Mexico

Instructor: Castillo de Chapultepec
Total Points: $500$
Grading Breakdown:
- Exams ( $3 \times 100$ points each): $300$ points, or $60\%$ of total grade.
- Maps ( $7 \times 10$ points each): $70$ points, or $14\%$ of total grade.
- Current Event ( $2 \times 25$ points each): $50$ points, or $10\%$ of total grade.
- Place Profile: $50$ points, or $10\%$ of total grade.
- Attendance: $25$ points, or $5\%$ of total grade.
- Syllabus Quiz: $5$ points, or $1\%$ of total grade.

Definition: A process by which U.S. institutions historically restricted mortgage allocations in lower-income minority neighborhoods.
Visual Representation: Maps often show demographic data (White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Other Race/Native American/Multi) alongside areas of redlining to illustrate its impact on urban development and segregation.

Common Challenges:
- Car dependency and traffic congestion.
- Smog and air quality degradation.
- De facto segregation.
Amenities and Ratios: Access to amenities and student-to-teacher ratios are generally not considered issues with urbanization themselves, but rather aspects that can be strained or impacted by rapid urbanization if not managed effectively.

Survey Example: A bar graph showing car reliance as the primary mode of transportation.
- Strongly disagree: $10$ counts ( $9.9\%$ )
- Disagree: $7$ counts ( $6.93\%$ )
- Neutral: $20$ counts ( $19.8\%$ )
- Agree: $27$ counts ( $26.73\%$ )
- Strongly agree: $37$ counts ( $36.63\%$ )
- Observation: A significant majority ( $63.36\%$ combined Agree/Strongly Agree) rely on cars.

Phases of Adjustment (Hoffenburger, Mosier, & Stokes, 1999):
1. Honeymoon: Initial excitement and positive feelings.
2. Culture Shock & Distress: Challenges and difficulties in adapting.
3. Integration - back home: Connecting with home culture during breaks.
4. Midterm: A peak period of academic and social stress.
5. Re-integration: Readjusting after breaks.
6. Semester-Break: Cyclical pattern of transitions.

Prompt to identify names of these powers, implying knowledge of historical geography.

Definition: A region composed of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Cultural Diversity: A rich mix of Amerindian, African, European, and Asian ethnicities.

Caribbean (Archipelago):
- Consists of over $7,000$ islands.
- Most culturally diverse sub-region.
- Subdivided into Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas.
Central America:
- Includes $7$ countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.
- Characterized by an Isthmus: a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses, with water on both sides.
Mexico:
- Largest country in Middle America.
- Often studied separately due to its size and unique characteristics.

Hispanic: Generally refers to people or countries where Spanish is the main or official language.
Latino: Refers to people from Latin America, a region where the main languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French) originate from Latin.
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494):
- A papal decree that drew a line down the Atlantic Ocean.
- Spain was granted territories to the west of the line.
- Portugal was granted territories to the east of the line.
- Significance: Explains why Brazil, located east of the line, primarily speaks Portuguese, while most other Latin American countries speak Spanish.

Physical differences in Middle America explain this division.
The Rimland:
- Encompasses Caribbean islands and the Caribbean coastal areas of Central America.
- Colonialism: Thrived here due to islands and coastal areas being easily accessible to European ships.
- Economy: Dominated by plantation agriculture.
- Labor Base: Primarily relied on African labor.
The Mainland:
- Includes Mexico and the interior of Central America.
- Land Use: Hacienda style of land use developed.
- Labor Base: Primarily relied on Amerindian labor.

Language Diffusion: Spread European languages, with Spanish and Portuguese being the most widely used.
Religion Diffusion: Spread the Christian religion.
Agriculture: Fundamentally changed local agricultural practices.
Impact on Native Populations: The Spanish invasion had devastating consequences.
- Millions of the local population were killed or died from diseases (e.g., smallpox) against which they had no immunity.
- The Spanish conquered Amerindian people and culture by eliminating learned classes (religious clergy, priestly orders, authorities).
- Knowledge bases of Maya and Aztec people were largely destroyed.
Independence Movements:
- Mexico achieved independence from Spain by $1821$ .
- Most Central American republics gained independence in the $1820s$ .
Monroe Doctrine (1823):
- Implemented by the U.S. to prevent former European colonial powers from maintaining political involvement in the Americas.

Motivations: Conquistadors sought gold, wealth, profit, and the spread of Christianity.
Hernán Cortés: Led the conquest of the Aztec Empire, completed by $1521$ .

Design: Towns in the New World were built following Spanish models.
Central Plaza: At the heart of each town, serving as the civic and religious center.
Urban Centers: Developed where administration or military presence was required.
Residential Zones: Concentric zones around the plaza/Central Business District (CBD).
Outskirts Housing: Often characterized by self-built housing (e.g., favelas or barrios).

Mesoamerica: Considered a cultural hearth due to early human civilizations and major innovations.
Mayans:
- Built a vast civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula.
- Izamal Yellow City: An example of a blend of Indigenous culture, religion, and urban design.
Aztec Empire:
- Capital: Tenochtitlán (modern Mexico City).
- Structure: Highly organized empire with a central ruler (emperor) and tributary city-states.
- Achievements: Advanced architecture (temples, pyramids), astronomy, calendar systems, and engineering (e.g., chinampas, or floating gardens for agriculture).

Size: $8^{th}$ largest country globally; approximately $1/5$ the size of the U.S.
Baja California Peninsula: The world's longest peninsula, stretching $775$ miles.
Tropic of Cancer: Divides Mexico into distinct climatic zones:
- North: Dominated by