Geography 321 / Latinamerican Geography

GEOGRAPHY 321 / LATINAMERICAN GEOGRAPHY

EXAMII STUDY GUIDE

SECTION I: 60 points: Map Locations

SECTION II: 60 points: Locations, definitions, and terms

SECTION III: 80points: Essay (2 questions: 40 points each)

200 TOTAL POINTS

SECTION I: Map of Latin America

Know locations that we have discussed in class, in the articles, and videos, as well as current events locations

SECTION II:Multiple Choice –Concepts, Ideas, Themes, and Terms

I’m not looking for you to memorize definitions, but to be able to apply the terms, concepts, themes, and ideas and recognize examples of these terms, concepts, themes, and ideas

Colonization

Columbus’ 1st Voyage:

Bahamas
La Navidad
“West Indies”

Columbus’ 2nd Voyage:

La Isabella
Santo Domingo

Colonial Cities: 1525 Law of the Indies

Fort
Plaza (open space)
CBD
European Town
Native / Black Town

Treaty of Tordesillas

Division of Spanish and Portuguese Territories
Why did the line need to be redrawn?
Captaincies
Major Centers of Conquest
Caribbean
Mexico
Peru
Coastal Brazil

Spanish Missions

Purpose
Examples

Mission Construction

Why did so many disappear in the Caribbean and Florida?
Mission Style Architecture

-Quadrangle

-Arcades

-Chapel

El Camino Real (“The Royal Road” / “The King’s Highway”) Function and Examples:

Mission Trail
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
El Camino Real (de las Tejas)
Panama Camino Real
Incan Road

End of the Missions: Why?

ETHNICITY

Ethnicity and Land Tenure

Chinampas
Encomienda System:
How did the “Trust” system work?
How is the “Trust” system still relevant today?
Checkerboarding
Why might land titling fail to protect indigenous territory?
Latifundia: Haciendas / Fazendas
Engenhos

Columbian Exchange

Plant and Animal Domestication:

Generally, who provided what?
Companion Planting / Intertillage vs. European plantation-style farming
Ecological Imperialism / Exotic Species

Indigenous animal domestication—which ones?

Native Populations Then and Now:

Where concentrated today?
Where were the largest declines by percentage—and why?

“Geography as Destiny” Theory

Slave Trade: Primary Destinations

African Diaspora:

Why the need for Africans?
Why Slaves?
Mining: Silver and Gold
Agriculture: Sugar
Locations: Why there?
Engenhos

Slave“Trade”

Impacts of currents:
Canary Current
North Equatorial Current
Gulf Stream
Impact of Doldrums

Ethnicity vs. Race

Miscegenation
Caste System
Peninsulares / Españoles
Creoles
Mulattos
Mestizos
Zambos
Locations of ethnic concentrations in Latin America—and why
“Races” in Latin America
“Black”
Latino
Hispanic
Chicano
“La Raza”
Garífuna
Maroons
What makes the Guianas so ethnically unique and why?

Religion

Colonial Influence
Why so varied under Dutch colonization?
Vodoun (Voodoo)
From where?
To where (greatest concentrations)?
Syncretic Religions
Santeria: What makes it unique?
Guyana Tragedy
Jim Jones and “Jonestown”
What happened?

Language

Colonial Influences and indigenous language decline: where most apparent?

POPULATION / MIGRATION

General Spatial Demographic Trends:

Birth Rate
Death Rate
Fertility Rate
Infant Mortality Rate
Life Expectancy
Literacy Rate

Haiti vs. Cuba: What’s the argument?

Reasons for Population Growth in Latin America

Megacities

Urbanization in Latin America: Why so high?

Favelas
FTZs, EPZs, SEZs, Maquilas, ZIPs, etc.
What and where are they?
Positive and negative examples—and why
Pros and Cons
What is the controversy?
Examples

Immigration

Types of Migration

Emigration vs. Immigration
Voluntary vs. Involuntary
Documented vs. Undocumented
Is this the same as “Legal vs. Illegal?”
Why or why not?
“Train of Death”
What is it?
Who rides it—and why?
Where does it go?
Chain Migration

SECTION III: Essay (80 Points)

Essay will include most of or all of the components of the following questions

As we know, Spanish missions were established throughout the Americas, but why are fewer examples found in Eastern regions of the Americas than in the West? Be sure to address climatological factors as well as the available natural construction materials. What were the purposes of the missions, how were they built, and how / why did they eventually fail? What was the role of Native Americans in the missions?Also, identify three (3) similarities between the design / construction of Spanish missions and the 1525 Law of the Indies. Finally, what is the connection between Spanish missions and “El Camino Real?”

