Colombian Culture Essay

Culture includes religion, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and many other aspects. Food is another main part of culture and that includes how we sit at the table and our dietary needs. Hispanics and Americans are the two largest ethnic groups in America. This means both of these groups had to become accustomed to the culture of one another. One very immense difference and similarity between Hispanics and Americans is food.

Colombia was one of the three original countries along with Ecuador and Venezuela that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830. Over the last 40 years, there has been a campaign to overthrow the government partially because of the drug trades throughout Colombia. The movement does however lack support from military and support from the necessary influences. In recent years, there have been challenges for control of the territories throughout Colombia and also for the drug trade.

Colombia is located in South America, is divided into five regions: Andina, Pacifica, Caribe, Amazonica and Orinoquia. It has thirty-two states. Colombia is bordered to the north by Panama, to the east by Venezuela and Brazil, south to Peru and Ecuador, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is the only South American country with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which has several islands as the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. Colombia has the largest number of species per unit area in the world, total is the second most diverse country in the world after Brazil. United Sates is located in North America where its 48 states and Washington DC, the capital district. Between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, and is the only U.S. state that is not in America. The country also

Most of us are familiar with these global terms “American dream” and “drugs cartels”. These thoughts exemplify one the differences between United States of America and Colombia. Despite United States of America and Colombia are located in the same hemisphere significant differences in food, natural resources and tourist attractions make each country quite distinct from the other.

An important part of the Hispanic heritage, especially in colombia, is out fresh and delicious food; we have so many different fruits because we are a tropical country located in the equator, also

Colombia, republic in South America, situated in the northwestern part of the continent, and bounded on the north by Panama and the Caribbean Sea, on the east by Venezuela and Brazil, on the south by Peru and Ecuador, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia is the only country of South America with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The total land area of the country is 1,141,748 sq km (440,831 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Bogotá.

From January 20 to 23, I went to Santa Fe and San Ildefonso in New Mexico with Dr. Laughlin and my classmates. I was totally surprised by the architecture of the housing and the rich collection of Native American cultures. I expected to see traditional suburbs but instead I found almost everyone has built houses resembling traditional adobe homes which I had never seen. Houses, businesses, government buildings including museums are almost built in this style. The colors seem to blend in with the desert. One of the most exciting events I attended in New Mexico was the museum presentation of the Zuni tribe. Although we actually did not meet the Zuni tribe, we learned a lot about them because Dawn Kaufmann who is a guide at the Museum of

Mexican, Filipino, and Thai these are just a few of the diverse cultures in this group. To begin with, some interesting aspects of the Mexican culture is that the primary language of the culture is Spanish, the primary religion is Catholicism, and in Mexico one of the popular celebrations are The Day of the Dead. To begin with the primary language of the Mexican culture is Spanish. Approximately 92.7 percent of the Mexican population Speaks spanish. The lesser used dialects in Mexico include such as Mayan, and Nahuatl. Another interesting aspect of the Mexican culture is the primary religion is Catholicism. 82% of the Mexican population identifies as Catholic. There are also very few Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. Last but not least, Day of the dead is celebrated in Mexico. It is celebrated on November 2. This day is set aside to remember and honor those who died.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Latino population is composed of people of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central America, or other Spanish cultures or origins (Grieco and Cassidy, 2001). As of 2010, there were over 50 million Latinos in the U.S. (Ennis, Rio-Vargas and Albert, 2011). This makes Latinos the largest minority group in the nation. Collectively, this group is now referred to as either Latino or Hispanic. The largest segment of this population is Mexican Americans, but they became Mexican Americans without ever crossing a border. Many Mexicans became Mexican Americans with the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848 when the U.S. annexed Texas and Mexico ceded California and most of Arizona and New Mexico to the U.S. The U.S. granted citizenship to about 75,000 Mexicans who remained on annexed land (Schaefer, 2004), and with the open border between Mexico and the United States there has been large-scale movement between the two countries for 100 years. And it wasn’t until 1965 that immigration from Mexico was restricted (Schaefer, 2004).

Latin America represents 1/10 of the world's population, and geographically can be located from the land extensions of Mexico, until the Patagonia at Argentina. Some of the most relevant elements of today's culture in Latin America are; Religion, Values, Attitudes, Social structure, Social stratification, Language and Gift-giving hospitality. The predominant religion throughout history in Latin America has been Catholicism. From big cities to small villages, churches, basilicas, and cathedrals are found. Catholicism left its mark, from customs and values to architecture and art. During many years in many countries the Catholic Church had power over all civil institutions, education, and law. Nowadays religion

The number of Latinos in the United States more than doubled between 1980 and 2000, accounting for 40 percent of the growth in the country's population during that period. And in 2003 the U.S. Census Bureau designated Latinos as the nation's largest minority group, an amazing event given that in 1980 the Latino population was only slightly more than half the size of the African American population. The Latino population has had an impact not only on the U.S. population, but also on other aspects of U.S. society. This can be seen, for example, in the increasing popularity of Latin American food and music and in the prevalence of Spanish-language signage, advertisements, and media.

“Colombia is well endowed with minerals and energy resources. It has the largest coal reserves in Latin America and is second to Brazil in hydroelectric potential. The country's oil reserves total about 2.6 billion barrels. However, these are estimated to represent less than 20% of the country's actual oil potential.” This site also discusses how Colombia’s unique climate and topography allow for success in production of natural goods such as the aforementioned coffee, flowers, tropical fruits, and livestock to name a few (“Colombia Trade News”).

During this time, the levels of violence were lower than many European and American Countries. Colombia has gained international fame as one of the major centers in the world for drug trafficking. Anytime a country has a problem with drug trafficking, crime is always high.

The Colombian government is a republic. It has a long democratic tradition. It is separated into 32 departments. It has one capitol district, Fe de Bogota. The president is the head. He is elected for a four-year term by a national vote. The current president is Juan Manuel Santos. Congress contains the Senate and The House of Representatives. You have to be at least eighteen to be able to vote.

History of the region from the pre-Columbian period and including colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese beginning in the 15th century, the 19th-century wars of independence, and developments to the end of World War II.Latin America is generally understood to consist of the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean whose inhabitants speak a Romance language. The peoples of this large area shared the experience of conquest and colonization by the Spaniards and Portuguese from the late 15th through the 18th centuries as well as movements of independence from Spain and Portugal in the early 19th century. Even since independence, many of the various