Mexican pyramids dating back 1000s of years

Mexico & MIDDLE AMERICA (Chapter 4, pages 132-161)

A. WinklerPrins Summary Outline • Regional areas and countries • Natural disasters resulting from unstable earth characteristics • Colonization by Europe and languages • Topography • Major cities, city formation, population patterns, and their characteristics (primate cities) • Fertility rates and population pyramids to predict future economic opportunities • Economic growth afforded by NAFTA • Other countries, islands, and characteristics • Panama Canal

Regions of Middle America

Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles

Central America Regions of Mexico Brief Political History of Mexico • Complete economic collapse in 1994 and devaluation of the peso nearly destroyed the middle class. • Prior to 2000 and a near dictatorship, the PRI Party lost the presidential election to the candidate of the National Action Party (PAN — Partido Acciòn Nacional), Vicente Fox. • Democracy was achieved under President Vicente Fox in 2000 (same time as election of Bush), but the continued non-PAN majority in the Congress of Mexico prevented Fox from implementing most of his reforms. – Federal government composed of executive President, Congress, Courts – United States of Mexico with state governors, counties, and city mayors • Progressive ideas have grown quickly with the growth of middle class – Declining births rates reflect expanding role of equality for women and participation into the labor force – Birth control and sex education taught in schools – Adoption of gay marriage in the Capitol, , and state of • The 2006 election was one of the most hotly contested in recent Mexican history; President Calderón won by a small margin of the vote with allegations of fraud by challenger Obrador, candidate for the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). • Although political corruption, violence, and street crime have increased due to the drug cartels, Mexico remains committed to its democratic ideals.

Surprisingly, other countries value education as much or more than the US. Major Geographic Qualities • Fragmented — physically and politically • Barrier between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, land bridge between North and South America, created by volcanoes that blocked warm ocean currents flowing north, thus leading to an ice age. • Cultural diversity and complexity amongst Hispanics • Americas’ least-developed territories; some finding new opportunities • Economic reforms, industrialization in Mexico, a member of NAFTA Many Frequent Natural Hazards & Disasters Volcanoes and Earthquakes Hurricanes Tectonic plates Mainland – Rimland Distinction

Defined by the Caribbean tectonic plate

Tectonic plates January 2001, massive landslide as a result of an earthquake in Santa Tecla, El Salvador Haiti Earthquake (magnitude 7.0) in 2010 killed about 200,000 (300,000+ people were injured) and destroyed most of the capital city because lax building codes and shoddy construction techniques did not insure public safety. Other key Haiti facts: • Before the quake, Haiti's population totaled just over 9 million people. • Nearly 40 percent of the country's population is under the age of 14. • Haiti has one of the world's lowest life expectancy rates (181st out of 190 countries ranked by the CIA World Factsheet). The average Haitian lives only 60 years. • Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, typhoid fever, malaria and hepatitis are prevalent. • Eighty percent of the country is Roman Catholic and 16 percent is Protestant; nearly half the population also practices voodoo. • Approximately half of Haiti's population cannot read or write. • Haiti ranks as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80 percent of its people living below the poverty line and 54 percent existing in abject poverty. More than 70% of people in Haiti were living on less than $US2 per day • Haiti is a democracy, though its history of political instability dates back to the country's declaration of independence in 1804 and government corruption was extensive during the relief efforts. Relief efforts and awareness lead by American volunteers such as Sean Penn who co-founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization and has been running a 55,000 person tent camp.

Earthquake in Chile in 2010 Magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale, but less devastating than Haiti because Chile is a more advanced country with more stringent building codes to protect public safety and insure that buildings comply with standards to resist natural disasters. Haiti is poor and corrupt, with no standards to protect the public or regulate construction standards. Physical Geography • Land bridge between North and South America • Archipelago (string of islands): Greater and Lesser Antilles • Natural hazards – Earthquakes A. WinklerPrins – Volcanoes Volcano overlooking Antigua, – Hurricanes Guatemala. The church on the left was damaged by an earthquake in 1976 and • Very unstable natural has not been repaired. conditions Natural Land Features and Topography

Greater Lesser Antilles Antilles Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico are an extension of the Rockies Baja

