9781422286913

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Mexico’s Pacific South States Colima, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas

24 ° N

G u l f o f M e x i c o

22 ° N

M E X I CO

20 ° N

Bay o f Campec he

Colima

COLIMA

18 ° N

GUERRERO

Chilpancingo

Oaxaca

CHIAPAS

OAXACA

Acapulco

Tuxtla Gutiérrez

N

16 ° N

Gulf of Tehuantepec

W

E

S

GUATEMALA

14 ° N

P A C I F I C O C E A N

12 ° N

0

100

200 Miles

0

100 200 Kilometers

Albers Conic Equal-Area Projection

10 ° N

104 ° W

102 ° W

100 ° W

98 ° W

96 ° W

94 ° W

92 ° W

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Mexico’s Pacific South States Colima, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas

Mason Crest Philadelphia

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

©2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #M2014. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file at the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-4222-3226-2 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4222-8691-3 (ebook)

Mexico: Leading the Southern Hemisphere series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3213-2

Table of Contents

Timeline

8

1. The Land

11 21 29 39 49 56 58 59 60 61 62

2. the History 3. the Economy 4. the Culture

5. Cities and Communities

For More Information Things to Do and See Series Glossary Further Reading Internet Resources

Index

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Beautiful Diversity: The Geography of Mexico Famous People of Mexican History Spirit of a Nation: The People of Mexico Fiesta! The Festivals of Mexico Ancient Land with a Fascinating Past: The History of Mexico Vital and Creative: The Art and Architecture of Mexico Victoria! The Sports of Mexico Finding a Financial Balance: The Economy of Mexico Zesty and Colorful Cuisine: The Food of Mexico

Meeting Future Challenges: The Government of Mexico Mexico’s Gulf States Mexico’s Pacific North States Mexico’s Pacific South States Mexico’s Northern States Mexico’s Central States Mexican Facts and Figures

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Text-dependent questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Words to understand: ;OLZL ^VYKZ ^P[O [OLPY LHZ` [V \UKLYZ[HUK KLÄUP[PVUZ ^PSS increase the reader's understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Series glossary of key terms: This back-of-the book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader's HIPSP[` [V YLHK HUK JVTWYLOLUK OPNOLY SL]LS IVVRZ HUK HY[PJSLZ PU [OPZ ÄLSK Research projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

7

Mexico’s Pacific South States

Timeline 3000 B . C .

Olmecs live in what is now Guerrero. The Maya settle in Oaxaca and Chiapas.

200 B . C .

A . D . 1200s Monte Albán becomes part of the Miztec culture; Mitla as well is settled and the vast murals are produced making it unlike any other city in the world. 1420–1500 Aztecs take over the center of the Mexican Valley and begin to expand their empire. Eventually they rule most of Mexico, dominating the culture and the other native people still present. 1517 The Spanish arrive in Mexico. Chiapas becomes a part of Guatemala under the Conquistadors. 1523 Colima City founded. 1810–1821 Mexican War of Independence is fought against Spain. 1824 Chiapas gains independence from Guatemala and joins Mexico as a free state. 1829 President Vicente Guerrero abolishes slavery in Mexico; years before the United States. 1849 State of Guerrero is created from land from other nearby states. 1858 Benito Juárez, originally from Oaxaca, becomes president of Mexico. 1877 Porfirio Díaz, also of Oaxaca, takes control of the government. 1880 Railroad built across Colima from Capital City to Manzanillo by Porfirio Díaz, enabling transportation of materials both into and out of the interior.

8

1892

The capital of Chiapas moved from San Cristóbal to Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Timeline

1910–1917 Major damage done to the Colima area in the Mexican Revolution. 1974 Discovery of major crude petroleum deposits in Chiapas leads to further exploration and development. 1993 Mexico, Canada, and the United States sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 1994 In Chiapas, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation declares war against the Mexican government. 2000 Vicente Fox is elected president of Mexico, and promises reform. 2003 A 7.6-magnitude earthquake kills 29 people and leaves thousands homeless, mostly in the state of Colima. 2006 In Oaxaca, a teacher’s strike turns into seven months of protests against state governor Ulises Ruiz, resulting in at least 18 deaths; In December, president Felipe Calderón orders federal soldiers and police to intervene in turf wars among powerful drug cartels. This begins a period of violence known as the narco war.

9

2008

The Mexican government pledges $42 million to improve sanitation and curb pollution in tourist-heavy Acapulco. In December, Mexican authorities kill Arturo Beltran Leyva, one of the country’s most wanted drug lords. His Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, which controlled drug smuggling in Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, soon collapses and is replaced by the Sinaloa Cartel. PAN candidate Gabino Cué Monteagudo becomes the first non-PRI candidate to be elected governor of Oaxaca in 80 years. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake destroys more than 30,000 homes in a large area along the Oaxaca–Guerrero border. In Chiapas, conflict breaks out between the Zapatista rebels and an organization of farm workers known as CIOAC-H.

