1. Chapter 7 – Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean

2. Chapter 7, Lesson 1 Physical Geography of Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean
Organize the whole section by regions – each region’s landforms, climate, economics…?

3. Physical Characteristics of Mexico and Central America
An isthmus – narrow strip of land with water on both sides that connects two larger bodies of land
8 countries
Mexico
Belize
Guatemala
Honduras
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama

4. Mexico and Central America’s Landforms
Mountains
Sierra Madre Occidental & Oriental
Active volcanoes in southern Mexico and Central America
Rugged & difficult to cross
Point out that Baja California is NOT part of California
Pg. 193
In Notes, have students draw the shape of Mexico and draw in important parts of its geography as we discuss them.
Put in cities like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Tijuana, Cabo San Lucas (tip of Baja CA), Cancun (tip of Yucatan), Cozumel (South of Cancun a little bit)

5. Mexico and Central America’s Landforms
High Central Plateau
Deserts
Grasslands
Cities
Mexico City
Mexico’s central plateau
South – good farmland
Good climate – lots of rain in the south, elevation makes it pleasant temps year round even though its in the tropics
Lots of poor people living in/near Mexico City –
underemployed,
10th largest city in the world – 8.8 million (15 million in the metro area)
4/5 of population lives in the inner plateau (map on pg 223)

6. Mexico and Central America’s Landforms
Coastal Lowlands
Pacific Coastal Plain
Desert in north & farmland in the south due to volcanoes
Gulf Coastal Plains
Fertile farmland
Caribbean Coastal Plain
Dense rain forests, tropical wet climate, poor soil
Point out that Baja California is NOT part of California
Pg. 193
Northern Pacific Coast:
Irrigated farming of wheat, cotton, other crops
Climate – dry, hot
Baja California – “Mars with cactus”
Southern Pacific Coast:
Tourism – sunny, beaches
Narrow coast with little farmland
Gulf Coastal Plain
Petroleum & Natural Gas
Major oil-producing region
Average rainfall (map)
Yucatan Peninsula:
Flat!
Sinkholes caused by water seeping/dissolving limestone and underground caverns collapse
Tourism along the coast – beaches, ancient ruins

7. Mexico & Central America’s Climate
Affected by latitude & altitude
4 climate regions based on altitude:
tierra caliente – “hot land”
tierra templada – “temperate land”
tierra fria – “cold land”
tierra helada – “frozen land”
Dry in the north
Hurricanes along the coasts
Which are high elevations, which is low? Map on pg. 193

8. Caribbean Archipelagos (groups of islands)
Greater Antilles
Bigger islands that are part of an underwater mountain range
Examples: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti/Dom. Rep.), Puerto Rico
Have students list which islands belong in each category
Greater – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
Lesser – Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, Netherlands Antilles near S. Amer

9. Caribbean Archipelagos (groups of islands)
Lesser Antilles
Smaller volcanic islands
Usually mountainous with rich soil
Examples: Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and others

10. Caribbean Archipelagos (groups of islands)
Bahamas
3,000 limestone islands (only 30 are inhabited)
Flat
Poor, sandy soil

11. Climate of the Caribbean
Tropical wet/dry climate
VERY affected by the sea & wind
Winds make temperatures moderate (80)
Hurricanes!
Tropical savanna climate

12. Natural Resources in Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean Islands
Oil and natural gas are Mexico's most important resources.
The Caribbean Sea is rich in fish, but the islands have few timber or mineral resources.
What landforms and waterways do Mexico and Central America have?
Why are different climate zones found in this region, even though most of the region is in the Tropics?

13. Chapter 7, Lesson 2 History of Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean Islands
Video – watch at least until 11:30 for history, the rest of the 20-min video is current gov’t and culture and could be watched the next day with section 3:

14. Ancient Native American Civilizations in Mexico & Central America
Olmecs, 1200 BC – 400 BC
Used obsidian (black volcanic glass) to carve:
Large stone heads 
Jade jewelry
Grew maize (corn)
Built drainage ditches

15. Ancient Native American Civilizations in Mexico & Central America
Mayans, ~1000 BC - AD 900
Lived on the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize
Used a 365-day calendar for religious ceremonies
Built step pyramids
Hieroglyphics
Number system

16. Ancient Native American Civilizations in Mexico & Central America
Aztecs (or Mexica), AD 1200
Responsible for much of modern Mexico’s culture
Aggressive
Capital city of
Tenochtitlán 

17. Europeans arrive in the “New World”
1492 – Columbus sailed the ocean blue to… San Salvador! (Bahamas)
1st settlement by the Spanish: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Columbian Exchange: new plants & animals were traded between the Americas & the rest of the world
What was bad about the Columbian Exchange?
Are there any positive effects on the Caribbeans of their colonial history?
Pg. 228 – read about the Columbian Exchange, look at map about what was traded across the ocean. Imagine life w/out those products!
Bad: disease, slavery

