Chapter 7 – Mexico

Section NotesPhysical GeographyHistory and CultureMexico Today

VideoImpact of Emigration

ImagesCultureEarly Cultures of MexicoHidalgo Calls for IndependenceFocus on Culture: Day of the

Dead

Quick FactsChapter 7 Visual Summary

MapsMexico: PoliticalMexico: PhysicalMexico: ClimateMexico’s Culture RegionsMexico

Physical Geography

The Big Idea

Mexico is a large country with different natural environments in its northern, central, and southern regions.

Main Ideas

• Mexico’s physical features include plateaus, mountains, and coastal lowlands.

• Mexico’s climate and vegetation include deserts, tropical forests, and cool highlands.

• Key natural resources in Mexico include oil, silver, gold, and scenic landscapes.

Main Idea 1:Mexico’s physical features include plateaus,

mountains, and coastal lowlands.

• Mexico shares a long border with the southern United States.

• The Río Bravo, called the Rio Grande in the U.S., runs along part of this border.

• The Río Bravo is one of Mexico’s few major rivers.

Mexico’s Physical Features

• Much of interior is a region called the Mexican Plateau.

• Two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east and the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west, are part of the Sierra Madre, or “mother range.”

• The Valley of Mexico, where Mexico City is located, lies between these two ranges in the south.

• The mountains south of Mexico City include volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are a threat to that region.

BodiesOf Water

• Bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the West and the Gulf of Mexico in the east

• Stretching south from northern Mexico is a peninsula, or piece of land surrounded by water on three sides, called Baja California.

• The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea.

PlateausAnd

Mountains

Coastal Lowlands

• The land slopes down to the coast from highlands in central Mexico.

• The Gulf coastal plain is wide and flat.– This region has good soils and climate for farming.

• The Yucatán Peninsula is mostly flat.– Erosion of limestone created caves and sinkholes that are

often filled with water.

Main Idea 2:Mexico’s climate and vegetation include

deserts, tropical forests, and cool highlands.

• The great variety of climates produces different vegetation.

• Changes in elevation cause climates to vary within short distances.

• The Mexican Plateau can have cool temperatures.

• The southern coastal areas have warm temperatures and summer rainy seasons that support tropical forests that cover 25 percent of Mexico.

• The climate in the Yucatán Peninsula is hot and dry, supporting scrub forest.

• Most of northern Mexico is dry and made up of deserts and grasslands.

Main Idea 3: Key natural resources in Mexico include oil,

silver, gold, and scenic landscapes.

• Mexico has rich natural resources.

• The southern and coastal plains and the Gulf of Mexico have oil.

• Mexico’s mines yield gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.

• Mexico produces more silver than any other country in the world.

History and Culture

The Big Idea

Native American cultures and Spanish colonization shaped Mexican history and culture.

Main Ideas

• Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztec.

• Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped its culture.

• Spanish and native cultures have influenced Mexico’s customs and traditions today.

Main Idea 1:Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec,

the Maya, and the Aztec.

• People came to Mexico many thousands of years ago.

• As early as 5,000 years ago, they were growing beans, peppers, squash, and domesticated corn.

• Farming allowed people to build the first settlements in America.

Three Civilizations

Olmec

• Lived in small villages by about 1500 BC

• Settled in the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico

• Built temples and giant statues

Maya

• Built big cities in Mexico and Central America between AD 250 and 900

• Built stone temples

• Developed a calendar

• Kept written records that do not reveal the reason for their collapse

Aztec

• Moved in from the north

• Built a great capital on an island in 1325

• Established an empire, a land with different territories and peoples under one ruler

• Obtained new lands, taxes, and captives to sacrifice through war

Main Idea 2: Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped

its culture.

• Despite great size and power, the Aztec empire did not last long after Hernán Cortés arrived with 600 Spanish soldiers.

• The Spanish had better weapons and horses.

• The Spanish brought new diseases, such as smallpox, which killed many Aztecs.

• Cortés conquered the empire by 1521.

Colonial Times

Culture

• After the conquest, the separate peoples and cultures mixed.

• Mestizos are people of mixed European and American Indian ancestry.

• Mulattoes are people of mixed European and African descent.