Orientals (east) Occidental (west)

Del Sur (south) Chiapas Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barranca del Cobre) is a group of canyons consisting of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Tarahumara in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. The overall canyon system is larger and portions are deeper than the Grand Canyon in neighboring Arizona. The canyons were formed by six rivers which drain the western side of the Sierra Tarahumara (a part of the Sierra Madre Occidental). Copper Canyon Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave • is a cave accidentally discovered in 2000 by miners working in the silver and lead mine at Naica, Mexico. It lies almost 300 meters (900 feet) below the surface of the Earth and it contains the largest crystals known in the world, by far. The largest crystals are over 11 meters long (36 feet) and weigh 55 tons. • It is still incredibly hot in the cave due its proximity to a magma chamber, deep underground. • Air Temp of 50C (122F) + Relative Humidity of over 90% • The crystals themselves are made of selenite which is crystallized gypsum, the same material used in drywall construction. Except these crystals formed over a span of about half a million years in a hot water solution, saturated with minerals. • Selenite, satin spar, desert rose, and gypsum flower are four varieties of the mineral gypsum; all four varieties show obvious crystalline structure.

The Suits - The custom designed cooling http://www.stormchaser.ca suits only delay the inevitable. As soon as /caves/naica/naica.html you enter the cave, you begin to overheat and heat stroke and death are inevitable if you remain inside too long. The suits will extend your stay in the cave but it is up to the individual to recognize when you've been exposed too long. 30-50 minutes is the maximum, depending on the individual.

Crystal Cave, Naica Mine, Mun. de Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico

TEXAS MEXICO

Video: http://www.wimp.com/crystalcave/ Culture Hearth Source Area from which radiated ideas, innovations, and ideologies that changed the world beyond 000s of years ago. Middle American Hearths

Aztecs and their predecessors lived in 1300s Maya civilization 3000 yrs ago Native (indigenous) Languages The most important and de facto official language in Mexico is Spanish. Mexican Spanish has a great variety of dialects, accents and variations from one region to another, and changes state by state.

The Law of Linguistic Rights, published in 2001, declared the 62 indigenous languages spoken in Mexico as "national languages" with the "same validity" in the territories where they are spoken.

The indigenous language with the greatest number of speakers is Nahuatl (1.5% of the nation's population), followed by Yucatec Maya (0.8%) mainly spoken in Chiapas, Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula. In Mexico City and other major cities after half a century of rural-to-urban migration, large districts and sections have Amerindian languages written and heard. The Legacy of Colonialism (settlement by foreign European countries after Columbus landed) – Appropriated for colonial commercial interests back to the mother country – Converted to cash cropping for export • Results: –Famine –Poverty –Migration –Decreasing agricultural diversity Modern languages reflect the colonization by European countries at the time the US was founded.

COLONIAL SPHERES Most of the tropical Caribbean islands, esp. St. Maarten, retain the native Dutch language for public use signs. Cozumel

The significance of the language differences is most apparent when Caribbean cruise ships dock in the adjacent ports of Cozumel and Belize City, approx.100 miles apart. Cozumel is very much a Mexican city speaking Spanish, but Belize City speaks British English and is a largely Black population. Cruise ships from Houston, Galveston, New Orleans, and Miami depart weekly to Caribbean destinations at very affordable prices. Maroon 5 kicks off cruise ship in Galveston Pop band Maroon 5 performed at Pier 21 as part of the new Carnival Magic celebrations in Galveston. The ship will set sail its inaugural voyage from the island. Carnival Magic is the latest addition to the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet. Nov. 13, 2011 Photo: Houston Chronicle, Mayra Beltran / © 2011 Houston Chronicle

