Map Latin America

The geography in Latin America is diverse, and so are the people. Most trace their ancestry back to Africa, Europe and Latin America itself.

Many people in Latin America come from Africa because they were originally brought over during the slave trade. Today, an estimated 120 million to 150 million people in Latin America are of African descent.

Other people trace their heritage to the Spanish and Portuguese colonizers who took control of Latin America. The influence of the colonizers can be seen by the predominant language of the region: Spanish.

The other groups of people in Latin America come from the original inhabitants of the region itself: indigenous groups such as the Inca, Maya and Aztec. These people are usually referred to as Amerindian. The most widely spoken Amerindian language in the region, Quechua (also called Kichwa or Quichua), comes from the early Incan empire. Between 35 million and 55 million people in Latin America are estimated to be of indigenous descent.

If you look at Ecuador alone you’ll get an idea of the diversity of the entire region. In the Chimborazo province of Ecuador, there are 30 different indigenous peoples of Inca descent. Each group of people has its own traditional dress, customs, dialect and diet. The Puruhá people, for example, are known for their beautiful woven textiles. They are primarily subsistence farmers who, in addition to potatoes, grow barley, quinoa (a local grain) and abas (beans). Sheep, and occasionally alpaca, are raised for their wool. Despite the differences, there is one tradition everyone shares across all of Latin America: the Day of the Dead, or el Día de los Muertos.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated each year between October 31 and November 2. Although the name may sound scary, in reality the day is a fun and joyful occasion. Children eat sweets and hear stories about family members who have passed away. For lunch, people eat bread called pan de los muertos, or bread of the dead, which is shaped like a skull and crossbones. On the last day, families go to the cemetery. They take the favorite foods of family members who have died so that they will eat with them. It is a day for the family, living and dead, to be together.