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European Exploration, Colonization.

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Mostly colonized by Spain and Portugal; changed culture.

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Mestizos.

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People of mixed heritage or descent; Native Americans.

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Mulattoes.

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African Americans.

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Colombian Exchange.

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Exchange of goods and ideas between Europe and Latin America.

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Mercantilism.

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Belief in the benefits of profitable trading, commercialism.

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Colonial trade.

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The Latin American countries primarily traded with their colonial powers before independence, and had to find new trade partners after independence.

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Monroe Doctrine.

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Policy of U.S. introduced on December 2, 1823; stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North America or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression (requiring U.S. intervention).

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Prince Henry of Portugal.

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A.K.A. Henry the Navigator, responsible for early development of European exploration and maritime trade with other continents.

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Hernán Cortez.

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Spanish conquistador; led expedition that caused fall of Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under rule of King of Castile in early 16th century; part of generation of Spanish colonizers that began Spanish colonization of the Americas.

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Toussaint Louverture.

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Leader of Haitian revolution; transformed entire society of slaves into free, self-governing people.

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Simon Bolivar.

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Venezuelan military and political leader; played key role in Hispanic America's successful struggle for independence from Spanish Empire.

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Jose de San Martin.

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Argentine general; prime leader of southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spanish Empire.

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Benito Juarez.

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Served 1858-1872 (five terms) as president of Mexico; used liberal efforts to modernize country.

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Emiliano Zapata.

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Leading figure in Mexican Revolution against Porfirio Diaz; commanded Liberation Army of the South; followers known as Zapatistas.

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Jose Marti.

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Cuban national hero.

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Peninsulares.

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Highest social class, highest-level church or government positions are reserved for them.

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Creoles.

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Mostly them who led revolutions; natives to the land; felt threatened by Peninsulares - resented them - wanted to be equal with them, but still higher than other classes (Bolivar is an exception; he wanted everyone to be equal).

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Los Indios.

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Indians/Native Americans, below Creoles and Peninsulares.

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Vertical Climate.

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Causes different climate zones; elevations vary different climates of Latin America.

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Tierra Caliente.

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Up to 3,000 ft.

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Tierra Templada.

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3,000 - 6,500 ft.

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Tierra Fría.

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6,500 - 12,000 ft.

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Tierra Illada.

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Above 12,000 ft.

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Marine Climate.

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Oceanic climate/west coast/maritime; climate typical of west coasts at middle latitudes of most continents; generally features warm, but not hot summers, and cool, but not cold winters, and a relatively narrow annual temperature range.

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Pampas.

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Flat, plain desert region in Argentina and Uruguay.

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Archipelago.

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Chain of islands; Caribbean islands, like the Bahamas.

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Favelas.

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Term for a shantytown within Brazil, most often within urban areas; hills of megacity São Paulo.

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Gasohol.

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Ethnic fuel mixture; 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline.

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Ecotourism.

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Form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, intended as a low-impact and often small-scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism.

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Deforestation.

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The removing of forests for wood.

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Selva.

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Amazon rainforest.

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Contras.

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Label given to various rebel groups opposing Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua that were active from 1979 through to the early 1990s.

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Rio de la Plata.

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Estuary formed by confluence of Uruguay River and Paraná River on border between Argentina and Uruguay.

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Amazon.

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Rainforest: mostly contained within Brazil, and other parts contained within Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname, contains over half of the world's remaining rainforests; river: second longest river in the world, largest drainage basin in the world.

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Relative and absolute location of Latin America.

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Relatie: N-Antarctica, E-Africa, S-U.S., W-Asia; absolute: 12°S, 77°W.

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Land forms of the sub-regions of Latin America.

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Caribbean: The Greater Antilles (extending eastward from Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and south from the Florida peninsula in the U.S., ending off the northeastern coastline of South America), and the Lesser Antilles (Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos); South America: Amazon Basin, Andes, Atacama Desert, Brazilian Highlands, Guiana Highlands, Llanos, Pampas, and Patagonia; Middle America: Yucatán Peninsula, Sierra Madres, and Panama Canal.

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Tenochtitlan.

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Aztec city-state, founded in 1325, became capital of expanding Mexican Empire in 1325, captured by Spanish in 1521.

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Incas.

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Largest empire in pre-Colombian America, highlands of Peru.

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Aztecs.

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Ethnic groups of central Mexico.

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Viceroy.

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Regal official who runs country, colony, or city province.

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Monopoly.

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Land, occurs when entity or class able to corner market on land.

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Conquistadores.

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Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers at the service of the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire.

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Caravel.

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Small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African Coast into the Atlantic Ocean.

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Land ownership in Latin America.

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Rich people get the land, land=power.

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Religion in Latin America.

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Predominance of Catholic Christianity, as well as other religions.

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Urbanization in Latin America.

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A lot of people move to cities, creating slums.

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Liberation theology.

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Political movement in Catholic theology, which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions.

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Maquiladoras.

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Mexican name for manufacturing operations in a free trade zone, where factories import material and equipment on a duty-free and tariff-free basis for assembly, processing, or manufacturing, and then export the assembled/processed/manufactured products, sometimes back to the raw materials' country of origin.

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Nationalization.

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Process of taking private industry/assets into public ownership by government/state.

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Annexation of territory.

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Permanent acquisition/incorporation of some territorial entity into another geo-political entity (either adjacent or non-contiguous).

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Tortilla.

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Type of thin flatbread made from finely ground wheat flour.

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Recent democratic reforms in Latin America.

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Privatization of railroads.

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Organization of American States (OAS).

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Regional international organization, headquartered in Washington D.C., U.S., members are 35 independent states of Americas.

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Dialect.

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Different forms of a language.

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Subsidy.

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Assistance to business/economic sector/producers.

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Blockade.

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Effort to cut off food, supplies, war material, or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally.

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Rise and development of Communism in Cuba.

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Castro unintentionally becomes Communist.

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Cuban-U.S. relations in the 20th Century.

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"Bay of Pigs," Castro's communist ways annoyed U.S., no diplomatic relations/cut off trade.

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U.S. involvement in Central America in the 20th Century.

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Economic relations.

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Estancias.

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Spanish/Brazilian Portuguese term describing large rural estate with similarities to English term ranch.

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Gauchos.

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Term commonly used to describe residents of the South American Pampas, Gran Chaco, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Southern Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, eastern and southern Bolivia, and southern Chile.

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Building of the Panama Canal.

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Many people slaved on it, and died building it, and it connects Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean.

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Manifest Destiny.

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Belief widely held by Americans in 19th century that U.S. was destined to expand across continent.

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Roosevelt Corollary.

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Corollary to Monroe Doctrine; articulated by President Theodore Roosevelt, states that U.S. will intervene in conflicts between European Nations/Latin American countries to enforce legitimate claims of European powers, rather than having Europeans press claims directly.

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Campesinos.

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Peasant, or person living in rural area.

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Collective farm.

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Type of agricultural production in which holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise.

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Sandinistas.

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Social-democratic political party in Nicaragua.

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Meseta.

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(Volcano) partially collapsed volcanic vent of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala.

Latin American Vocabulary Terms – Flashcards

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