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Vocabulary
More Vocabulary
Some Mexican History
Migration from Rural to Urban
Haves and Have Nots
100
What term is used in Chapter 9 to mean how economic conditions continue to worsen in Mexico's countryside, forcing people there to migrate to cities or to the US?
rural decline
100
What do we call the large open public gathering spaces common to almost every Latin American city? These are often in the center of town and they are also often near a large cathedral.
plazas
100
What two native groups originally settled Mexico?
Aztecs and Mayans
100
List three reasons (push factors) behind the migration of rural subsistence farmers to Mexico City.
1) Only about 15% of Mexico's land is suitable for farming (arable). 2) The best farming land is held by a few wealthy landowners. 3) Small farms cannot compete with large commercial farms. 4) Small farmers find it hard to afford seeds, fertilizer, farming machinery. 5) Some small farmers end up working for large commercial farms, but those jobs are relatively few. 6) Jobs are few, poverty is high in the countryside. The Mexican government does not spend much to support rural areas.
100
True or False: Many members of Mexico City's middle class (shop owners, office workers, teachers, tradespeople) live near the center of Mexico City, often in cramped apartments.
True. The poorest people live in slums on the far outskirts of the city. The working poor with no special skills who work as laborers or service staff live in tenements closer to the center, while the middle classes who own small businesses or who have adequate jobs and wages (office workers, teachers, engineers, etc.) live and work even closer toward the center of town.
200
What is "urbanization"?
Urbanization is the term for the migration of people from rural areas to cities (urban areas) hoping to find work and to escape rural poverty.
200
What is an "ejido"?
a Mexican communal farm
200
Where did the Aztecs settle and what modern day city is where the center of their empire was?
central Mexico, Mexico City
200
What are two pull factors drawing poor migrant farmers from the countryside to Mexico City?
1) They hope to find a job. 2) They hope to put their children in school. 3) They hope to acquire a higher standard of living.
200
Describe some of the living conditions of the elite "haves" of Mexico City. Who are the "haves"?
1) large well-built homes with gates or in gated communities 2) private schools for the children 3) lots of private and public security (police, body guards, drivers) 4) neighborhoods have good infrastructure (parks, water, electricity, paved roads, wi-fi and cell towers) 5) places to spend money (shops, restaurants) 6) business executives and government officials
300
What term in used in Chapter 9 to mean the unequal distribution of wealth and resources in a geographic area? This unequal distribution makes some areas richer than others.
spatial inequality
300
What are large run-down housing projects in Mexico City called where many of the working poor live?
tenements
300
What European country conquered the native people of Mexico, and when was that.
The Spanish conquistadors conquered almost all of Central and South America in the early 1500s. They conquered the Aztecs in 1521.
300
List three ways in which Mexico City is experiencing problems from rapid urbanization over their last few decades.
1) increased crime 2) roads are in poor shape 3) huge traffic congestion, crowded buses and subways 4) terrible smog, respiratory diseases such as asthma 5) poor public schools and many kids do not attend school 6) crowding, too many people and not enough land 7) shortage of clean water in many neighborhoods 8) poorest neighborhoods have little or no electricity
300
Describe how a country could have a relatively high per capita GDP but a comparatively low HDI? What kind of country/government might that be?
If HDI is low compared to GDP, the country's wealth is not making its way down the social ladder to the people. The government might be corrupt or an authoritarian dictatorship or an oligarchy (ruled by the elite "haves" for their own benefit).
400
What is used to move water over a long distance, usually from mountains to an urban area?
aqueduct
400
What is "HDI"? What are its three components?
"HDI" stands for "Human Development Index" and is a way of measuring how well off a country's population is. It combines measurements on: 1) health (how long people live), 2) wealth (per capita GDP), and 3) education (how many years of school people have on average). It is considered a better measure of a population's well being than a country's GDP alone (the value of the goods and services a country produces in a year).
400
The Aztecs living in their capital, Tenochtitlan, enjoyed a high ________________ of _______________ before being conquered by the Spanish.
standard of living
400
True or False: Families in Mexico City are generally larger than farming families in rural areas.
False. Urban families tend to be smaller than rural families.
400
About how many people are estimated to live in Mexico City's entire metropolitan area including all classes (low, middle and upper)?
estimated to be close to 18-19 million.
500
What is a word for the poorest part of most every city around the world? It is an area where the poorest people live.
slum
500
What are the slums in Brazil's largest cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo called?
favelas
500
When did Mexico win its independence from Spain?
1821
500
True or False: Spatial inequality is found in many Mexican towns and cities of all sizes, not just in Mexico City.
True.
500
Name a country cited at the very end of Chapter 9 whose policies have hurt its economy and its people. Its HDI has fallen sharply over the last 20 years along with its standard of living. Its "haves" have kept its "have nots" in poverty and has denied the "have nots" of many basic rights. (Hint: It's in Africa and its leader is facing a lot of pressure to resign in recent news reports).
Zimbabwe (their dictator is Robert Mugabe)