2009

2010

2012

2014

Words to Understand

dyewoods —wood that can be used to make colored dyes. mahogany —a reddish-brown hard wood from a tropical tree. plateau —high, flat land. rosewood —the reddish wood from a tropical tree.

1

There is beautiful scenery throughout mountainous Chiapas, including the steep walls of the Canyon de Sumidero in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

The Land

M exico’s Pacific South is a land rich in history and natural resources. These states—Colima, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas—are a diverse mixture of mountains and tropical vegetation. They are sometimes shaken by earthquakes and volcanoes, or tossed and flooded by hurricanes, but their beauty remains. Colima is one of the smallest states in Mexico, with only 2,106 square miles (5,455 square kilometers) in total, only 0.3 percent of Mexico’s total land. But this small area has a great variety of environments within it, from warm and humid temperatures at an average 78º Fahrenheit (26º Celsius) in the Armería River valley near the center of the state, to a brisker 62ºF (17ºC) in the higher altitudes to the northwest. The coast of Colima is at the latitude of 19º north, the same as Jamaica and Hawaii. Between December and February you can find the coolest temperatures for this area, although nothing like the North American winter. The weather is warm for most of the rest of the year, with the rainy season running between June and October; providing needed moisture to the forest after the hot and humid months of July and August. Unfortunately, the rainy season is also the hurricane season, and these powerful storms often batter Mexico’s Pacific coast.

11

Mexico’s Pacific South States

Hurricane Pauline was one of the worst to hit this region, causing major destruction of property and over 200 deaths in Colima, Guerrero, and Oaxaca during October 1997. The 2013 hurricane season was more destructive than usual, with a number of powerful storms. One of the worst was Hurricane Manuel, which landed near Manzanillo, Colima, in September 2013 and resulted in 169 deaths and widespread flooding across much of Mexico. Colima is surrounded on three sides by Jalisco and by Michoacán to the southeast. Directly south of Colima is the Pacific Ocean, where the Revillagigedo Archipelago lies, part of Colima as well. Although it is one of the smallest states in Mexico, Colima has some of the most varied geographical features. Starting at the many beaches on the Pacific Coast, the land rises up to the rich farms that dot the countryside. At the northeastern tip of the state, two volcanoes tower over the small villages—and one of them is still quite active! Sitting right at the southernmost edge of Mexico is Chiapas, the eighth largest state in the country. Consisting of 28,732 square miles (74,416 square kilometers), its boundaries run along the Pacific Ocean to the south to the border with Guatemala in the east and then north to the state of Tabasco, with Oaxaca and Veracruz bordering it to the west. Going inward from the coast, you immediately find yourself climbing the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, a large mountain range running parallel to the ocean. These mountains reach up to 13,310 feet (4,057 meters), with the spectacular Tacaná Volcano just inside the Guatemala border. Moving inland, you find the lush river valley of the Grijalva and northeast of them the central highlands, with lower lakes and valleys feeding into the Usumacinta River and eventually into Tabasco. Most of the forest is made up of valuable dyewoods and hardwoods, making it both an economic and cultural treasure, as more and more

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The Land

A small stream flows through the Lacandon

rainforest in Chiapas. In recent decades large areas of this rainforest have been cleared for settlements, farming, and mining.

13

discussion arises about how to both preserve the forests and harvest the benefits of the land for the people. Two of the most popular woods harvested here are mahogany and rosewood . The climate of Chiapas varies from area to area. In the north part of the state you can find very dry hot weather, varying greatly from the southern parts where the humidity makes the air feel hotter than the actual temperature. The average temperature is 68ºF (20ºC), with some measurements going as high as 104ºF (40ºC) and as low as 32ºF (0ºC). The rainy season runs from June to November. Needless to say, if you visit Chiapas, you’ll need to prepare for all types of weather. Located on the Pacific Coast, Guerrero covers a surface area of 24,818 miles (64,282 square kilometers), about 3.3 percent of Mexico’s total land area. Guerrero has 313 miles (500 kilometers) of Pacific coastline. The Sierra Madre del Sur runs southwest just inside the coastline, cresting at 12,149 feet (3,703

Mexico’s Pacific South States

meters). Bordered to the north and west by Michoacán; Oaxaca to the east and southeast; Puebla to the northeast; and Morelos to the northwest, Guerrero occupies a small but important position in Mexico past and present. The main river running through the area is called the Río de las Balsas, beginning at the northwest tip of the state and running almost directly down the center, with smaller rivers branching off until it meets Oaxaca at the other end of the state. Because of the moisture available and the temperatures that can vary from a high of over 90ºF (32ºC) to a low of 80ºF (26ºC), the climate is hot and rainy on the coastlines. On the highlands further inland, near the center of the Mexican peninsula, the climate balances out enough so crops can be grown and harvested. Oaxaca is located in the southwest area of Mexico, with the Pacific Ocean to the south. It shares borders with Guerrero, Chiapas, Puebla, and Veracruz. With

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Sheep graze on a ranch in a valley in Oaxaca.