18. The Spanish take over Mexico & Central America
1519 – Hernán Cortés destroyed the Aztec empire w/ help from 650 Spanish conquistadors (conquerors), the Aztecs’ enemies & modern weapons
Swords, muskets, cannons, horses
6 million aztecs, v. his army
Guns, Germs, & Steel

19. Life in Spanish Colonial Mexico
Natives had to work on haciendas (Spanish plantations) and gold/silver mines
Natives were treated poorly
Many died from European diseases
Catholic missionaries converted many natives

20. Independence & Revolution
Rebellion against Spain led to independence in 1821, but new governments were still controlled by wealthy landowners, not natives.
Panama – owned by Colombia until 1903
Belize – owned by Great Britain until 1981
Mexico lost territory to the US in the mid-1800s (Texas, California, Utah, & Nevada)
Rebellion against their dictator led Mexico to form a republic in 1920.
In the late 1900s, all the Central American nations except Costa Rica and Belize were torn by civil conflict.

21. Colonialism in the Caribbean
1600s & 1700s – Europeans established mines and sugar plantations on many islands
Native Americans quickly died from disease, starvation, and overwork, so Africans were brought as slaves to work
1800s & 1900s – many islands gained independence from European rule
Still suffered from rule by caudillos (military leaders), poverty, & weak economies
Why not natives? Died of disease

22. The Caribbean: Independent Countries… or not?
Cuba
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Barbados
Jamaica
Bahamas
Trinidad & Tobago
STILL COLONIES:
Great Britain
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
United States
US Virgin Islands
Puerto Rico
France
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Have them color these countries in on their maps…?

23. Chapter 7, Lesson 3 Life in Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean

24. Mexico & Central America’s Economy
As a result of free trade agreements (NAFTA, USMCA, and CAFTA-DR), most of Mexico & Central America’s trade is with the United States and Canada.
Mexico has the 11th largest economy in the world and 80% of their exports go to the United States.
What is life like in Mexico today?
How have close ties with the United States helped Mexico’s economy?

25. Northern Mexico’s Economy
Cattle ranching
Vaquero – Mexican cowboy
Manufacturing
Maquiladoras – factories that assemble parts made in other countries
Border cities: Monterrey,
Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez
How do maquiladoras affect Mexico?
Benefits:
Problems:

26. Central Mexico’s Economy
Fertile farmland
Large industrial cities: Guadalajara & Mexico City (8.9 million people, 21.2 million in the metro area (20% of Mexico’s population!))
Farmland in Puebla state
Mexico City
Compared to NY – 8.2 million and LA – 3.8 million
Biggest metro area in the Western Hemisphere

27. Southern Mexico & Central America’s Economy
Agriculture
In mountains: Subsistence farming
Poor farmers raise livestock, corn, beans, & rice to feed themselves
Along coasts: banana & sugarcane plantations
Large farms that raise a single crop for sale
Coffee, bananas, cotton, sugarcane
Cancun & Playa del Carmen
A truck carries sugarcane at a plantation in Grecia, Costa Rica, February 27, 
REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate

28. Southern Mexico & Central America’s Economy
Tourism
Mexican cities: Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun
Belize, Costa Rica, & Panama
Ecotourism – traveling to see natural landscapes 

29. Economics of Panama Shipping The Panama Canal!
Used by ships to cut across the isthmus instead of traveling around South America
Built & owned by the USA since 1914
Turned over to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999
Expansion completed in 2016
2 min time lapse video trip through the panama canal

30. Daily Life in Mexico & Central America
Speak Spanish & indigenous languages (Belize – English)
Roman Catholic
Carnival – fiesta before Lent
Baseball & fútbol (soccer)
Salsa music, learn how…
Guatemala City
2 min clip – 2007 salsa dancing champs
5 minute dance lesson, showing 3 basic steps (can just do the first 2.5 minutes before the partner dancing)

31. Mexican & Central American Food
Corn, chocolate, tomatoes, beans, squash, chiles
Got beef, chicken, cheese, & olive oil from the Spanish
Tortillas – used for tacos & enchiladas 

32. Mexican Fiestas (celebrations)
Sept 16 - Independence Day
Nov 2 – Day of the Dead
Mariachi & Latino bands
Parades, fireworks, dancing
Cinco de Mayo – 1862 defeat of invading French – not celebrated much outside of the state of Puebla
Day of dead – families honor dead ancestors
Day of the Dead video – 3 minutes – COCO movie
Analyze the Day of the Dead celebrations – how is it different than Halloween?

