Category Archives: South America

South America: Brazil

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Our next country is the country of Brazil. Brazil is on the east coast of South America.  It is the largest country in South America and is big enough to fit all of the US (minus Alaska) or all of Europe inside it.  Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China and the United States.  The capital of Brazil is Brasilia.

Cultural and Historical Facts

The country of Brazil was claimed by Portugal in 1500, when ships arrived and found natives who were in the Stone Age (no metal weapons) and who fought among themselves.  The Portuguese easily conquered them, between their superior weapons (guns) and the European diseases they carried (flu, smallpox, and other diseases).

By the 1700s, Brazil was exporting a lot of sugar from the sugarcane plantations, and, since the natives had mostly all died, the Portuguese started bringing in slaves from Africa to work the plantations. When sugar production became more widespread and the prices started to drop, explorers luckily found gold in the mountains and Brazil’s trade increased.

After many wars, both with other European countries and civil wars within Brazil, the government became a democracy (like America) and Brazil became a prosperous country and a prime vacation spot.

Fast Facts about Brazil

Landmarks/Features:

Brazil is a widely varied land, with hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands, as well as island archipelagos in the ocean.  Brazil has the Amazon River, the world’s second-longest river and the largest in how much water it carries.  The Amazon rainforest is home to millions of species of plants, animals, birds, and insects, many of which no one has ever seen or studied.

Climate:

Because Brazil is on the equator, most of the country is tropical — hot and wet, with the only seasonal changes being a little hotter and a little more rain.  In the mountains and the high deserts, the weather is different; the temperatures vary more and the rainfall can stop for weeks or months.  There might even be snow in the mountains.

Animals:

The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could be as many as four million.

Food:

Holidays:

Carnaval is the most famous holiday in Brazil. The country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities.

Bumba Meu Boi is a Brazilian folk theatrical tradition – the tale told through the music, the costumes and drumming involves a Bull, which dies and is brought back to life.

  • Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day
  • April 21 – Tiradentes’ Day (a holiday for a hero of the republic)
  • May 1 – Labor Day
  • Sept. 7 – Independence Day
  • Oct. 12 – Children’s Day
  • Nov. 2 – Day of the Dead
  • Dec. 25 – Christmas Day

Languages:

Sports/Recreation:

Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America and second in Latin America after Mexico.

Clothing:

  • Men’s clothing includes shirts, jeans and dresses made from inexpensive cotton.
  • In Rio Grande do Sul, the southern plain region of Brazil, the cowboys (gauchos) wear baggy trousers called bombachas, ponchos, wide straw hats and boots.
  • The cowherds (vaqueiros) in the northeast region wear a coat, hat and leather chaps.
  • In Amazon, the native Amerindians wear traditional tunics and paint their faces. They use beads and feathers to decorate their bodies. They are known for their distinctive hairstyles and body painting.
  • In Bahia, many women prefer traditional African clothing that includes a bright colorful shawl, a long full skirt and a turban-like head scarf. They like of colorful, beaded necklaces and bracelets.
  • Because of Brazil’s many beautiful beaches, beachwear (baggy, loose pants, sarong-style skirts, and loose, cool tops) is a very popular style of clothing.

Vocabulary Words (Portuguese):

  • Hello – Olá – oh-la
  • Thank you – Obrigado – Oh-bree-gah-dooh (if you are male) or Obrigada – Oh-bree-gah-dah (if you are female)
  • Good-bye – Adeus – ah-deuzh (formal)
    • or Tchau – chow (informal. Don’t use it with people you don’t know.)
  • Peace – Paz – pahs
  • Please – Por favor – Pooh-r fah-voh-r
  • Music – Musica – moo-zee-ca

About the Music

Music in Brazil was influenced by the native Amerindians, Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, Italians and Germans), and Africans (brought over as slaves).  Some of the different styles include samba, choro, sertanejo, frevo, and bossa nova.

Samba is a mix of Brazilian and African rhythms and is considered the national style of Brazil. Samba music uses instruments like the cuíca, a friction drum that creates a high-pitched squeaky sound, the cavaquinho, a small instrument of the guitar family, and the pandeiro, a hand frame drum.

Choro is a mix of Brazilian styles (influenced by African rhythms) and European music.  Bossa nova is based on samba but has less percussion and more guitar. Sertanejo is the most popular genre in Brazilian mainstream media since the 1990s. It came from the country, not the city, and uses the viola a lot.  It had a lot of influence from American country music and uses the harmonica and the accordion. Frevo is like a march. Frevo parades are a key tradition of the Pernambuco Carnival.

About the Artist and Song:

Teresa Cristina was discovered playing samba in Lapa, and is currently one of the most important voices of samba in Brazil. Her repertoire is based on big names of samba, such as Paulinho da Viola, Cartola and Monarco, and she also stands out as a songwriter.  For over 10 years, Teresa Cristina not only won the Brazilian stage, but also internationally as samba became popular in countries like Japan and Germany (where she sang at the World Cup for soccer), France, India, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Holland, Italy, Bulgaria, South Africa and Russia.

Listen to the song and look at the lyrics.  Tell in the comment box what you think about the song — What instruments do you hear? What is the beat like? Is it something you might dance to? Have you ever heard something similar? Remember answer all four questions in the comments!

Teresa Cristina – Gema

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the music, the information about Brazil, and the pictures in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think about Brazil as a place and a culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, February 15.

