Cultura

Historical Context:

The cultural heritage from Latin American is rich and diverse. There are twenty one Spanish speaking countries in the world, with nineteen of them being located in the American continent. The colonized countries of the Americas were home to Indigenous languages before the conquest and these Indigenous cultures greatly influenced each region of Latin America. Therefor, it's important to remember that while Spanish speaking Latin American countries share a common language, their cultural context vary greatly from region to region regarding traditions, art, music, and cuisine.

Chicanx/Xicanx Traditions

The term Chicanx/Xincanx is used to refer to people of Mexican descent who were born in the United States. The term Chicano/a is more widely known because of the Chicano Movement that advocated for restoration of land, rights for farm workers, and education reforms. Mexican Americans led this movement and were joined by other organizers of various Latin American heritage.

We must recognize that the art and voices of Latin Americans from the United States is unique to their experiences growing up in this country. It includes Spanish, English and Spanglish as well as struggles to maintain cultural identity in the face of assimilation. Many times, they had to adapt traditions from their countries to what was available in the United States.

LatinAmerican Traditions

Many Creoles, Spaniards born in the colonies, developed their own voice and created art and literature that reflected their experiences. Latin American traditions were born of the transculturation of the many people that interacted in the communities after colonization: Indigenous Peoples, Creoles, Spaniards, Enslaved Peoples from Africa, and other immigrant populations that came fleeing wars.

Over the past hundred years, many of the art and literature speak to the struggle of liberation from oppressive politics in Latin American countries. Its diversity speaks of the many lives experiences in the American continent.

Indigenous voices are beginning to be acknowledged more widely and must be given the space they have been denied for many centuries.

Arte

  • Indigenous traditions and artisan work are found in daily life, shops, and all art forms

  • Musical traditions are as varied as the regions where they are created. Some common trends include:

  • An overview of music in Latin America is found in Encyclopedia Britannica

  • Dances are integral parts of the art forms in Latin America. Special outfits accompany each music genre for specific regions within a country.

  • You can find information on many Latin American artists on The Art Story

  • Explore The Faces of Frida Kahlo completely online.

Comida

  • The diversity of climate, geography, topography and culture influence Latin American cuisine greatly.

  • Within each region, there are an array of stapled foods.


Tradiciones

  • Because of the strong influence of the Roman Catholic church, many traditions follow the religious calendar: Dia de los Reyes Magos, celebraciones de la pascua, cuaresma, navidad, etc.

  • Many traditions are part of cultural celebrations such as quinceañeras, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, New Year's day, etc.

  • Other traditions are specific to certain regions where there are regional festivals that are celebrated yearly.

  • Remember the diversity of the countries that make part of Latin America and how unique celebrations can be!

If you know of artists or other cultural groups that represent Latin American culture, please fill out this form .