One of the first Bowman Expeditions, known as Project México Indígena, began a controversy throughout the academic worlds of geography and anthropology that is still hotly debated today. In brief, what is the controversy provoked by Project México Indígena? What are the major arguments of the professors that support their case and what are the major arguments of the Zapotec indigenous people who feel they have been wronged? Then, in your opinion, provide three (3) examples that support why you feel one side is more justified than the other.

As Brazil prepared to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro altered the geography of their favelas. First, what is a favela, why they have proliferated so quickly on such a large scale over the past couple of decades, and what isthe local government doing to “bring peace” to these neighborhoods?Are these efforts beneficial—according to the government and local residents? Finally, support your opinion as to why you agree or disagree with the “pacification” program enacted by the government on the favelas.

We read a bit about the lesser-known Garífuna people. First, who are the Garífuna, where do they live, and why does it stand to reason that they live in this region? Secondly, between the article we read and the video we watched, what are the major issues affecting the Garífuna today—and why? What is the role of lobsters (both red and “white” lobsters) in the current affairs of the Garífuna today? Then, give three (3) reasons that support whether or not you think role that Western (European and / or US) culture has played has ultimately createda positive or negative experience for the Garífuna. Support your opinion.

The most recent presidential election here in the U.S. notably reflected changing perspectives on immigration to the United States—particularly concerningyoung Latinxpopulations. First, what is DACA and what does it do? And what is the latest situation regarding DACA? For example, how might it be used as a “bargaining chip” for other immigration controls—and which ones? Related, how might the lives of millions of immigrants change dramatically underthe Trump administration—particularly concerning the negotiations surrounding DACA and the other immigration-related controls? Finally, if you were president of the US (regardless of your political party),discuss a solution that you would propose to help solve immigration issues in the U.S.—particularly concerning young Latinx populations.

The encomienda system is considered to be an early example of a “trust” system—but what is a “trust” system and why is the word “trust” perhaps a bit ironic in this usage? Related, we also know that indigenous populations are frequently at great risk for losing the territory they have occupied for millennia. What is it about these territories that leaves indigenous people susceptible to having their lands taken? Many scholars view individual land titles for indigenous populations as a solution; however, we discussed how individual titles to individual parcels of land can also lead to land loss through “checkerboarding.” Explain what “checkerboarding” is, how it works, and why someone would want indigenous territory to be “checkerboarded.”Finally, what do you believe would be a good solution to help indigenous tribes retain their lands? Explain your solution.

As we know, diseases killed roughly 90% of all indigenous people in the Americas after the arrival of the Europeans due to the spread of European diseases that indigenous people had never before been exposed to. However, Europeans were also exposed to new diseases, yet, generally speaking, Europeans were much more resistant to American diseases. First, explain Jared Diamond’s “Geography as Destiny” theory as to why this happened. Second, we know the arrival of Europeans in the Americas led to the “Columbian Exchange.” Explain what the Columbian Exchange is and the contributions that indigenous people and Europeans made in this“exchange.” Then, thinking about the role of exotic species in the Americas, explain how the word “exchange” does not serve as an accurate representation of what transpired after the arrival of Europeans in the Americas.

Thousands of Free Trade Zones now dot the global landscape. Give four (3) reasons why FTZs are so economically beneficial—and who benefits? On the other hand, issues of social and environmental justice are constantly raised regarding FTZs. Explain why such issues (e.g. human rights violations, environmental destruction, etc.) tend to be problematic in many FTZs. Then, provide three (3) reasons why people continue to seek employment in FTZs, despite these human rights violations. Finally, briefly, explain how you and I (the consumers) support the controversial conditions often found in FTZs—even if we don’t mean to.

Here in the US, the issue of “race” is largely viewed as being a “black or white” subject. First, generally speaking, how do views of race in Latin America differ from those held in the US? Then, according to the US government, what race are Latinx populations considered to be—and why? On the other hand, though there are no strict separations between these terms, what are the general differences between the terms “Latino / Latino,” “Hispanic,” “Chicano,” and “La Raza?” Finally, explain why many people nowadays prefer to self-identify as “Latino / Latina” rather than “Hispanic?”