Influence on Latin America

Social StudiesLatin America

Language• As the Spanish and Portuguese conquered

indigenous people, they spread their language.

• The Spanish language is still in use in the lands claimed and ruled by Spain. This includes most of Central and South America as well as the Caribbean Islands.

• Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. • Portugal rules Brazil from 150ss until 1822.

Language• Because Brazil is such a large country in area and

population, almost as many people in Latin America speak Portuguese as Spanish

• Europeans spread their language across Latin America

• Spanish and Portuguese were the official languages• They were the languages of government, business,

and power. • To be successful, people in these regions had to

know these languages.

Languages• Other languages did not die. • The indigenous people of Central and South America

moved into mountains and jungle. • Many of their languages were preserved. • Quechua, language of the Incas, is still spoken by 10

million people in western South America.• African languages survived in some places. • Haitian Creole is a blend of French and African

languages • However, Spanish and Portuguese are still the official

languages especially in relation to government, business and culture.

Religion• Replaced polytheism with the Catholic Religion• The Catholic Church played a role in expanding

the Spanish language as well as the religion• During the colonial period, the governments of

Spain and Portugal paid for missionaries to go to the new world.

• Church outposts were where Indians learned the Spanish language and the Spanish way of life.

• Over time, the Spanish language and Catholic religion led to a new culture in Latin America.

Religions• Priests, friars, and monks set up missions all

over Latin America. • Their job was to convert the indigenous

population. • They also ministered to the Europeans who

moved to the area. • The governments of Spain and Portugal

supported the missionaries with money to build churches.

• The governments sometimes supported with protection from the army.

Religions• The indigenous people were often forced to say they were accepting Christianity. • Sometimes they accepted Christianity easily

and other times they rebelled against it. • However, many continued to practice their

own traditional beliefs. • Some people mixed their traditional beliefs

with beliefs of the Catholic Church.

Today• Spanish is the primary language of Latin

America. • Portuguese remains the official language of

Brazil. • Catholicism is still the most widespread

religion in the region.

Q1: Which two countries contributed most to the languages

of Latin America? A. England and SpainB. Spain and PortugalC. France and PortugalD. England and Portugal

Q2: Spanish and Portuguese are important to Latin America

because they are____________?

A. The only official languagesB. The two main spoken languagesC. Spoken by everyone in Latin AmericaD. Understood by government workers and

businessmen

Q3: What is the most common religion in Latin America?

A. Creole B. AymaraC. QuechuaD. Roman Catholic

Q4: How did the Spanish government have an influence on the spread of the

Roman Catholic Church in the New World?

A. The Catholic Church controlled SpainB. Spanish royalty didn’t support the Catholic

ChurchC. It paid to build missions to bring Christianity

to the native populationD. Churches from other parts of the world did

not send missionaries to the New World