People & Culture
Languages
Latin America typically refers to the nations of South and Central America, but technically it refers to all the countries that once belonged to the empires of Spain and Portugal during the discovery of the American continents. It also includes many of the Caribbean island nations, as well as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. Because of the heritage of these nations, Spanish and Portuguese are most commonly spoken, but there are many other languages in the region as well.
Notice how many places speak Spanish in South America:
Spanish
Spanish, as it is spoken in the Americas, is not the same Spanish as spoken in Spain. They are different dialects of the same language. A dialect a version of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group. Spanish in Spain is referred to as Castilian. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and it is the primary language in every South American country except Brazil, Suriname and French Guyana, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba and several other islands.
Portuguese
Portuguese is spoken throughout South America, but it is the primary language of only one nation: Brazil. Brazil is the most populous and largest country in South America, so even though Portuguese is not the primary language elsewhere on the continent, almost half the population of South America speaks it. Brazil speaks Portuguese because it was colonized by Portugal, unlike the rest of Latin America, which was colonized by Spain.
Spanish Empire (1492-1898)
Portuguese Empire
(1508-1882)
Other Languages
English is widely spoken in Latin America, especially in areas that are popular tourist destinations, in cities, and among young people. It is not a native language of any Latin American nation. French is spoken in certain areas of Latin America, including Haiti and French Guyana, where it is the primary language. Due to large native populations in the South American interior, as well as a melting pot of languages in the Caribbean, it is difficult to say how many other languages and dialects are spoken in Latin America, but other languages include Jamaican Creole, Mayan and Quechua, the language of the Incas. Dutch is also spoken in the Latin American region, in both Suriname in South America and on some Caribbean islands. However, Dutch is spoken in countries that were not part of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, so according to that definition, these nations are not part of Latin America.
Religions
Christianity is the leading religion, partly because Roman Catholicism is the official religion of many countries. Between 70 and 95 percent of the people describe themselves as Catholic, although only a small proportion regularly attend religious services. Protestant churches tend to be smaller in number and size, but Evangelical and Pentecostal groups have been expanding.
The Spaniards were committed to converting their American subjects to Christianity and were quick to purge any native cultural practices that hindered this end. However, most initial attempts at this were only partially successful; American groups simply blended Catholicism with their traditional beliefs. The Spaniards did not impose their language to the degree they did their religion. In fact, the missionary work of the Roman Catholic Church in Quechua, Nahuatl, and Guarani actually contributed to the expansion of these American languages, equipping them with writing systems.
During the time of European settlement (which began in the 1400's), religions from natives like the Inca were combined with Christianity to produce blended belief systems.
Ethnicity
South Americans have long debated the place of ethnic, cultural, and racial divisions in society, but racial categories persist. People tend to describe themselves as either indigenous (Amerindian, or “Indian”), European (white), African (black), mestizo (of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry), or mixed-race (of mixed African and European ancestry). Ethnicity and economic standing are often key to “race,” however, with those claiming European heritage often holding a lopsided share of wealth and power.
For many U.S. Latinos, mixed-race identity takes on a different meaning – one that is tied to Latin America’s colonial history and commonly includes having a white and indigenous, or “mestizo,” background somewhere in their ancestry.
The term mestizo means mixed in Spanish, and is generally used throughout Latin America to describe people of mixed ancestry with a white European and an indigenous background.