Brazil and Mexico are both the giants of their geographic realms (de Blij and Muller 219,254). Mexico constitutes an entire geographic region of Middle America (200). The country of Brazil is also considered a single region in South America (239). Both of these regions have very large populations in comparison to the other regions of their realms. Mexico’s current population of 102 million people has more than doubled in size since 1970 (219). Brazil’s estimated population is currently near 167 million people (254). The populations of both regions are becoming increasingly more urban in character. At least seventy-four percent of Mexico’s population resides in cities or towns (220). Similarly in Brazil, eighty percent of the population lives in urban areas (Microsoft Encarta).
Although both Mexico and Brazil are regions of very large urban populations, the ethnic make-up of the regions are quite distinct from each other. Beginning in the sixteenth century both regions came into contact with European nations. Mexico and Brazil both had populations of Amerindians before the Europeans arrived. In Mexico the Spanish would encounter the advanced civilizations of the Aztecs ruled by Montezuma (Suchlicki 26). The Aztec population has been estimated to be between 80,000 to 250,000. The Aztec people had built a great city at Tenochtitlan. The Aztec were advanced in their architectural abilities, their engineering accomplishments, and their culture (22). In Brazil the Amerindian population upon arrival of the Portuguese was fragmented into innumerable small tribes (Burns 17). There was no culture in Brazil when the Europeans arrived that can be compared to the Aztecs of Mexico (21).
The fact that different European countries colonized Mexico and Brazil is most noticeable today in the languages of the countries. The languages of Brazil and Mexico are different. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese (Microsoft Encarta). The major language of Mexico is Spanish. Some Amerindian languages do survive in both of these countries. In Mexico the use of Amerindian languages is more common than in Brazil. Eighty percent of the people who speak Amerindian languages in Mexico also speak Spanish (Camp). The Portuguese language as spoken in Brazil is colored by many words and phrases from native and immigrant languages. Cities in the southern parts of Brazil have population...
... middle of paper ...
...ing economic developments. The Chiapas, which has a mostly Amerindian population, consists mainly of peasant farmers surviving by subsistence farming. Fifty-three percent of the people in Mexico live in extreme poverty (222). Brazil has also seen astonishing increases in the number of people living in poverty. There has been a fifty percent increase in the number of people living in poverty (256). Both Mexico and Brazil will have to work towards a more balanced distribution of wealth in the years to come.
Bibliography
1. “Brazil”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Microsoft , 2000. CD ROM.
2. Burns, Bradford E. . A History of Brazil: Second Edition. New York: Cornell University Press, 1980.
3. Blij, H.J. de and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts 2000 Ninth Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.
4. Camp, Roderic Ai. “Mexico”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Microsoft , 2000. CD ROM.
5. MacLachlan, Colin. “History of Mexico”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Microsoft , 2000. CD ROM.
6. Suchlicki, Jaime. Mexico: From Montezuma, to NAFTA, Chiapas, and Beyond. .Washington: Brassey’s, 1996
C. W. Hackett, ed., Historical Documents relating to New Mexico, Nueva Vizcaya, and Approaches Thereto, to 1773, vol. III (Washington: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1937), 327-35.
8. Meyer, Michael C., et al. The Course of Mexican History, 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Aztecs were tribe. In Chronicler’s Account talked about Spaniards with Aztecs from 1519 to 1521.When the Spaniards arrived in Tenochtitlan, and they bought horses, guns and also smallpox that killed a lot of people there. A Text from the Chronicler’s Account saids “ at about the time that the Spaniards had fled from Mexico….there came a great sickness, a pestilence, the smallpox. It …. spread over the people with great destruction of men.” The Aztec chronicler was trying to be objective in what happened at that time. Aztec Chronicler wrote about struggled in
Major places like Peru Ecuador. And Bolivia have major industries such as food processing, mining, wood products, textiles, petroleum, and more. Their major agricultural products would be cacao, balsa wood, shrimp, cotton, sugarcane, and more. (Doc B)Some more major places in South America in South America like Chile and Argentina make most of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employ over half of the population. They produce grains, fruits such as grapes, and beef cattle, (Doc C) South Americas history many interesting types of civilizations like Aztec of around A.D. 1200- A.D 1521. (Doc 1) South America has some amazing features but also has a downside. From the 1950’s to now more people live in urban areas rather than rural areas unlike 1950 with most of the population living in rural areas. (Doc D) Today in Brazil, one of the largest economies in the world, there is a very large gap between the rich and the poor. Government is trying to build a bridge between the gap but this is hard knowing that 2% of the population are higher class. (Doc E) Around the Amazon River there is forest. But deforestation is making all this go away based on a survey taken in 2000-2005, Most of it is caused by Cattle Ranches. About 35% is taken up by small-scale, subsistence agriculture, The rest taken up by fires, urbanization construction, logging and large scale commercial agriculture. (Doc
Larry Rohter was a journalist in Brazil for 14 years and from his experiences he offers in this book some unique insights into Brazilian history, politics, culture and more. In 10 topical chapters Rohter’s easy-to-read book provides a look at Brazilian history and the extraordinary changes the country has undergone -- and is still undergoing. Rother covers many significant issues, but several stand out more than others. Namely: the country’s history, culture, politics, and finally its economy/natural wealth.
