Latin America: ItsLand and HistorySECTION 1 Physical Geography

SECTION 2 Ancient Latin America

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Latin America: Its Land and History

Human-Environment Interaction • About 50 percent of the world’s rain forests are in Latin America, with 30 percent in Brazil alone. In Latin America, the rain forest is a natural resource that plays many different roles. Itserves as a habitat for exotic plants and animals and ahome to Native Americans. It is a moderator of the worldclimate and a destination for tourists. It also acts as asource of land that can be cleared and put to other uses,such as cattle ranching or logging.

What do you think?♦ How might different groups

want to use a rain forest as aresource? Think about the rainforest’s inhabitants, tourists, environmentalists, and businesses.

♦ How might these different usesconflict with one another?

What conflicts arise when there iscompetition for a natural resource?What conflicts arise when there iscompetition for a natural resource?

Culture Between A.D. 900 and 1200, this Mayacity, called Chichén Itzá (chee•CHEN ee•TSAH),was the leading center of Maya life on Mexico’sYucatán Peninsula. �

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>> What Do You Know?Before you read the chapter, consider what you already know about the historyand geography of Latin America. What countries make up Latin America? Doesthe region have well-known geographic features, such as mountains orrivers? You may have read folk tales from the ancient Maya, Aztec, andInca civilizations. Think about what happened to these cultures andtheir people. Have you heard of the Aztec ruler Montezuma II?

>> What Do You Want to Know?Decide what else you want to know about Latin America. In yournotebook, record what you hope to learn from this chapter.

BEFORE YOU READ

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Location

Dates

Achievements

Reasons for Decline

Maya Aztec Inca

Culture • The Maya carved many stone monuments. �

READ AND TAKE NOTESReading Strategy: Comparing andContrasting Comparing and contrastingcan be a useful strategy for studying cul-tures. When you compare, you look forsimilarities. When you contrast, you look for differences. Use the chart shown hereto compare and contrast the ancient civi-lizations of Latin America.

• Copy the chart into your notebook.

• As you read Section 2, take notes on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca.

• Write your notes under the appro-priate headings.

Culture • Montezuma II becamethe Aztec ruler in 1502. �