MexicoLatin America Notes

Mexico and Central America stretch for 2,500 miles, from the U.S. border to South America

Geography of Mexico:

Mountains dominate most of Mexico. Sierra Madres run along both coasts of Mexico.

Between the Sierra Madres runs a plateau = an area of high, flat land

Baja California = “Lower California” and is part of Mexico.

Baja California is a peninsula, which is a strip of land that is surrounded on three sides by water.

Central Plateau:

Most people live in Mexico’s central plateau.

Because of the surrounding mountains it is hard for people to travel to and from the Central Plateau.

4/5 of Mexico’s population live in the Central Plateau

Natural Hazards: The Central Plateau is unstable because four tectonic plates meet there.

Because of moving tectonic plates, active volcanoes are located on the edge of the plateau.

In 1985, a strong earthquake hit Mexico City, killing about 10,000 people and causing about $4.1 billion in damage

Hospital

Climate Factors

Sierra Madres block rainfall coming from the ocean, some areas in the central plateau only receive 4 inches of precipitation/year.

Because the central plateau is at a high elevation, about 7,000 feet, the climate is pleasant year-round. Mid 70’s

Climate draws people to Mexico City.

The Coastal Regions of MexicoNorthern Pacific Coast – Dry, hot, and thinly populated. - Despite its arid climate this region has some of the best farmland in Mexico

Southern Pacific Coast – Smaller mountain range edges the narrow southern Pacific coast

-Not much farm land, but tourism is big in this region-Tropical climateGulf Coastal Plain –

Very important to Mexico’s economy – vast deposits of petroleum and natural gases

- One of the world’s major oil-producing regions

Yucatan Peninsula –Generally flat-Tourism greatly contributes to economic development in this area,Ancient Mayan ruins attract many visitors and archaeologists

A Place of Three Cultures: Native Americans, Spanish and mestizo

Aztecs:In 1400’s Aztecs built a powerful empire around their capital city, Tenochtitlan.

In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and 600 Spaniards marched into Tenochtitlan.

Within 2 years the Spanish took over Tenochtitlan and the Aztecs, and re-named the city “New Spain”

New Spain:

Peninsulares = Born in Spain, moved to New Spain, held high offi cial positions

Indians = ranked lowest, provided labor, slave like existence.

Criollos = People of Spanish ancestry born in New Spain

Mestizos = People of mixed ancestry

Road to Democracy:Tensions were raised between different social classes . Lead to resentment between the criollos and the peninsulares.

In 1810, a criollo, Miguel Hidalgo declared a rebellion against Spanish rule. Resulting in a war of independence.

In 1821, Mexico became an independent nation, with military dictators

In 1910, peasants and middle-class Mexican rebelled causing the Mexican Revolution.

The Mexican Revolution stood up to the military dictator and ended in 1920 with a new democratic president and constitution

Social Conditions

Rural Life = Most people in the countryside work in agriculture, on haciendas. Haciendas are large, Spanish owned estates of land.

3-4 million rural Mexican families have no land or opportunity for work. These people are called migrant workers. Migrant workers = landless, jobless peasants, traveling from place to place for work.

Urban Life = ¾ of Mexican people live in urban areas. Mexico City is one of the largest urban areas in the world.

City life means better job opportunities, chances for education and excitement

Economic Activities

NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement. A free trade network between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With NAFTA Mexico’s trade with the U.S. and Canada doubled, and manufacturing increased and unemployment declined in Mexico.

Major Industries = Petroleum and Tourism

Along the U.S. and Mexico border, more than 2,000 factories assemble products almost exclusively for the U.S.