Transcript Languages and Religions of Latin America

Languages and Religions of
Latin America
Languages and Religions of Latin
America
• Spanish and Portuguese spread their
languages and religions to the indigenous
people they conquered.
• Over time the indigenous people replaced
their native tongues with Spanish and
Portuguese. They also replaced religious
practices of idol worship and human
sacrifice with the Catholic religion.
Latin America
• Central and South America and the
Caribbean Islands make up the region of
Latin America
• The term “Latin America” was started in
the 1800s to group the countries that
spoke mostly languages based on the
ancient Latin language of Spanish and
Portuguese.
Languages Today
• Spanish is the primary language of most
of Latin America
• Portuguese is the official language of
Brazil
• French, English, Dutch, and hundreds of
native languages are still spoken
Religions
• Catholic priests and missionaries built missions
in the newly conquered areas. Missions were
church outposts where Indians learned the
Spanish language and the Spanish way of life.
• The missionaries tried to convert the indigenous
people to the Catholic religion.
• The priests also ministered to the new European
settlers in the area.
• The Spanish and Portuguese military helped
provide protection for the missions.
Missions
Religions
• Sometimes the indigenous people were
forced to convert to Catholicism.
• Sometimes they mixed their traditional
beliefs with beliefs of the Catholic Church.
Blending of Ethnic Groups
• Europeans, Africans, and Native
Americans were the largest ethnic groups
in Latin America
• Over time many people in these groups
intermarried and developed their own
unique cultures
• Some of the Native Americans were able
to preserve their culture by moving into
remote mountainous or jungle regions
Mulattoes
• Mulattoes are people
that are a mix of
African and European
heritage.
Mulattoes
• There are numerous
mulattoes today in
Brazil, Panama, and
the Caribbean
Islands.
Mestizos
• Mestizos are
people that have a
mix of European
and Native
American heritage.
Mestizos
• Mestizos make up
the majority of the
population of
Venezuela today.
Blending of Ethnic Groups
• The main religion today in Latin America is
Roman Catholic. However many of the
Native Americans and Africans have
blended their own religions with the
Roman Catholic religion to form unique
practices.