Cruise Ship Destinations from Galveston Jan. 2012, this Italian cruise liner ran aground, listed, and rolled over leaving thousands needing rescue. The Capitan (who is supposed to go down with the ship) left ship prematurely and the company admitted its cause was ‘human error’. Cruise ship safety? Who is Australia responsible for international Canada standards for navigation and Cyprus Finland safety when they are France operated from nearly every Germany maritime country? Greece Are these ships safe? What laws are Italy observed in international waters? Japan Malaysia Mexico Netherlands Norway Portugal Soviet Union Spain Sweden United Kingdom USA Economic development of coastal areas for cruise ships and to promote tourism is a mixed blessing for tropical beaches because they are logical, natural, and affordable business ventures. However, they can come at the expense of delicate pristine areas known for environmental quality. Cabo Pulmo, Sur, Mexico, one- time fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, now sustained by ecotourism, is battling efforts to build a Cancun-style mega- resort a short distance up the coast from a unique coral reef, protected by the community. A view of the beachfront at Cabo Pulmo early in the morning. Photo: Keith Dannemiller / ©2011 Keith Dannemiller CABO PULMO, Mexico - Villagers and an international coalition of environmentalists are taking on the Spanish developers of a mammoth resort planned for the edge of a fragile coral reef offshore of Cabo Pulmo, an hour's drive north of the sun-and-rum mecca of Los Cabos.

The only one of its kind in the Sea of Cortes, ecologists say the reef is a crucial and awe-inspiring fisheries breeding ground that draws scientists and recreational divers from around the world. Pollution from the planned Cabo Cortes resort, on the coast a few miles to the north, would quickly destroy the reef and its sea life, they say.

Its developers argue that Cabo Cortes - where they envision a 490-berth marina and the parched desert blooming with golf courses surrounded by some 30,000 bedrooms in hotels, condominiums and villas - will bring eco- friendly jobs and tourist dollars to a backwater in need of both. While financiers usually prevail in past such skirmishes, this time the fish might have a chance. http://www.chron.com/default/article/It-s-groupers-versus-growth-on-the-beaches- of-Baja-2296353.php#photo-1800498

A program specialist with UNESCO's Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, World Heritage Center, prepares to Mexico, one-time fishing village on dive into the coral reefs off Cabo Pulmo the Sea of Cortez now sustained by before a hearing in the Baja Peninsula village. Plans for a resort there faces ecotourism, is battling efforts to stiff resistance. build a Cancun-style mega-resort. Photo: Keith Dannemiller / ©2011 Keith Photo: Keith Dannemiller / ©2011 Keith Dannemiller Dannemiller Belize City, 70,000 pop. (same as Galveston) 2010 Hurricane Richard hits Belize Mexico is a large exporter of crude Cities and Natural Resources oil to the US and for itself through government owned PEMEX.

Mexico Urban Development: A Spanish Colonial Town •Layout was mandated by Spanish colonial law •Result is regularity in city layout throughout Spanish Middle and South America

The form and layout of Mexican cities is smaller-scaled and focused on pedestrian traffic, so it is very A. WinklerPrins Central Square, different than suburban US cities that Patzcuaro, MX rely on autos. The Cathedral and town square are the geographic focus for the social, cultural, business, and religious functions of the city; similar to the county seat of Texas cities.

A. WinklerPrins Zocalo in Mexico City holds more than 100,000 people for rallies, ceremonies, and protests. Panoramic view of the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución), Mexico City, one of the largest public squares in the world. Compare the form of US cities, built with a focus on autos, linear roads, and multiple employment centers with Mexican cities which are pedestrian-based.

Houston metro area

fig_03_10 Thematic map of population density for each state and city size (graduated symbol size to display city size). Population is concentrated in the south, but wealth is concentrated in the north. Population Density (same map, different scale)

111M total

Mexico is notorious for having large, extended families with grandparents and many children. However, this pattern is changing quickly. Largest Cities of the World by population NOTE: Numbers shown include population within the recognized metro area of the city, and they include people living in the immediate surrounding area outside of the established border of the city.

