Latin American Culture Essay examples - 1050 Words

Latin American Culture Latin America represents 1/10 of the worlds population, and geographically can be located from the land extensions of Mexico, until the Patagonia at Argentina. Some of the most relevant elements of todays culture in Latin America are; Religion, Values, Attitudes, Social structure, Social stratification, Language and Gift-giving hospitality. The predominant religion throughout history in Latin America has been Catholicism. From big cities to small villages, churches, basilicas, and cathedrals are found. Catholicism left its mark, from customs and values to architecture and art. During many years in many countries the Catholic Church had power over all civil institutions, education, and law. Nowadays religion†¦show more content†¦In Latin American culture the most important unit of the social structure is the family. The most important unit within the family is the oldest male of the house, which generally is the father or grandfather. In Latin American culture, the degree of social stratification is very high. The social mobility is very limited due that the Latin American society is merely classis. This classis is based on race and ethnicity. Latin American might be considered as multilingual; nevertheless Spanish is predominant in most countries. Latin American language was influenced by the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors, native Indians, the African slaves, the immigrants communities of World War I and II. 2. An important factor that might cause a cultural change in Latin America is Globalization. Industrialization is growing in Latin America rapidly and this is a consequence of globalization. Some of the changes that are likely to occur are modernization of cities which will make rich people richer, and poor people poorer. Mega-cities are being built by multinational corporations in cities such as Santiago in Chile. The Contrast between these wealthy mega-cities with rural areas can be very extreme. For example in Argentina there is an emerging high-tech industry brought by globalization. Entering globalization also means that Latin Americans will have to acquire more and new skills, learn how to do business with foreigners andShow MoreRelatedLatin Americ Latin American Cultures2513 Words   |  11 PagesJonathan Timothy Su Professor Patricio Navia Latin American Cultures, Sect. 001 20 October 2014 Latin American Cultures Midterm Section 1 – Question 1 Throughout the pre-Columbus era in Latin America, The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas built unique civilizations, each with its own distinctive achievements, creating distinctive cultures to unite their individual societies. The Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas not only shared many similarities in the ways they built their civilizations, but also had differingRead MoreThe Impact Of Latin American Culture On Latin America1656 Words   |  7 Pageszone, living in Latin America would be much like that. The war being fought here is very different, instead of fighting another country, they are fighting drugs. Although war is generally a negative thing, this one is not. In this war there are negatives, but the positives far outweigh them. Latin American countries have witnessed the very noticeable benefits of the drug trade in many aspects of everyday life. The use and production of drugs is important to Latin American culture, brings communitiesRead MoreDeath Of Latin American Culture1542 Words   |à ‚  7 PagesDeath in Latin American Culture Death is part of life in every part of the world, and every culture handles it differently. Just like every other region in the world, the approaches to death in Latin America are unique to the area, and have changed over the years. The Pre-Colonial death rituals in Mexico, Peru, and Haiti each have their own method of addressing this inevitable tragedy. Never the less there are common threads throughout the Aztec, Inca, and Taino peoples. When the Europeans arrivedRead MoreWomen Of Latin American Culture1759 Words   |  8 PagesWomen of Latin American culture have incessantly ensued the potent gender roles that have become a social construction of their society over innumerable decades. The profound author of Insurgent Mexico, John Reed, imparts his experiences with the revolutionary leaders of the Mexican Revolution, like Pancho Villa, and was able to witness their culture and more specifically the roles these Mexican women were forced to render by their chauvinistic counterpart s. This period of revolution, started toRead MoreLatin American Authors Influence On Mexican Culture1698 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Las mujeres son seres inferiores porque, al entregarse, se abren. Su inferioridad es constitucional y radica en su sexo, en su rajada, herida que jamà ¡s cicatriza.† (p. 58-59) This mimicry allows Paz to share an observation on Mexican culture, without commiting to the viewpoint himself. He also occasionaly resorts to an open scathing critique. He uses this most notably when talking about the phenomenon of machismo, who’s views he reproduces above, saying that the macho â€Å"Es el poder, aislado enRead More Latin America Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesLatin America Distinguishing cultures from one another has become increasingly difficult as various societies continue to intertwine and share their aspects of popular life. Constant exposure to US and other world cultures has changed the cultures of Latin American countries somewhat, but much of society remains unchanged. Moving to the United States from Latin America alters life a great deal, and keeping touch with one’s original culture may sometimes seem unimportant or simply impossibleRead MoreLatin Americ A Great Deal Of Progress1340 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough Latin America has experienced a great deal of progress since the first modern movements in the 1920s, contemporary international artist from Latin America still has a tough road ahead of them before they can separate their work from their roots in the eyes of the international community. But I believe that is easier today more than ever. Although I don t want to lump all Latin American countries together, which are very different from each other, but we cannot discuss one only in LatinRead MoreWriters And Editors On Canovista Restoration Essay1385 Words   |  6 PagesEduardo Galeano with one of his master piece Mirrors. American literature has its origin in the clash of Aboriginal culture and European society. However, the first, sense of American literature, which was the world conquest, was truncated. Only in the twentieth century American culture, rip of its primitive root of pre-Columbian culture, was reunited with the interest due to archaeologists and ethnologists who bring to light this extraordinary culture. Discover and assume that root had been buried, foundRead MoreU.s. A Multicultural Country1045 Words   |  5 PagesIn terms of diversity, the U.S. contains a lot of history, which makes them what they are now. Both the U.S. as well as Latin America were colonies, achieved independence movements and were directly influenced by countries like Spain and France. The difference relies that in the U.S., these European countries remained for a longer period of time, making the U.S. a multicultural country. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Queens, a major area of New York City i s considered to be â€Å"theRead MoreEssay on U.S. Influence on Latin Culture989 Words   |  4 Pagesaffairs of Latin American politics in the beginning of the twentieth century, and since the advent of a U.S. effort towards the modernization of Latin America, influences aimed at empowering communities and bringing about democratic movements among Latin American countries have been accompanied by various forms of exploitation and cultural decimation (Leonard, 1999). Efforts at modernization of Latin America have been carried out partly in opposition to the influence IberoCatholic culture (of Spain)