Latin American civilization: History and society, 1492 to the present. Boulder: Westview P,
In the early 1500's Mexico was submitted to a cultural change, when the Spanish people arrived to this country. The problem of transforming the lives and culture of the inhabitants of the New World under the influence of people from Europe that completely destroyed the order of existing things and brought in place new structures social-political, previously unknown achievements in the field of material culture and a new conception of the world woke long been the interest of researchers in different specialties within the social sciences, but especially the interest of ethnographers.The problems and the processes linked to complicated set of phenomena of acculturation came to be a subject of many considerations and scientific ...
When we hear discussions or read articles about drug wars, killings, and illegal immigration into the United States, many of us immediately think of Mexico. As a nation, Mexico is a much greater country than these commonly referred to issues. Mexico is a country with a broad history, deep family culture, and an economy fueled by oil and tourism. The United States Department of State (USDS) offers a broad range of information on countries outside the US, including Mexico. I found a wealth of information about Mexico through the USDS Background Note provided on their website located at www.state.gov. I will outline for you the key information found in this report, and others, related to the Mexican economy, culture, and more.
If one were to visit different countries and societies throughout the world, they may notice the many differences and similarities each region shares. This makes the world a very unique place because there is constant change and diversity everywhere we look, no matter the distance traveled. A prime example of this would be the similarities and differences between the United States of America and Mexico. Although the two are neighboring countries, there is a great deal of diversity amongst them that deserve a thorough examination.
The entire population speaks Portuguese, while it is the only language used in schools. A moderate part of the Brazilians can speak English (mostly higher educated or people in high job positions) or any other second or third language. Some Brazilians may actually take offence when talking to them in Spanish since they do not consider themselves Hispanics. If foreigners try to learn Portuguese, it is often considered as a sign of sincere interest in the country's culture and therefore highly appreciated.
In central and southern Mexico, there are fundamental characteristic that deserve emphasis at the outset. The size and distribution of Indian peoples before the arrival of Europeans had a huge effect on the development of Mexico. The differences in the historical development of central and southern Mexico and the rest of North America derive in large part from the dense concentration of Indian peoples in the highland valleys of Mexico. The Spaniards had a huge role in the changing of the native peoples if Mexico not only politically and culturally as well. The timing of the colonization was also a huge fundamental influence on its development. Spain introduced their most important legacy to Mexico, the Reconquista. This was an 800 year long process of “reconquering” the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim control. This helped define the social and economic patterns that were introduced to Mexico. Along with the reconquering, Spain was full of a renaissance drive for knowledge, wealth and power. They attempted to recreate as accurately as possible the life of the medieval lord with his titles and power based ownership of large landed estates and control over subordinate and retainers. This was only made possible through the large population of Indians living in the area. They were the ones who did the heavy lifting and built the new society so that the Spaniards could accomplish their objectives. Unlike the central and southern Mexico, the northern section had a smaller Indian population, harsh climate and wide-open spaces helped develop a completely different culture. This section was a land of opportunity during much of its history.
Most of their evidence comes from the fossilized bones of Neanderthals and Cro- Magnons, or modern man’s ancestors (Shreeve, 150). There is a definite difference between their bone structures, and it may be a significant enough difference to divide them into species. There is a set of traits that distinguishes Neanderthals. Their general proportions are short, robust, and strong. Males and females of all ages have thick bones, and very pronounced muscle and ligament attachment sites. They also have distinct facial and cranial features. They have a large skull with no chin, a significant brow-ridge, and a large nasal opening (Shreeve, 49-150). They have large brains, around 1400cc, that protrude in the back, causing an occipital bun in the skull (Lecture, 4/19). Cro-Magnons on the other hand look more like humans do today. They are more slender and not as muscular, with chins and rounder skulls with slightly smaller brains among other traits.
In 1822, Brazil became a nation independent from Portugal. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than half a century of military government to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development. With an abundance of natural resources and a large labor pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic power by the 1970’s.
Before the 15th century, the Indians in the Americas were not connected with the world and would remain that way until Columbus's exploration. In the beginning of 15th century, the Aztecs were the dominant group in Mesoamerica leaded by Montezuma, the last leader, before the Spanish conquest. In 1519, Hernan Cortez led the Spanish mission to explore and conquer the New World. This paper will compare three primary sources about this event. First, an informing letter sent from Cortez to King Charles V, the king of Spain. Second, the Broken Spears which is an Indian recollection about the conquest of Mexico. Lastly, Bernal Diaz’s (one of Cortez’s men) account was written by him to share his experience with Aztec civilization. Moreover, this paper will show the credibility of Diaz’s account compared to the other sources because the objectivity of his tone, written after a while of the event, and the author’s great experience and his independent purpose of the source.
De, Blij Harm J., and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. New York: J. Wiley, 1997. 340. Print.