Unit 5: Cultural Geography of Latin America

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Unit 5 Cultural Geography of Latin America
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Population

• 2009 Population 568,000,000
• White/Caucasian 36.1
• Mestizo 30.3
• Mulatto 20.3
• American Indian 9.2
• Black/African American 3.2
• 75 of population lives in urban areas

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Language

• Spanish is the dominant language
• Portuguese is the second most common language
• A wide variety of indigenous languages, Dutch,
  English, and French are also spoken

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Religion

• Christian 78.4
• Catholic 71
• Protestant 6.4
• Indigenous/tribal, Muslim,
• Atheist, agnostic, no particular belief,
• other 21.6

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Society

• Income
• Per capita income varies widely from country to
  country
• Many Latin Americans live subsistence lives
• Poverty rates are very high, especially in urban
  areas

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Favela in Caracas, Venezuela
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Favela in Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Slums of Mexico City
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History

• Native Americans
• Maya, Aztec (Mexico)
• Inca (Peru)
• many other indigenous peoples scattered
  throughout Latin America

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Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
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Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
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Machu Pichu, Peru
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• Immigrants
• Spain
• Portugal
• Africa
• France
• Netherlands
• European conquest
• Colonial period (1492-present)
• Independence movements/revolutions (early 1800s)

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Government

• Most Latin American nations have some form of
  democratic and/or republican government
• Most nations are dominated by a single political
  party other parties come and go and vary in
  significance
• Strong military influence in government
• Military coup d'état (illegal takeover) not
  uncommon

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Economy

• Free market/free enterprise
• Subsistence farmers
• High urban poverty rates
• Brazil ranks 8th in national GDP Mexico is 14th
• Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America
  its per capita GDP is 1,255

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• National currencies include the peso, dollar,
  Euro, nuevo sol, real
• Agriculture coffee, sugar, soybeans, cocoa,
  rice, corn
• Manufacturing petroleum, food products,
  building materials
• Tourism Caribbean, Angel Falls, Machu Pichu,
  Rio de Janeiro (Carnaval)

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Art

• Visual Art
• Folk art much indigenous art is sold to
  tourists
• Mexican Muralist Movement (1930s)
• Diego Rivera
• José Orozco
• David Siqueiros

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José Orozco
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Diego Rivera
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Architecture

• Colonial and early republic styles were heavily
  influenced by European architecture
• Oscar Niemeyer
• Brazilian architect who designed the government
  buildings in Brasilia (1950s)

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Museum of Contemporary Art, Niterói, Brazil
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Congress Building, Brasilia, Brazil
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National Cathedral, Brasilia, Brazil
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Music

• Habanera Cuba, mid-1800s
• Samba Brazil, c.1900
• Calypso Trinidad, early 1900s
• Conjunto/Norteño Mexico, 1950s
• Bossa Nova Brazil, 1950s
• Salsa Cuba, 1960s
• Reggae Jamaica, 1960s

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Conjunto (Mexico)