South America: Chile

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Our next country is the country of Chile.  Chile is the long, thin country along the lower coast of South America.  It is between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean.  The capital city is Santiago.

Cultural and Historical Facts

Before the Spanish came in the 1500s, Chile was ruled by the Inca and Mapuche.  Spain took over and ruled Chile until 1818, when Chile declared independence.  Chile also fought with Peru and Bolivia to keep control of the northern part of the country.

Fast Facts about Chile

Landmarks/Features:

Chile is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means it has volcanoes. Chile claims part of Antarctica, as well as Easter Island, an island with huge stone heads carved by a vanished race of people.  The Atacama Desert in the north of Chile is very rich in copper. Most people live in the Central Valley, although it is a small area compared to the rest of the country. Southern Chile has many forests and grasslands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a maze of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border. Chile and Argentina also share control of Patagonia, a region at the very tip of South America and the land that is the farthest south in the world that can still be lived in (not like Antarctica).

Climate:

Chile’s seasons are opposite ours because it is in the Southern Hemisphere (below the equator).

  • Four seasons – summer (December to February), autumn (March to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to November)
  • World’s driest desert – the Atacama – in the north
  • Mediterranean climate in the central part
  • Rainy temperate climate in the south
  • Alpine tundra and glaciers in the east
  • Humid subtropical climate on Easter Island

Animals:

Food:

Holidays: 

Seventy percent of Chileans are Catholic, so a lot of their holidays are religious ones, or ones celebrating the government.

  • New Year’s Day
  • Holy Week (including Easter)
  • Army Day
  • Navy Day
  • Election Day
  • All Saints Day
  • Christmas Day

Languages:

Spanish is the main language, but there are Native American tribes who still speak their own languages, as well as immigrants from Europe and the Middle East.

Sports/Recreation:

  • Tennis
  • Football (soccer)
  • Basketball
  • Poetry writing
  • Wine growing
  • Skiing/snowboarding
  • Horseback riding
  • Surfing

Clothing:

  • Chamanto
  • Poncho
  • Chupalla (sombrero)
  • Robes/togas

Vocabulary Words (Spanish):

  • Hello – Hola (OH-la)
  • Thank you – Gracias (GDA-see-ahs)
  • Good-bye – Adios (ah-dee-OHS)
  • Peace – Paz (PAHS)
  • Please – Por favor (pour fah-VOHR)
  • Music – Musica (MOO-zee-kah)

About the Music

Music in Chile ranges from folk music to popular music and classical music. Because of Chile’s long shape, different music is found in the north, center and south of the country, including Easter Island and traditional Mapuche music.  The national dance is the cueca. Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada. Folk music is played by groups like Los de Ramon, Los Cuatro Cuartos and Los Huasos Quincheros.  Also, many Chilean rock bands like Los Jaivas, Los Prisioneros, La Ley, and Los Tres have become world-famous.

Instruments used in Chilean music include panpipes, guitars, rain sticks, trumpets, rattles, drums, and flutes.

Time for the Song:

Click on the link.  Choose at least one artist from the bottom of the page and listen to their music.  Tell in the comment box what you think about the song — Who did you listen to? What style of music was it? Have you heard something like it before? Would you listen to it again?  Remember to answer all four questions in your comment.

Music of Chile

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the music, the information about Chile, and the pictures in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think about Chile as a place and a culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, February 8.

Music History: North and South America

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We’ve covered Africa and Asia so far this year, and now we’re going to spin our musical globe and tackle the Western Hemisphere! North America, Central America, and South America will host us as we discover the music of these places.

There are lots of different types of music in this part of the world.  For this quarter we will be studying the music that was here before white people came from Europe — what is called indigenous music, or music from people who were in a place first.  Native Americans, from the tippy-top of Alaska down to the bottom of South America, have created unique instruments and styles of music, and many fun and interesting songs, of course!  We’ll start with an overview of the several different areas and their main styles of music and instruments.

South American music is usually fast and makes people want to dance.  Many types of dances have their beginnings somewhere in South America – tango, samba, bossa nova, salsa, rumba, bomba, and bolero.  Instruments from South America range from our very well-known guitar to the more unusual rain stick.  The mix of peoples and languages in South America makes their music varied and interesting – Mayan, Quechua, Rapanui, and Inca are some of the tribes.  Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of a South American tango! (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Tango!

Central America and the Caribbean have some of the same types of music as South America, with the addition of salsa, reggae, and calypso music in the Caribbean.  Music from these warmer regions can range from fast and crazy to laid-back and warm — especially from the islands!  Some of the tribes from this area are Aztec, Mayan, Carib, and Arawak.  Instruments they use are often percussion, like maracas and steel drums.  Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of a Caribbean calypso! (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Calypso!

North America had many tribes living on the land before the European settlers came, and their music was often for storytelling, to get them ready for war, or to honor the spirits.  Some North American tribes are Sioux, Iroquois, Inuit, Maoli, and Cherokee.  Drums, flutes, and shakers are common instruments, and others include ukuleles and fiddles. Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of Native (North) American music. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Native American

Listen to at least one of the music types. Tell in the comment box what you think about the song you heard.  What kind of music did you listen to? Was it similar to something you’d heard before or not? What was the same or different?  Make sure to answer all these questions in your comment!

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the song and the information in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think the place and culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, February 1.