Colonization of Central America

Spanish & Portuguese Influence on Latin America

By Jordan Batchelder

​Discovery of the Americas

​•Christopher Columbus was sponsored by Spain.​

–His mission: find a quick and safe route to Asia​

•Columbus never reached Asia; he landed in the Americas in 1492 claimed the surrounding land for Spain.

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Columbus' First Landing

Spanish Colonization​

• ​Spanish explored, conquered, and settled areas of Florida, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America.

–also claimed many islands in the Caribbean

• Today, most people in these areas speak Spanish

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​Portuguese Colonization

• Portugal claimed the land from the Atlantic Ocean across South America to the Andes Mountains.

–It covered most of the vast Amazon River region, in what is

now present-day Brazil.

• Today, most people in this area (Brazil) speak Portuguese.

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​Cultural Diffusion

• The Spanish and Portuguese spread their culture and religion  across the region:

–developed colonies that were similar to the ones in Europe

–conquered the natives and forced them to learn Spanish and

Portuguese and convert to Roman Catholicism

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Latin America Today

• The term “Latin America” started in the 1800s.

• It refers to the group of countries that spoke mostly languages based on the ancient Latin language.

–Spanish and Portuguese  are both derivatives of Latin (Romance language group).

• The shared religion (Catholic), culture, & languages (Spanish & Portuguese) have united the region.

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Open Ended

What does this image tell you about Latin America's culture?