Culture and Diversity in Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Culture and Diversity in Latin America - Essay Example Much of what is now taken as their culture originated from the Portuguese and the Spaniards who conquered the land. Their colonization blurred and made complicated the cultural and racial mixture that existed at the time. A great diversity within followed with the influences of other European countries, Africans and Indians being ingrained in both the culture and the language. In order to organize the diversity created by their stay, the Spaniards formed hierarchies with the varying ethnic groups through ranking. This did not sit well with many writers and artists whose feelings for the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors are quite ambivalent. Said racial hierarchies are still present and is in fact still very strong during the 19th and 20th centuries. Thought the media, the arts and other intellectuals, e.g., writers and artists, the Latin American identities are reshaped particularly those of the people with the mixed racial background and the indigenous Africans. The interplay of various cultures from different countries played a huge part in forming the Latin American culture. This is what is represented by Chapter 14 of the book. It made mention of the the â€Å"Colossus of the North†, no other than the United States, which had an effect especially on the cultural production of the region in the 20th century. It also discussed the ironic fact that Brazilian modernism relied on the European nations for its inspiration yet argued that its own artists should be able to create artwork that is uniquely Brazilian. Also in the 20th century, the communist parties in the Latin American region, instead of gaining notoriety, gained much appeal to many artists. All these facts as written in the subject chapter brought to light what made up the culture that the Latin Americans have and why though diversity is present.