NOTE:  Your Latin America map quiz is available from noon on November 4th through midnight on November 6th.  Your must know all countries and their capitals from Mexico through South America.
Study Guide

NOTE: The Asia map quiz is on November 11  - 13.  

   Study guide.  

Overview: Chapters 4 and 5 introduce you to our neighbors south of the U.S.A. border.  Identified by various regional titles including Latin America, Hispanic America, Middle America and South America, it is characterized by long standing history of early civilizations, by heavy influence from Spain and Portugal (among other European nations), by cultural diversity, and by awesome landscapes from the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforests.

As you read the chapters, you will find that historical legacies extend back through time more than 2000 years ago with the development of cultures in Middle America among the Olmec, Maya and Toltec and in South America with the Inca and their predecessors. Their engraved stone monuments and expansive cities give testament to the ingenuity of these people expressed through their artistic and literary skills, architectural innovations, mathematics, calendrics and astronomical observations.  Though some were in decline prior to the Spanish conquests and others succumbed to the conquest, these literate and urbanized cultures left a lasting impression on the landscape.

Building on history, colonization and exploitation of the natural resources of this world, the contemporary countries of Middle and South America are considered in the context of their legacies and their pathways to modernization.

After studying these chapters you should be able to:*

• Identify and map the major physical landscapes of Middle and South America.
• Describe the major contributions of the Maya, Aztecs, Inca, Spaniards, and Portuguese, among others, in shaping the historical and contemporary cultural and social geography of the realm.
• Differentiate between the Mainland and Rimland concept.
• Understand the process of urbanization in Middle and South America.
• Describe the broad regional patterns of the realm in respect to cultural patterns, historical, and political developments.

Assignments:

• Read the assigned pages in each chapter and pay careful attention to the key concepts and terms. 
• Go to the assignment page and complete the assignment by the due date.
• Learn the location and capital cities of Middle and South American countries including those of the Greater Antilles in preparation for the map quiz to be given on November 4th through November 6th.

Concepts: (Ideas and Terms)

There are several key ideas that you should consider in you reading about Middle and South America and you will find them in the study guide.  

*Adapted from DeBlij and Mueller Study Guide.