Spanish Colonization Impact On Costa Rican Culture

Colonial Latin American society in the Seventeenth Century was undergoing a tremendous amount of changes. Society was transforming from a conquering phase into a colonizing phase. New institutions were forming and new people and ideas flooded into the new lands freshly claimed for the Spanish Empire. Two remarkable women, radically different from each other, who lived during this period of change are a lenses through which many of the new institutions and changes can be viewed. Sor Juana and Catalina de Erauso are exceptional women who in no way represent the norm but through their extraordinary tales and by discovering what makes them so extraordinary we can deduce what was the norm and how society functioned during this era of Colonial

The prominent reason behind the various overdone school rules regarding dress is the loose power that administrators have been given. They have been “reserve[d] the right to determine if a clothing item or accessory is appropriate for school” (Carroll High School Student Handbook 2010-2011 18). The officials at school are using their own personal opinions to judge the students’ dress. Since styles change as time goes on, the generation in control and the

Two other aspects of the Spanish and Puerto Rican culture are their governments and food. Spain and Puerto Rico have two different types of government. Spain’s government has both a parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy (Pena, 2012). Puerto Rica happens to be a commonwealth island of the United States (Puerto Rico, 2012). The influence on food found within Spain and Puerto Rico comes from many different backgrounds. Spain’s food background is influenced by the Roman, Greek, Celtic, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds (Pena, 2012). Puerto Rican food comes from the influences of the Taino Indian, Spanish, African, and U.S. American peoples. Not only can similarities be found with the family unit, religion, and traditions. They are also found within the government and food within the countries.

The term Hispanic refers to people who are capable of speaking and comprehending the Spanish language, and whose ancestry identifies with the Hispanic culture. The three main Hispanic groups in the United States are Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans are people who identify themselves as Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin, meaning they were either born in Puerto Rico, or have family ancestry that traces back to Puerto Rico. According to Lopez & Patten (2015), in 2013, Puerto Ricans were the second-largest Hispanic origin population living in the United States, accounting for 9.5%. This population continues to grow. In fact, between 1980 and 2013, the Puerto Rican population in the United States had increased by 56% (Lopez & Patten, 2015). Puerto Rican culture is unique, and quite complex. To gain knowledge and a better understanding of the Puerto Rican culture, I attended the Puerto Rican Festival held in Milwaukee, and conducted an interview with Melinda Nieves, a Puerto Rican woman living in Appleton. Through these experiences, I found that Puerto Rican culture is centered around language, family, and religion, as well as music and delicious food.

Puerto Rican food has many different ingredients derived from the different ethnic groups. They use many fresh ingredients for bold flavors, but their food generally isn’t spicy compared to other cultures. Puerto Ricans typically eat a light breakfast, but their lunch and dinner is heavy. For them, dinner is the most important meal of the day. Puerto Ricans typically drink coffee and eat mallorca which is a type of sweet bread. They normally start off dinner with an appetizer like soup or stew first. Some of the main Puerto Rican dishes include: carne frita con cebolla which is, fried beefsteak with onions, roast leg of pork, ham, lamb, or any roasted meats cooked in Creole style with blends of herbs and spices. Puerto Ricans also love chicken and many of their popular dishes include chicken like, arroz con pollo, chicken and

I am originally from Puerto Rico, which is a country in which communication is an integral part of society. The cultural norm of the Puerto Rican culture is to speak up when necessary and communicate clearly if we want things to be done. At the same time, I believe that in order to produce results, the manner in which communicating takes place, is an extremely important component. My culture also showed me how the emotions used when communicating, such as the use of the hands and body language, will dictate the tone and flow of the communication. The literature suggests that the majority (as much as 76%) of the message we gibe to another person during conversations is carried by non-verbal or para-verbal communication. Thus, we must be very careful and strategic in our use o non-verbal communication (Van Acker, 1997).