33. Governments in Mexico & Central America
Democracy, but not always multiple parties
7 republics – elect presidents (like the US)
Mexico - Federal republic – power is divided between national & state gov’ts
Mexican president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador 
Belize is a parliamentary democracy – legislature chooses the prime minister (like Canada)
Term is over on Nov 30, 2018

34. Challenges for Mexico Illegal drug trafficking High population growth
National debt
Pollution
List 3 problems this challenge creates for the people of Mexico.
Give a realistic solution to the problem.

35. Challenges for Mexico
Illegal drug trafficking & war between the drug cartels and government since 2006
150,000 death since 2006 were organized crime-related.
Mexican drug cartels take in $19 - $29 billion annually from drug sales in the US.
According to a 2018 Congressional Research Service report, "many sources indicate" that about 150,000 intentional homicides since 2006 were organized crime-related.
Mexican drug cartels take in between $19 billion and $29 billion annually from drug sales in the US.
Could divide into “task forces” or government officials to solve each of the following problems
Since 2006, nearly 24,000 Mexicans have been killed in drug related violence.  The surge in violence began when Felipe Calderon took office and declared war on the drug cartels.  The history of Mexico’s cartels goes back to the 1980′s when the US began cracking down on Colombian drug shipping routes in the Caribbean.  As a result of tighter US security throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Colombian cartels began to hire Mexican groups to run cocaine and other drugs across the border.  Until that time, the majority of the drug trade in Mexico centered on lower-profit marijuana.  The new business from Colombia proved to be very lucrative for Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and his family.  When Gallardo was captured and imprisoned his monopoly splintered and several groups began fighting for control of trafficking corridors or plazas. For years, the violence between the groups was mostly confined to the workers in the drug trade.  Under the years of PRI rule, there seemed to be an implicit understanding that as long as the cartels kept to their own business, the government would leave them alone.  When Mr. Calderon declared war on the cartels, the balance of power shifted and a spike in gruesome violence ensued.

36. Challenges for Mexico High population growth, especially in cities
46% of Mexicans live in poverty
Migrant workers & emigrants crossing into the US

37. Challenges for Mexico National debt
Mexico borrowed money from foreign countries to build factories & create jobs
Economy is growing too slowly – not enough taxes are being collected for government to pay back loans AND pay for other needs

38. Challenges for Mexico Pollution
Caused by population growth & factories
Smog, air & water pollution

39. Challenges of Central America
Most people are very poor
Native Americans & Africans
Small farmers or laborers, factory workers
A small middle class – mostly farmers or city workers
The rich (Europeans) control the government
Imagine 12 students are peasants, barely growing enough to get by
6 students are very wealthy and control the gov’t
Why might there be conflict???
Limited land available for farming
Population growth
Division of the population into racial and economic groups

40. Armed Conflict in Central America
Nicaragua
Sandinistas brought socialism to Nicaragua in 1979
Thousands died before declaring a cease-fire in 1990
El Salvador
Rich landowners hired “death squads” to prevent reform
70,000 died in the civil war between 1979 and 1992
Guatemala
The military ran the country, government death squads killed 150,000, (40,000 “disappeared”)
A peace treaty was signed in 1996, ending the civil war

41. The Caribbean Islands
The Caribbean islands are mostly small countries with small populations and few natural resources.
Poverty is a major problem for most of the Caribbean islands.
World music is strongly influenced by Caribbean salsa and reggae.
What is life like on the Caribbean islands?
How do economic conditions in Jamaica relate to the development of reggae?

42. Economics of the Caribbean
Tourism
Problem – resorts are owned by foreigners so natives don’t earn the profits – poorly paid

43. Economics of the Caribbean
Agriculture
Sugarcane, cocoa, bananas, coconuts, rice, cotton
Many countries depend on a single crop for income
Why is this a bad idea?
If there’s a crop failure, no income
If the world price drops due to low demand or overproduction, very little income

44. Culture in the Caribbean
Ethnicities: Mostly African & European
Religion: Mostly Christian (Catholic & Protestant)
Language: Spanish, English, French
Sports: Soccer & Baseball (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dom. Rep.)
Music: Salsa (Cuba), Reggae (Jamaica), Calypso & Steel drums (Trinidad & Tobago)
Steel drum video – 8:42 – describes how they are made and why they were made

45. Cuba Capital: Havana Communist Cuba is very poor
Farmers work on cooperative farms owned by the government
Cuba is very poor
US trade embargo
Economy hurts cause USSR doesn’t help them anymore and the US won’t trade w/ them cause we’re mad they took all of our american property when they became communist

46. Haiti Capital: Port-au-Prince
1804 – slaves revolted against France and set up an independent country
Civil war left the country in poverty, depending mostly on coffee & sugar exports
Jan Earthquake

47. Puerto Rico Capital: San Juan
A commonwealth (self-governing territory) of the United States
US citizens
Wealthier than most Caribbean islands
factories, sugar & coffee farms, tourism
2017 Hurricane Maria
2,975 people killed
Why? Because we won it in the Span-American war