Early Central America
What were the 3 main groups of Maya societies
Nobles, middle class, commoners
What are the environmental challenges Middle Americans face?
Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, loss of soil, pollution
Slash-and-burn agriculture
a farming method in which trees and other plants on a plot of land are cut down and burned
Which country is the largest in Central America?
Mexico
What was the largest structure in an Aztec city?
Templo Mayor or the Great Temple
Name two reasons why people are leaving their homes in Mexico and Central America?
Violence, poverty, drug crime, natural disasters
Hieroglyphic
a symbol derived from a picture that stands for a word, idea, or sound
What Caribbean island besides Puerto Rico are controlled by the United States?
The U.S Virgin Islands
What was the Columbian Exchange?
exchange of people, other living things, and ideas
Spanish settlers introduced what European foods?
beef, pork, chicken, wheat, rice, diary products
Cultural Diffusion
the spread of cultural traits
What body of water connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea?
The Yucatan Channel
Why were enslaved Africans brought to the Caribbean?
To work on sugar plantations
What are the two most successful economies of Central America?
Panama and Costa Rica
Embargo
a complete ban on trade with a country
What are the capital cities of Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas?
Havana, Kingston, Nassau
What were the main reasons for the Mexican Revolution?
poverty, dictatorship
How can poor infrastructure hold a country back?
Chinampas
artificial islands, to have more room for farming
List two Caribbean islands still under the control of the French?
Martinique and Guadeloupe