Description
From teeming rainforests and city plazas to bright coral reefs and the sweeping ruins of civilizations, this wide-ranging portrait of the people, places, flora, and fauna of Latin America and the Caribbean-from ancient to modern times-is a magical bird's-eye view. Thousands of years ago, early humans crossed an icy land bridge between what is now Siberia and Alaska onto the American continent, gradually migrating south to build vibrant new societies and cultures, erect pyramids and great cities, and cultivate foods like maize, potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolate that still grace our tables today. Join a tiny migrating hummingbird for an enchanted tour of the dazzling biodiversity and human history of Latin America and the Caribbean. In spread after color-splashed spread, our bejeweled guide traverses volcanoes and barrier reefs to reveal howler monkeys and singing frogs, manatees and macaws, anteaters and alpacas. Ranging from the Amazon, our planet's largest rainforest, to the Andes, Earth's longest continental mountain range; from the magnificent civilizations of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas to the conquistadors and modern struggles for independence; from the sugar skulls and candle-lit cemeteries of Mexico's Day of the Dead to Carnival in Brazil; and from cricket and football to salsa, reggae, and calypso, this friendly tour spiced with bright illustrations, maps, and an index offers young readers a taste of the extraordinary richness of this captivating part of the world.