still a very important part of the economy in the Caribbean. People still work on plantations and are not paid well at all. Another important activity revolves around the Panama Canal. Ships from both sides of the world pass through the canal, helping to mix cultures and economies.

V. Popular Culture, Tourism, and Jobs The music of the Caribbean, reggae and calypso, both draw tourists to the islands and influence culture outside of the Caribbean. Tourism is a fast growing industry in the Caribbean, which creates jobs for the growing populations on the islands.

In your notebooks Half-page summary of this lecture.