1. Tokyo, Japan - 28,025,000 16. Manila, Philippines - 10,818,000 2. Mexico City, Mexico - 18,131,000 17. Cairo, Egypt - 10,772,000 3. Mumbai, India - 18,042,000 18. Õsaka, Japan - 10,609,000 4. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 17, 711,000 19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10,556,000 5. New York City, USA - 16,626,000 20. Tianjin, China - 10,239,000 6. Shanghai, China - 14,173,000 21. Jakarta, Indonesia - 9,815,000 7. Lagos, Nigeria - 13,488,000 22. Paris, France - 9,638,000 8. Los Angeles, USA - 13,129,000 23. Istanbul, Turkey - 9,413,000 9. Calcutta, India - 12,900,000 24. Moscow, Russian Fed. - 9,299,000 10. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 12,431,000 25. London, United Kingdom - 7,640,000 11. Seóul, South Korea - 12,215,000 26. Lima, Peru - 7,443,000 12. Beijing, China - 12,033,000 27. Tehrãn, Iran - 7,380,000 13. Karachi, Pakistan - 11,774,000 28. Bangkok, Thailand - 7,221,000 14. Delhi, India - 11,680,000 29. Chicago, USA - 6,945,000 15. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 10,979,000 30. Bogotá, Colombia - 6,834,000

Primate Cities

• A highly urbanized region resulting from an accumulation of rural migration and centuries old cities. • Urbanization: – Smaller family size – Longer life spans – Expanded role of women entering the labor force – Low birth rates below replacement levels • Primate city: the dominate city within a country that dominates in population, economy, culture, political power. Typically, it is more than twice the size of the next largest city. Differences in City Size and Hierarchy • Examples of Countries With Primate Cities • Paris (9.6 million) is definitely the focus of France while Marseilles has a population of 1.3 million. • London is a primate city (7 million) while the second largest city, Birmingham, is home to a mere one million people. • Mexico City, Mexico (8.6 million) outshines Guadalajara (1.6 million). • Bangkok (7.5 million) and Thailand's second city, Nanthaburi (481,000).

• Examples of Countries that Lack Primate Cities • India's most populous city is Mumbai (formerly Bombay) with 16 million; second is Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) with more than 13 million; and third is less than 13 million. • China, Canada, Australia, and Brazil are additional examples of non-primate- city countries because they have many cities of all sizes. • Utilizing the metropolitan area population of urban areas in the United States, the U.S. lacks a true primate city. With the New York City metropolitan area population at approximately 21 million, second ranked Los Angeles at 16 million, and even third ranked Chicago at 9 million, America lacks a primate city. Source: http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/primatecities.htm Major Cities of Mexico; 111M total Metro area Pop. (2005) (primate city) 19.231.829 Greater Guadalajara 4.095.853 Greater Monterrey Greater Houston 4+ million 3.664.331 Greater 2.109.049 Greater Toluca 1.610.786 Tijuana 1.410.700 León 1.325.210 Ciudad Juárez 1.313.338 Comarca Lagunera 1.210.890 Greater San Luis Potosí 1.075.000 Mexico City, 1”=10mi 18 million; density=8,400 people/sqkm Houston, 1”=10mi 4 million; density= 3,000 people/sqkm

Note how the city grows around the natural land features of hills and creeks. Central Mexico City, 19M pop.

Popocatepetl Volcano (Popo)

Incandescent materials, ash and smoke are spewed Mexico City from the 18,000 ft. Popocatepetl Volcano between Mexico City and Puebla. Popocatepetl is one of the most violent volcanoes in Mexico with eruptions in 2000, Puebla 2004, 2005, and again in 2012. (AFP) Plaza de Reforma, famous landmark Monterrey, MX dessert Monterrey, same population as Houston city

lowlands

mountains Urbanized area extends along a highway at the foot of the mountains 5 mountains of Monterrey 2

1 3 river

5 4

5 mountains of Monterrey 2

1 3

5

4 Monterrey is the size of Houston, but built in the valleys of 5 mountains. Twilight view of Monterrey

The Pope visits Leon, MX & Cuba.

Mexico is the 2nd largest Catholic country in the world. Cuba

Leon City of Leon () was chosen for the Pope because it is the geographic center of Mexico. March 2012 The Pope meets President Calderon

Leon, GT His purpose was Cuba to restore faith and hope to a country ravished by drug cartels and murder. Popemobile Pope Benedict meets with Cuba's Fidel Castro on March 28, 2012 in Havana. Benedict praised the Cuban Pope Benedict XVI arrives to government for allowing freedom of religion since 1998. celebrate a mass at Havana's Revolution Square in March 28, 2012.

