Transcript A Brief History of Latin America Ancient Civs., Europeans, and

A Brief History of Latin America
Ancient Civs., Europeans, and Independence
Once Upon a Time
(before Christopher Colombus)

Three Native American empires in present-day Latin
America
 Maya
 Inca
 Aztec
Maya
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Dominated Southern Mexico & northern Central America
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AD 250-800
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City of Tikal: present-day Guatemala
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Greatest Mayan city
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Priests and nobles ruled
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Skilled in mathematics
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Calendars (end of the world, 2012??????)
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Predicted solar eclipses using astronomical obs.
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Glyphs: picture writings carved in stone to honor deities & record
their history
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POLYTHEISTIC society: Belief in multiple gods
So, What Happened?
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Abandoned cities for unknown reasons
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Ideas of collapse: drought, warfare led to sharp decline in pop.
Spanish took over in 1500s
Now: archeologists are studying this area
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Uncovered ruins of roughly 40 cities
Glyphs, however, remain largely untranslated 

Temple ruins = popular tourist attractions
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Today: descendants live in S. Mexico, n. Central America, practice
subsistence farming
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Subsistence farming: producing just enough food for a family or village to
survive (not for profit)
Chichen Itza: Maya temple
Aztec
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Central Mexico, 1300s
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Capital: Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City)
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Aztec farmers grew crops on chinampas, or floating islands made
from large rafts covered with mud from the lake bottom
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Structured class system
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Headed by emperor & military officials
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Priests: performed rituals to win deities’ favor & ensure good harvests
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Majority at the bottom: farmers, laborers, and soldiers
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Maize (eventually corn), tomato, xocoatl (chocolate)
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Defeated by Hernan Cortes (1521), beginning of Spanish Mexico
The Aztec performed sacrifices to the Sun
God, Huitzilopochtli,each day. The
“sacrificed” were mainly prisoners
Inca
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Also around 1440s Andes Mountains (South America)
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Ecuador to central Chile
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Capital: Cuzco (Peru)
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Ruled through central government headed by an emperor
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Built massive temples, fortresses, system of roads, irrigation systems
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All roads went through the capital city of Cuzco!
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Domesticated the alpaca & llama, used for wool
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No written language, used oral storytelling
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System of record-keeping: quipu, or a series of knotted cords of different
colors & lengths; each knot represented a different item or number
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Conquered by Francisco Pizarro (1535)
Original
Incan road
Machu Picchu
Invasion of the Europeans!
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Spanish & Portuguese began colonizing after Christopher Colombus’
discovery of the “New World”
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God—spread Christianity throughout new areas
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Glory—competition among European countries
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Gold—riches!!
European colonies eventually arose
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Hernan Cortes (1521): Aztecs
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Francisco Pizarro (1535): Inca
Both men were
CONQUISTADORS: conquerors
Brought with them diseases; as this killed Natives, Africans were
transported to the area to cover labor shortage
Characteristics of
European Colonies
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Spanish: highly-structured political systems under royally appointed
officials (also known as a viceroy)
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Spanish + Portuguese colonies = Roman Catholic Church
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conversion of natives to Catholicism
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Hospitals & schools set up by missionaries
Ecomomies
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Natural resources (Spanish: gold & silver mining; Portuguese: metals
made into Brazilwood)
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Cities & towns built, served as trade centers & government seats
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Native Americans used to work in plantations & ranches. Eventually
replaced by African slaves
Colombian Exchange
Independence Movements
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Began in the late 1700s because resentment against
European rule was building
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Wealthy European colonists wanted self-rule, lower-class
wanted more rights
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Native Americans & African slaves wanted freedom
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Revolutions in the US (American Revolution! Yay America!)
and France (with Napoleon) inspired them
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Napoleon defeating Spain Spain weaker  VIVA LA
REVOLUCION!!!
Latin
American
Revolutions
Sources of DiscontentLate 1700s
1.
Viceroys- Spanish governors
2.
Peninsulares- Spaniards living in LA
3.
Creoles- straight Euro. descent
4.
Mestizos- Native + Euro.
5.
Mulattoes- Afn. + Euro.
6.
Zambos- Native + Afn.
7.
Amerindians- Natives
ALL distrusted one another
Haiti’s Struggle
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French-ruled
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Sugar & coffee plantations = 1/2 million slaves lots of $ for France
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25,000 free (but not equal) mulattoes
Haiti’s Struggle
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Revolted in 1791
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Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture
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Former slave, but educated
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1804: Complete independence
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Haiti became the FIRST
country to abolish slavery in
the western hemisphere
Mexico’s Fight
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Father Hidalgo: El Grito de Dolores
 1810: cry for independence
 encouraged lower class (mestizos) to fight for indep. and more rights
 Hidalgo was executed Fr. Jose Morelos led fight (later executed)
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Creoles (pure Span. descent) against rebels at 1st
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1820: new govn’t in Spain  scared Creoles  fought with rebels 
won in 1821
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Set up monarchy 1st, later a republic long road to stability…
Simón Bolívar
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1810: Bolivar led revolt in Venezuela  form
republic
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Went on to Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia
republics
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Joined Jose de San Martin
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Leader in Argentina & Chile
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Wars ended in 1824
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Tried to unite lands into Gran Colombia 
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Biggest problem: Power struggles caused huge
civil wars turn to military
Panama Canal
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Isthmus perfect place to connect oceans
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Ferdinand de Lesseps (Suez Canal) tried but failed
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Disease, geography, $
Bunau-Varilla asked US pres TR (1901) to aid building
Panama Canal
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Panama was part of Colombia at time
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Col. refused to give up land
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Panamanians revolted, US helped them
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Panama gained independence (1903)
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Canal began in 1904, until 1914
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US owned until 1999
Dictatorships: Pattern
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As the countries fought for indep., power went to new people
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European & indigenous hist. stressed rank & privilege
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So ppl of power and strength were natural fit
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Enter the era of CAUDILLOS (dictators)
Dictatorships
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People are unhappy REVOLT
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Option A: the military puts out revolt and resumes power to keep order
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Option B: rebels win & put in someone military/wealthy don’t like  military
coup
Dictatorships
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Chile
 Military coup over threw dem. socialist govn’t in 1973
 Led by Augusto Pinochet
 Ruled harshly, human rights violations
 Over 100,000 either killed, imprisoned, or tortured
 Ruled until 1990! (remained in charge of army)
 Died in 2006 while awaiting trial
Cuba
Fidel
Raul
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Like others, ppl were discontent with govn’t
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Cuba- gap b/w rich and poor
 Revolution led by Fidel Castro set up Communist State with military
dictator (1959)
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Ruled until 06-08 left Raul (brother) in power
Change
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Venezuela:
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Coups lasted into 90s,
one even by current
leftist Pres. Chavez
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Electorate voted him in
b/c he was a strong
ruler in a time a of
crisis
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2012: re-elected again!
Mexico:
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Mid-90s gave rise to
Zapatista rebels
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Fight for indigenous
rights spreads
2000 marked PAN take
over (Vicente Fox)
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Felipe Calderoncurrent