Latin Culture

History

Latin America includes countries that were colonies of Spain, Portugal and France. Since these languages come from Latin countries, the term Latin America has served to designate nations that were their colonies in the New World.

Latin America was colonized by Spain and Portugal. Their way of colonizing and settling included mixed-marriages with the local populations. Economically, the region was exploited for the benefit of the Iberian peninsula and was an exporter of raw materials.

The culture of Latin America includes both refined cultural expressions such as literature and art, and elements of popular culture such as music, dance and folk art, as well as religious elements and customs.

The definitions of what constitutes Latin America are varied. From a cultural point of view, Latin America generally includes those parts of the American continent formerly under Spanish, French or Portuguese influence: Mexico, most of Central America and South America. There is also a significant presence of Latin American culture in specific regions in the United States (in California and the Southwest, and in cities such as New York and Miami).

The richness of Latin American culture is the product of many influences, including:

• Pre-Columbian cultures , whose importance is particularly important in countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay.

• European colonial culture, because of the history of colonization of the region by Spain, Portugal, and France. The European influence is particularly important in the so-called higher strata of culture, such as literature, painting, and music. This imperial history left a mark of its influence in many languages spoken in Central America ( including the Caribbean) , and South and North America ( Mexico , Chile, Argentina , Uruguay , Brazil and many parts of the United States).

• The immigration of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (from Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe ) transformed countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil (particularly areas of the southeast and south), Chile and Venezuela .

• immigration of Chinese, Korean and Japanese influenced the culture of Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

• The introduction of slaves from Africa, influenced dance and religion, especially in countries like the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba.

In this sense , it may be more accurate to refer to "indigenous -Afro- Latin culture".

RELIGIONS:

Most of the Latin American population professes Christianity , mainly Catholic Christianity. Other than this, Protestant Christianity is professed by a minority in countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Also there are indigenous beliefs that have survived until today, and which includes rituals practiced by countries such as Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru . In Mexico and Guatemala, the best known is the offering of the Day of the Dead. In Bolivia and Peru they make ritual offerings to the earth deity Pachamama.

In Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Haiti, Venezuela and French overseas regions (Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique) some African rituals are intertwined with proper Christian practices resulting in rituals such as Santeria, Umbanda, Candomblé and Macumba Voodoo.

Currently there are countries within the region where the Catholic Church has official status. In the others they have declared themselves secular states. Catholicism has officers in: Argentina, Costa Rica, Haiti and Panama. While the declared secular countries are: Bolivia (since 2009), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador (since 2008), El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

HEALTH:

Public health coverage and quality varies by country. Health care is free in the region with few exceptions. In rural areas and in the poorest countries they lack adequate infrastructure and have scarce medications; however, in several countries health care has modern and advanced facilities.

POVERTY:

Social inequality and poverty remain major challenges throughout the region. According to reports from ECLAC, Latin America has the highest degree of income inequality in the world.

In Latin America, 31% of the population lived under the poverty line in 2011. This is the lowest rate of poverty the region has had for several decades. Some 170 million Latin Americans live below the poverty line.

During the period 2000-2011, the three most egalitarian countries, based on the Gini coefficient, were: Uruguay         ( 0,424 ), Venezuela ( 0,435 ) and Argentina (0,458 ). The most unequal in the same period, based on the same ratio, were Haiti ( 0,595 ), Colombia ( 0,585 ) and Honduras (0,577).