The document provides background and instructions for an activity analyzing the impacts of the Interoceanic Highway in South America. Students will view a photo essay depicting the highway's construction and apply the unit's driving question - "To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or negative force?" - to different trends shown. They will document potential positive and negative outcomes of trends like economic development, society/culture, mining, immigration, and environment. The goal is for students to consider both benefits and drawbacks of modern infrastructure as related to the unit's themes.

1. TEACHER MATERIALS
1
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Note: This lesson has been adapted from Highways and Change, a lesson plan from the Global Oneness Project.
Preparation
Print out, project, or instruct students to view “La Carretera Photo Essay” (in Unit 9, Other Materials). © Roberto (Bear) Guerra/Global Oneness Project.
Purpose
“To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?” is the driving question for Unit 9. The purpose of this activity is to apply Unit 9’s driving question
to a modern-day infrastructure development: the Interoceanic Highway (La Carretera). Construction on La Carretera, which connects the east and west coasts of South America,
began in the early twenty-first century. By studying the scenes depicted in a photojournalist’s photographic essay, students will come to their own conclusions about the extent to
which this road has been a positive or negative force as related to certain trends and topics (economic development and natural environment, for example). This activity will also
help prepare students for Investigation 9, in which they’re asked to identify good and bad outcomes of trends referenced in the Investigation texts.
Process
Students will view the La Carretera photo essay twice. The first view should be quick and is meant to provoke curiosity. Then, you’ll present context about La Carretera from the text
below. After that, students will view the photo essay a second time, this time through the lens of the Unit 9 driving question, and they’ll document their thoughts on the worksheet.
1. First view: Show students (or have them click through themselves) the La Carretera gallery. Have them write down or discuss in groups what story they think this photo
essay tells. Where does it take place? What is happening? What questions does it provoke? Students should support their thoughts with evidence from the photos. This is
meant to be a quick opening to activate interest and intrigue – you might instruct them to ignore the captions on the photos, for now.
2. Present context: Let students know that this story depicts La Carretera, a highway developed in the early twenty-first century, which connects the east and west coasts of
South America. Remind them that the Unit 9 driving question is, “To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or negative force?” Then, have them read the
text “Interoceanic Highway,” below. You might want to pull up a map to orient students.
3. Second view: Invite students to engage with the photo essay again, this time while considering the Unit 9 driving question. Have students focus on the given trends related
to the Interoceanic Highway’s construction, documenting on the worksheet potential positive and negative outcomes of each – as suggested by the scenes and captions in
the photo essay. Remind them that the same outcome can be both positive and negative. (You might also instruct them to use the supplemental resources listed below.)
4. Discussion: In small groups or as a class, ask students to share a few of their findings. You might also have them do a quick-write on the topic “To what extent has the
construction of La Carretera been a positive or negative force?”
5. Extension: Have students think about a recent or proposed development in their own neighborhood that fits the driving question. Invite students to compile a photo essay
capturing both the positive and negative effects of the development they choose. You could also have them think about a more historical development and create a photo
essay using images found on the internet.
Supplemental Resources
• Monte Reel, “Traveling from Ocean to Ocean Across South America.” The New York Times Magazine, February 19, 2014.
• Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, “The Amazon Road: Paving Paradise for Progress?” NPR, September 14, 2009.
• Carlos Eduardo Huertas, “The Jungle Highway.” The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), September 11, 2012.
• Mhairi Roberts, “Interoceanic Highway – Road to Ruin?” The Argentina Independent, August 3, 2011.

