1. Map Monday What is the dominant language of Latin America?
How do linguistics and history influence each other?
Name one thing on this map that surprises you.

2. Culture in Latin America

3. Colonization Patterns
Most Latin American nations were controlled by the country that ‘discovered’ them during the 16th and 17th centuries
Portugal- Brazil
Holland- Suriname
France- French Guiana
England- Guyana and Caribbean Islands
Spain- everything else

4. Cultural Influence in Latin America
Most of the culture in Latin America and the Caribbean has been heavily influenced by the European colonization of the region
Spanish and Portuguese are the primary languages of the region
Roman Catholicism is the primary religion in the region
Many nations in the region have taken the influence of their European colonists and combined them with the cultures of the indigenous peoples of Latin America
These cultures are referred to as mestizo
Mix of Spanish and Native American heritage

5. Christianity in Latin America
Catholicism is the dominant religion in Central and South America
Catholicism was diffused from Europe during the age of exploration
Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world
Protestantism is the other major religion

6. Other Religious Practices in Latin America
Many of the religious practices in Central America and the Caribbean are influenced by African tribal religions
Santeria – combines indigenous African practices and rituals with Catholic elements
Voodoo – practiced on the island of Haiti
Rastafarianism – religious and political movement based in Jamaica

7. Learning Task
Use the BBC Religions website to research Christianity, Rastafarianism, and Santeria.
For each:
Write three sentences summarizing the basic beliefs of the religion.
Draw two pictures that represent the religion.
In one word write the culture most responsible for this religion being found in Latin America.

8. Where in the World Wednesday

9. Christ the Redeemer
Rio De Janeiro , Brazil
Donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics. Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue and Paul Landowski sculpted it. .
1931
5. A symbol of Brazilian Christianity