Culture is defined as the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellence in arts, letters, manners, and scholarly pursuits. Although it may share many common traits, Pennsylvania has its own culture that is separate from the United States. And when compared to Costa Rica, there are many differences. A trip to Costa Rica from Pennsylvania will offer unique experiences never seen at home. Costa Rica differs from Pennsylvania not only on geography, but also in community, which is what makes a culture unique.

We ate at a restaurant there in which the owner made ox carts. He did all of the woodwork using hydroelectricity with a waterwheel in the back. They were all also hand painted and hand carved pieces. It was very beautiful. We finally got to Turriabla that night. The next day we went to the college and botanical gardens of CATIE. In the botanical gardens we got to try all of the different fruits grown in Costa Rica. They are all very good and different tasting. Even the mangos and pineapples taste so much better there. Now that we are back I dislike the ones here. One example of something we tried there was called the miracle fruit. It made anything you ate afterwards that was sour taste sweet and it actually worked. We toured the coffee plantation there as well as the college campus and had more traditional Costa Rican food in the cafeteria there. Finally, in Turriabla we went to a fruit market and an ice cream shop and practiced our Spanish. We then prepared for our third stop.

Human habitation can be traced back more than 10,000 years but it appears Costa Rica was sparsely populated and a relative backwater in the pre-Columbian era. There is little sign of major communities and none of the impressive stone architecture that characterized the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica to the north and the Andes to the south. When Columbus arrived near Lim¢¢n on September 18, 1502 on his third and last voyage to the Americas, there were probably no more than 20,000 indigenous inhabitants They lived in several autonomous tribes, all with distinct cultures and customs. Costa Rica 's only major archaeological site is at Guayabo, 30 miles east of San Jos‚‚, where an ancient city, dating back to 1000 B.C. and though to

Europeans sailed to explore and find new lands where they could share their religions and gain glory for the finding of new islands. The indigenous people were on the verge of extinction due to the exploration and colonization of the Americas. Everyday, the Natives were forced to destroy their own culture, former beliefs, and selves. The Spaniard colonizers used inhumane acts as attempts to control the Natives and force them to complete tasks for them. The Spaniards viewed their lifestyle as superior and attempted to convert the indigenous people to follow their clean lifestyle. Spaniards did not view the Natives as equals which caused the justification of why they treated the Natives so poorly. The exploration of the Americas resulted in the

For lunch, the traditional meal is called a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed. There will usually be some type of meat (carne asada, fish, pork chop, or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish. There may also be some extras like fried plantain (patacones or maduro), a slice of white cheese, and/or corn tortillas in

In my travels of the world I have found myself immersed in many cultures and varieties of ethnicity; I have been very fortunate to live in a day and age where such communication and experience is possible in one lifetime. I have seen La Cathedral de Notre Dame, the Statue of Liberty, the home of Da Vinci, and so many more wonderfully spiritual and historic monuments. Yet still I can say with the utmost certainty that no location has left such a lasting impact on my soul as the quaint, simple country of Costa Rica. Although many places have penetrated me with a sense of what the majestic earth and her inhabitants are capable of and have forced me to question whether or not anything is beyond the grasp of human ingenuity, none have brought

Because the Indians and Spanish lived in different areas in Latin America, the Indian culture and society did not change significantly. Or did there society change?

Wouldn’t you appreciate that your children always know what to wear for school? School uniform is what makes it easy! A set of clothing that is mainly worn, school uniform is one of the school's policy and recommendation. Generally worn in elementary and middle school, this outfit is composed of specific colors of long or short pants and shirts for boys, sometimes with a tie. Girls usually wear a dress or a blouse worn either with a skirt or pants, all however have the same colors. This dress code determines even the type of shoes that should be worn at school. School uniform may vary from school to school, but it remains the basis dress code for the education system. The adoption of school extensive uniform mandatory has been encouraged

Christianity to the people. What happened instead was 350 years of Spanish rule that resulted