Because Cuba is communist, there is no trade with other free countries so most cars are Russian or very old American cars. Birth Rates

Birth rate peaked in rate 1970 so Mexico’s population is not as extreme as African or other 3rd world countries. Some have joked there may soon not be enough Mexicans to populate Mexico, much less immigrate to the US!

Declining birth rate worldwide is due to: better education, increased contraception, expanding role of women entering the labor force, higher costs to families for urban living. Fertility by Country, 2006 The map shows expected number of children born per woman in her child- bearing years, based on 2006 age-specific fertility rate data. Lower fertility results in a lower “support ratio” or fewer „workers‟ (ages 15- 64y/o) who must support more „dependents‟ (ages 0-14 and 65+y/o).

Results in below replacement levels of population, or POPULATION LOSS Population Pyramids elderly labor force

youth

• Purpose and value of the pyramids to predict the “demographic realities” of the future by showing how each age group advances through time. The number of people in each age cohort is relatively consistent over time such that the economic future of a country can be anticipated, esp. regarding the ratio of the youth, labor force, and elderly population. Labor force must pay taxes sufficient to support the elders, and the youth show the degree by which a future labor force can continue a healthy ratio in future years. Population Pyramids show the age/gender ratio that explain the changing balance in the future years between youth, labor force, and elderly populations. Labor force must work to pay taxes to support the both the youth and elderly, so if this cohort is not large enough, higher taxes are required for them. Mexico has a much younger population who require The US has many more elderly who can no longer education to enter the workforce, but only a few who work, but need healthcare and medication that are elderly and require services that must be paid for must be paid for by the younger workers. through taxes by the younger workers. More elder females than males

age age elderly

labor force (Baby Boomers) Youth (fewer in future years)

Unlike the US, the bulk of the Mexican population is very young, which insures a dynamic labor force and tax structure to support the older ones. Japan (the opposite pyramid of Mexico) has major social problems because it has (and will have) a larger dependent, elderly population and a smaller labor force to pay sufficient taxes to support the elders as time progresses.

Economic strength and power of More elders in future any country lies in planning for years than youth the future, which is difficult when large numbers of retirees are entering their senior years and there are very few youth entering the workforce to support them. Every country has an obligation to support their elder population, but the ability to do so lies in adequate numbers of youth who must assume the tax burden to do so. Females live longer than males in all cultures. 2050 China Population Pyramid 2010

Not apparent from these pyramids is the gender imbalance of males over females. Difference in Chinese males over females

This population pyramid presents the female Males Females minus the male population by age. Although China has a strict limitation of 1 child per family, in most age groups, China has a larger male than female population. Particularly in young age groups, the "surplus" in male population is substantial. This well-known phenomenon of "missing girls" is due to the strong preference for male births in the Chinese and most other Asian societies. Farmers especially want to have at least one male child for taking over the family farm. It is believed that only boys can maintain the family name and tradition. Thus, large numbers of females have been either aborted or offered for adoption to American families.

Implications of this strong gender gap are dire for the remaining men who will never be able to wed. An impending sex trade and growing prostitution problem threaten China, which it has never had before. NAFTA

North American Free Trade Act • Went into effect January 1, 1994 (Clinton Admin) • Established a trade agreement between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. that: – Reduced and regulated trade tariffs, barriers, and quotas between members – Standardized finance and service exchanges Catalyst for global outsourcing of US jobs to foreign countries that continues today, esp. now to China, India, and others with very low wage rates for workers. • Initiated after World War II to accommodate returning braceros (contract laborers who had worked in the U.S. during World War II) • Came into its own after the initiation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • Foreign-owned assembly plants – Take advantage of much lower wages in Mexico (minimum wage is $2/hr. vs. $7.25/ hr in US) – Assemble imported, duty-free components/raw materials – Export the finished products mostly to the U.S.: Electronic components and appliances, auto parts, clothing, furniture • Today – > 4,000 maquiladoras – > 1.2 million employees – Threatened by lower wages in China Previous density maps showed GDP is a measure of population clustered in the south, but national wealth. wealth is concentrated in the north.

Wealth is concentrated in the north.