Latin American culture in the context of "Mexican culture"

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⭐ Core Definition: Latin American culture

The culture of Latin America is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America and includes both high culture (literature and high art) and popular culture (music, folk art, and dance), as well as religion and other customary practices. These are generally of Western origin, but have various degrees of Native American, African and Asian influence.

Definitions of Latin America vary. From a cultural perspective, Latin America generally refers to those parts of the Americas whose cultural, religious and linguistic heritage can be traced to the Latin culture of the late Roman Empire. This would include areas where Spanish, Portuguese, and various other Romance languages, which can trace their origin to the Vulgar Latin spoken in the late Roman Empire, are natively spoken. Such territories include almost all of Mexico, Central America and South America, with the exception of English or Dutch speaking territories. Culturally, it could also encompass the French derived culture in the Caribbean and North America, as it ultimately derives from Latin Roman influence as well. There is also an important Latin American cultural presence in the United States since the 16th century in areas such as California, Texas, and Florida, which were part of the Spanish Empire. More recently, in cities such as New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

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👉 Latin American culture in the context of Mexican culture

Mexico's culture emerged from the culture of the Spanish Empire and the preexisting indigenous cultures of Mexico. Mexican culture is described as the 'child' of both western and Native American civilizations. Other minor influences include those from other regions of Europe, Africa and also Asia.

First inhabited more than 10,000 years ago, the cultures that developed in Mexico became one of the cradles of civilization. During the 300-year rule by the Spanish, Mexico was a crossroads for the people and cultures of Europe, America, West Africa, and with minor influences from parts of Asia. Starting in the late 19th century, the government of independent Mexico has actively promoted cultural fusion (mestizaje) and shared cultural traits in order to create a national identity. Despite this base layer of shared Mexican identity and wider Latin American culture, the big and varied geography of Mexico and the many different indigenous cultures create more of a cultural mosaic, comparable to the heterogeneity of countries like India or China.

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Latin American culture in the context of Empanada

An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spain, Portugal, other Southern European countries, North African countries, West African countries (also known as Meatpie in Nigeria), South Asian countries, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish empanar (to bread, i.e., to coat with bread), and translates as 'breaded', that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Mexican culture ← Culture of Mexico ← Empanada
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Latin America → High culture → Popular culture → Western culture → Indigenous peoples of the Americas → African diaspora → Asian diaspora → Culture → Later Roman Empire → Spanish language in the Americas → Brazilian Portuguese → Romance languages → Vulgar Latin → Western Roman Empire → English language → Dutch language → French language in the Americas → Latin → 16th century → Spanish Empire → New York City → Chicago → Dallas → Los Angeles → Miami →