1. Latin America & The Caribbean History: Geography, Culture and Conflict
SS6G1: The student will be able to locate selected features of Latin America and the Caribbean
SS6G4: The student will describe the cultural characteristics of people who live in Latin America and the Caribbean
SS6H1 Describe the impact of European contact on Latin America
SS6H2 The student will explain the development of Latin America and the Caribbean from European colonies to independent nations.
Latin America & The Caribbean History: Geography, Culture and Conflict

2. ELEMENTS
Locate on a world and regional political-physical map: Amazon River, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean, Panama Canal, Andes Mountains, Sierra Madre Mountains, and Atacama Desert 
Locate on a world and regional political-physical map in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela 
Describe the results of blending of ethnic groups in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Explain why Latin America is a region based on the languages of Portuguese and Spanish.
Describe the encounter and consequences of the conflict between the Spanish and the Aztecs and Incas and the roles of Cortes, Montezuma, Pizarro, and Atahualpa
Explain the impact of the Columbian Exchange on Latin America and Europe in terms of the decline of the indigenous population, agricultural change, and the introduction of the horse.
Describe the influence of African slavery on the development of the Americas
Describe the influence of the Spanish and the Portuguese on the language and religions of Latin America
Explain the Latin American independence movement; include the importance of Toussaint L'Ouverture, Simon Bolivar, and Miguel Hidalgo.

3. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Conflict and Change: The student will understand that when there is conflict between or within societies, change is the result.
Culture: The student will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and government of that society.
Location: The student will understand that location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development.

4. THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF LATIN AMERICA
Latin America is made up of countries in central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and the continent of South America
Latin America contains many key physical features:
Rivers
Amazon River
Major water bodies
Pacific Ocean
Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Panama Canal
Mountains
Andes Mountains
Sierra Madre Mountains
Other landforms
Atacama Desert

5. KEY COUNTRIES OF LATIN AMERICA
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Cuba
Haiti
Mexico
Panama
Venezuela
Other countries include: Peru, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Chile, Honduras, Ecuador, Uruguay and Dominican Republic

6. MAP OF LATIN AMERICA

7. LANGUAGES IN LATIN AMERICA
Unlike Europe, Latin America is not dominated by many languages
The main languages of Latin America are Spanish, English and Portuguese
Other languages spoken are French and Dutch

8. LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN THE REGION
Spanish
Most countries in Latin America
Dutch
Suriname
Portuguese
Brazil
French
Haiti, French Guiana
English
Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana

9. ETHNIC GROUPS OF LATIN AMERICA
Latin America is dominated by many ethnic groups
Three major ethnic groups are present
Mestizos
Blend of Spanish and Native American Heritage
Started by Spanish explorers marrying Natives in the New World
Mulattos
Blend of European and African Heritage
Started by European explorers bringing slaves to Latin America and marrying them
Afro-Latinos
Blend of African and Spanish Heritage
Started by slaves living in South America and the Latin American islands marrying natives living there

10. RELIGION IN LATIN AMERICA
Nearly all Latin Americans worship Christianity
Latin Americans are mostly Catholic, mainly in the countries that speak French, Dutch, and Spanish
Some Latin Americans are Protestant, mainly in the countries that speak English
Christianity arrived to Latin America due to explorers, mostly from Spain, spreading the religion to the New World

11. THE EMPIRES OF THE INCAS AND THE AZTECS
The Aztecs and Incas were two powerful civilizations that lived in Latin America
Aztecs
Lived from
Located in the southern part of Mexico
Warrior society who was successful with agriculture
Built a capital called Tenochtitlan, one of the first modern day cities
Citizens were well skilled in many forms of jobs
Believed in many gods and built temples to worship them
Had about 5 million citizens living there
Created the calendar

12. THE EMPIRES OF THE INCAS AND THE AZTECS
Lasted from
Located on the west coast of South America
Farming society who advanced methods of planting crops
Worshipped many gods, with the sun god being the most important
Built a capital called Cuzco, or the City of the Sun
Had a social class system, with farmers and nobles as the two classes
Citizens were skilled in architecture, including building a major city called Machu Picchu
Had plenty of gold in their civilization

13. THE SPANISH AND THE AZTECS
In 1519, Hernan Cortes From Spain entered Mexico, searching for Gold
The Aztecs thought he was a god, so their ruler, Montezuma II, allowed Cortes and his men to stay in Tenochtitlan
The horses, guns, cannons and blades of the Spanish scared the Aztecs
Cortes eventually discovered gold and took the Aztecs hostage
A rebellion broke out eventually, and the Spanish wiped out the Aztecs by 1521
Montezuma and most of the Aztecs were killed by diseases like smallpox
The capital was renamed Mexico City and the Spanish set up their operations there

14. THE SPANISH AND THE INCAS
In 1532, Francisco Pizarro arrived in Peru looking for gold
Pizarro invited the emperor or the Incas, Atahualpa, for dinner, but captured him instead
Pizarro bribed gold and silver out of Atahualpa, but had him killed anyway
Pizarro would conquer the Incas by 1535
He used the Incas as slaves and had them work in his cities and fields
Diseases killed many of the Incas, as well as Pizarro using other tribes to help in his battles with the Incas

15. IMPACT OF THE COLOMBIAN EXCHANGE
Colombian Exchange is the name given for the exchange of diseases, crops, goods and animals between Europe and the settlements in Latin America
The impact was felt in three ways:
Natives were being killed by diseases brought in by the Europeans
New goods and crops were brought into the Americas and used for food and trading
The horse was introduced, which allowed for better transportation and labor

16. SLAVERY IN THE AMERICAS
When Portugal settled in Brazil, they wanted to grow sugarcane in the area. To get the man power, the Portuguese would bring in African slaves, due to the fact they were immune from diseases. Brazil was the leader in slave labor and the many slaves there would build the empire of the Portuguese in Brazil. Slavery would also be prominent in the Caribbean, as countries like France, The Netherlands, and England would own islands in the Caribbean. They would bring in slaves to help farm their sugarcane and the slave labor in the Caribbean would bring much wealth to the countries back in Europe

17. INDEPENDENCE IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
Haiti
Known as St. Dominque at the time, Haiti would fight for independence in 1804
A slave rebellion was started in 1791, as slaves would kill their French overseers
Former slave Touissant L’Ouverture led the rebellion and helped gain independence in 1794
L’Ouverture would also fight off the Spanish and English from taking the island
L’Ouverture would name himself dictator for life and help to rebuild the island
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, would fight for the island, but withdrew in 1803 after his soldiers got yellow fever
Haiti was officially a republic in 1804

18. INDEPENDENCE IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
South America
Many countries in South America fought for independence collectively
They were led by Simon Bolivar, who starting in 1810, fought to free South America from the Europeans
Bolivar would free countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador
Bolivar was nicknamed “The Liberator” and the country of Bolivia was named after him in respect

19. INDEPENDENCE IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
Mexico
Around 1810, Mexico would begin to call for independence from the Spanish
The leader was Miguel Hidalgo, a catholic priest, who said the taxes, taking of land, and slavery by Spain was unfair
Hidalgo led farmers and Native Americans to Mexico City, defeating many groups in the process
Hidalgo was defeated around 1811, as he was captured and put to death
Others continued Hidalgo’s work and by 1821, Mexico had finally gained its independence
Hidalgo today is known as the Father of Mexican Independence