• Africans and American Indians also intermarried.

Religion

• The Roman Catholic Church had great influence.

• The church ruled over large areas of northern Mexico.

• The church established missions, or church outposts.

• Priests learned native languages and converted the American Indians to Catholicism.

Colonial Times Economy

• The Spaniards searched for gold and silver.

• The American Indians and the enslaved Africans labored in the mines.

• As a result, many died from overwork and disease.

• The Spanish monarch granted haciendas, or huge expanses of farm or ranch land, to some Spanish people who became wealthy.

• Peasants, usually Indians, lived and worked on haciendas.

Independence• Spain ruled Mexico for 300

years.

• Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, led the revolt against Spain.

• Hidalgo was killed in 1811, but Mexico won independence in 1821.

Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico

fifteen years after independence.

• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.

• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.

• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.

• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.

Independence and Later Struggles

Main Idea 3:Spanish and native cultures have influenced

Mexico’s customs and traditions today.

• Many people speak an American Indian language that ties them to their ethnic group.

• These languages identify a person as Indian.

Spanish• Most Mexicans speak Spanish.

• About 90 percent of Mexicans are Roman Catholic.

AmericanIndian

• Mexicans have unique practices that result from the mixing of cultures.

• For example, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead to remember dead ancestors.

• This holiday is held on All Souls’ Day, but reflects native customs and beliefs.

Spanishand

AmericanIndian

Mexico Today

The Big Idea

Mexico has four culture regions that all play a part in the country’s government and economy.

Main Ideas

• Government has traditionally played a large role in Mexico’s economy.

• Mexico has four distinct culture regions.

Main Idea 1:Government has traditionally played a

large role in Mexico’s economy.• Mexico is a democracy, but the same party ruled for 71 years.

• A different political party came to power in 2000 when Vicente Fox was elected president.

• Mexico’s government controlled most economic activity for many years, but today that has changed.

• As a developing country, Mexico has challenges.– Debt to foreign banks

– Unemployment

– Inflation, a rise in prices that occurs when currency loses buying power

• Mexico’s economy has been growing since 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) made trade with the U.S. and Canada easier.

Agriculture• Farms have long

been a part of Mexican economy.

• Only 12 percent of the land can be farmed.

• Farmers practice slash-and-burn agriculture, burning forests to clear land for planting.

• Farmers grow cash crops, crops that farmers can sell for a profit.

Industry • Major industries

include oil, mining, and manufacturing.

• Many foreign companies have built factories along the U.S. border because labor is cheaper.

• Some Mexican workers come to the U.S. to look for jobs.

Tourism• Tourists visit old

colonial cities and Maya and Aztec monuments.

• Coastal cities are popular with tourists.

Mexico’s Economy

Main Idea 2: Mexico has four distinct culture regions.

• All Mexicans share cultural characteristics.

• Yet, four regions differ in culture, population, resources, and climate:– Greater Mexico City

– Central Mexico

– Northern Mexico

– Southern Mexico

Greater Mexico City

• Includes the capital and 50 smaller cities

• Has a population of more than 19 million

• Second largest city in world

• Huge, dense population causes problems.

– Smog, a mixture of smoke, chemicals, and fog, created by factories and cars

– Poverty

Central Mexico

• North of Mexico City

• Many cities established for ranching or mining during the colonial period

• Colonial heritage: church near main central square, or plaza

• Small family farms that grow vegetables, corn and wheat

• Mining centers

• New industries leading to rapid growth of cities

Mexico’s Culture Regions

Northern Mexico

• One of the country’s wealthiest and most modern regions

• Trade with U.S. helping growth of economy

• Has many maquiladoras, U.S. and foreign-owned factories

• Influenced by American television, music, and culture

• Residents crossing into the U.S. to shop, work, or live

• United States tries to prevent illegal crossing

Southern Mexico

• Least populated and industrialized region

• Many Indian language speakers

• Subsistence farming and slash-and-burn agriculture

• Two major export crops: sugarcane and coffee

• Increased oil production along the Gulf coast

• Yucatán Peninsula: tourism to Maya ruins and beaches

• Tiny fishing towns transformed to booming tourist centers

Mexico’s Culture Regions, continued