2. TEACHER MATERIALS
2
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Context: The Interoceanic Highway
“To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative
force?” is the driving question for Unit 9. The Interoceanic Highway (La
Carretera) provides an excellent opportunity to examine both the good
and bad aspects of interconnection today. As we learn more about its
impact, this road leads to important questions about how to balance
growth and conservation.
In 2000, leaders from 12 South American countries met and agreed
that it was a priority to complete the Interoceanic Highway, which
would connect the east and west coasts of South America. Like the
Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, the Interoceanic Highway
would enable goods and people to move easily between Atlantic and
Pacific ports. This would be particularly true for Brazil, where the new
highway would offer the ability to bypass the Panama Canal, which
would save millions in shipping costs each year. As a result, Brazil
provided most of the $2.8 billion for the project.
The Interoceanic Highway opened in 2012. Even before construction
began, many voiced concern about the risks of exposing a largely
undisturbed section of the Amazon. Many unanticipated problems have
arisen as well. One such issue is illegal mining in the Madre de Dios
region. With the new road and high gold prices, large numbers of new
miners have come to the area. They strip the riverbanks and hillsides
looking for gold ore. To get pure gold from these nuggets, the miners mix
the ore with mercury, and then burn off the mercury from the resulting mixture. The mercury that falls into the river is toxic and has led to a public health crisis in the region. At the
same time, the once sleepy towns of the area are now crowded. The rapid growth of many of these towns has led to issues with crime and poverty. As the government has struggled to
keep up with these issues, conflicts with miners and their families have resulted.
The Interoceanic Highway also created a new route for migrants. In 2010, a devastating earthquake rocked Haiti. It destroyed the country’s infrastructure and left many without
work. Word began to spread that Brazil was a haven for migrants, and soon Haitians began trying to make their way there. The Interoceanic Highway created a new pathway, one
that many thought might be easier than traveling through airports or the seaports of eastern Brazil.
The Interoceanic Highway exposed villages and families that had been isolated in the Amazon for generations to the modern world. For some, this brings opportunity. For others,
this means the loss of a way of life. Modern supermarkets and gas stations in once quiet towns are a sharp contrast from even 20 years ago. Many in these formerly isolated
areas had been promised that with the road would come tourists, which would allow new businesses, particularly ones focused on ecotourism, to flourish. Some small towns have
been preserved as destinations for cultural tourists, who can visit them to see what life was like before the highway was completed. Neither all good, nor all bad. The Interoceanic
Highway begs the question, to what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?
Coast to Coast: Monte Reel’s trip from São Paulo, Brazil, to Lima, Peru, a journey of over 3,000 miles across plains, through the
Amazon basin and over the Andes. Map courtesy The New York Times.

3. TEACHER MATERIALS
3
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Directions: After studying the photo essay, “La Carretera: Life and Change Along Peru’s Interoceanic Highway,” write down potential positive and negative outcomes of the
Interoceanic Highway that apply to each trend/topic listed below. Remember: The same outcome can be both positive and negative.
Trend/topic Why positive/good?
Explain, citing photo(s) you reference.
Why negative/bad?
Explain, citing photo(s) you reference.
Economic
development
• La Carretera connects previously isolated areas, which opens up channels for
trade and economic growth. (Photo 1)
• Could bring new opportunity to people living in poverty. (Photo 3)
• Modernization – electricity and modern homes as a result of highway. (Photo 10)
• Potential development of modern cities as more money comes in from mining
due to highway access. (Photos 12, 17, 23)
• Concerns about child labor (similar to Industrial Revolution). (Photo 5)
• The shortage of housing for new workers contributes to environmental degradation as
people clear forests for makeshift camps. (Photos 7, 12)
• Human safety at stake: More traffic (stimulated by economic opportunity) resulting in car
accidents and death. (Photo 6)
Society and
culture
• Historic buildings and customs more easily accessible to tourists and
historians – could result in efforts to preserve ancient customs and
indigenous languages, for example. (Photo 9)
• Cultural diversity owing to influx of migrants from Andean highlands, who
are attracted by the illegal gold mining boom. (Photo 24)
• Local/indigenous populations lose culture as big business standardizes products, replacing
local consumer goods. (Photo 23)
• Increase in tourism could devastate culture as exposure to outside traditions inundate
villages. (Photo 7)
Mining • Brings jobs, economic opportunity to more people. (Photo 24)
• Governmental regulation of illegal mining could result in better
environmental protection. (Photo 22)
• Illegal mining is spreading rapidly, contributing to deforestation and polluted waterways,
which could negatively impact human health. (Photos 16, 25)
• Hard manual labor – potential health impacts. (Photos 12, 15)
• Government regulation could result in some mining jobs disappearing, leaving people who
depend on (illegal) mining destitute. Social instability could result from protests. (Photos 19, 20)
Immigration • Promise of jobs, ease of transport connects people from once-separated places,
which contributes to culture diversity and exchange of new ideas. (Photo 24)
• Economic opportunities created by mining attract people to Brazil from as
far off as Haiti to improve their livelihoods. (Photo 22)
• Presents a governance challenge: Will recent arrivals be socially accepted and integrated into
society and formal economy? Will they be met with resistance if “taking” Brazilians’ jobs?
(Photo 22)
Natural
environment
• Deforestation and environmental damage to previously undisturbed areas – such as
desertification, damaged waterways. (Photos 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 18, 25)
Other

4. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
4
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
1
Note: This lesson has been adapted from Highways and Change, a lesson plan from the Global Oneness Project.
Preparation
Your teacher will print out or project the photo essay, “La Carretera Photo Essay” (in Unit 9, Other Materials). © Roberto (Bear) Guerra/Global Oneness Project.
Purpose
“To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?” is the driving question for Unit 9. The purpose of this activity is to apply Unit 9’s driving question to a
modern-day infrastructure development. You will study scenes depicted in a photographic essay by photojournalist Roberto Guerra and draw conclusions about the extent to which
this development has been a positive or negative force as related to certain trends (economic development and natural environment, for example). This activity will help prepare you
for Investigation 9, where you’ll be asked to identify good and bad outcomes of trends referenced in the Investigation texts.
Process
Your teacher will direct you through a series of activities related to viewing a photo essay and applying it to Unit 9’s driving question.
1. First view: Quickly click through the images of the photo essay, “La Carretera: Life and Change Along Peru’s Interoceanic Highway.” What story do you think it tells?
Where does it take place? What questions does it surface?
2. Context: Read “Context: The Interoceanic Highway,” below.
3. Second view: Now that you know more about La Carretera, view the photographs again – this time, looking at it through the lens of the Unit 9 driving question. As you
do this, zero in on the trends/topics from the worksheet. According to what you take from the photo essay (and any other research you’ve done on the Interoceanic
Highway), document the positive and negative aspects of each trend. Be sure to cite the source of your information (this could be the photos from the photo essay or the
supplemental resources listed below).
4. Discussion: Be prepared to discuss your thoughts, as directed by your teacher. You may want to add to your worksheet as you listen to your classmates’ ideas.
5. Extension: Create your own photo essay related to a recent or proposed development in your own neighborhood. Attempt to capture both the positive and negative effects
of the development you choose.
Supplemental Resources
• Monte Reel, “Traveling from Ocean to Ocean Across South America.” The New York Times Magazine, February 19, 2014.
• Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, “The Amazon Road: Paving Paradise for Progress?” NPR, September 14, 2009.
• Carlos Eduardo Huertas, “The Jungle Highway.” The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), September 11, 2012.
• Mhairi Roberts, “Interoceanic Highway – Road to Ruin?” The Argentina Independent, August 3, 2011.

5. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
5
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Context: The Interoceanic Highway
“To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative
force?” is the driving question for Unit 9. The Interoceanic Highway (La
Carretera) provides an excellent opportunity to examine both the good
and bad aspects of interconnection today. As we learn more about its
impact, this road leads to important questions about how to balance
growth and conservation.
In 2000, leaders from 12 South American countries met and agreed
that it was a priority to complete the Interoceanic Highway, which
would connect the east and west coasts of South America. Like the
Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, the Interoceanic Highway
would enable goods and people to move easily between Atlantic and
Pacific ports. This would be particularly true for Brazil, where the new
highway would offer the ability to bypass the Panama Canal, which
would save millions in shipping costs each year. As a result, Brazil
provided most of the $2.8 billion for the project.
The Interoceanic Highway opened in 2012. Even before construction
began, many voiced concern about the risks of exposing a largely
undisturbed section of the Amazon. Many unanticipated problems have
arisen as well. One such issue is illegal mining in the Madre de Dios
region. With the new road and high gold prices, large numbers of new
miners have come to the area. They strip the riverbanks and hillsides
looking for gold ore. To get pure gold from these nuggets, the miners mix
the ore with mercury, and then burn off the mercury from the resulting mixture. The mercury that falls into the river is toxic and has led to a public health crisis in the region. At the
same time, the once sleepy towns of the area are now crowded. The rapid growth of many of these towns has led to issues with crime and poverty. As the government has struggled to
keep up with these issues, conflicts with miners and their families have resulted.
The Interoceanic Highway also created a new route for migrants. In 2010, a devastating earthquake rocked Haiti. It destroyed the country’s infrastructure and left many without
work. Word began to spread that Brazil was a haven for migrants, and soon Haitians began trying to make their way there. The Interoceanic Highway created a new pathway, one
that many thought might be easier than traveling through airports or the seaports of eastern Brazil.
The Interoceanic Highway exposed villages and families that had been isolated in the Amazon for generations to the modern world. For some, this brings opportunity. For others,
this means the loss of a way of life. Modern supermarkets and gas stations in once quiet towns are a sharp contrast from even 20 years ago. Many in these formerly isolated
areas had been promised that with the road would come tourists, which would allow new businesses, particularly ones focused on ecotourism, to flourish. Some small towns have
been preserved as destinations for cultural tourists, who can visit them to see what life was like before the highway was completed. Neither all good, nor all bad. The Interoceanic
Highway begs the question, to what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?
2
Coast to Coast: Monte Reel’s trip from São Paulo, Brazil, to Lima, Peru, a journey of over 3,000 miles across plains, through the
Amazon basin and over the Andes. Map courtesy The New York Times.

6. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
6
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Directions: After studying the photo essay, “La Carretera: Life and Change Along Peru’s Interoceanic Highway,” write down potential positive and negative outcomes of the
Interoceanic Highway that apply to each trend/topic listed below. Remember: The same outcome can be both positive and negative.
Trend/topic Why positive/good?
Explain, citing photo(s) you reference.
Why negative/bad?
Explain, citing photo(s) you reference.
Economic
development
Society and
culture
Mining

7. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
7
IMPACTS OF INTERCONNECTION
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 9 EXTENSION
Immigration
Natural
environment
Other