Portal:Latin America

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Intro Latin America (Spanish: América Latina or Latinoamérica; Portuguese: América Latina) is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish and Portuguese. Since it is defined according to its cultural identity instead of its geography, Latin America includes countries from both North and South America. For instance, countries from North America like Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, etc. tend to be included. In fact, most of the countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean are considered Latin American countries. English or Dutch-speaking countries in South America or the Caribbean like Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, etc. are not considered "Latin American" because they speak Germanic languages. As such, Latin America comprises the Hispanic America along with Brazil. Related terms include the narrower Hispanic America, which exclusively refers to Spanish-speaking nations; and the broader Ibero-America, which includes all Iberian countries in the Americas. The term Latin America was first introduced in 1856 at a conference named Initiative of the Americas: Idea for a Federal Congress of the Republics (Iniciativa de la América. Idea de un Congreso Federal de las Repúblicas), at Paris. Chilean politician Francisco Bilbao coined the term to refer to countries sharing cultural and linguistic heritage. It gained further prominence during the 1860s under the rule of Napoleon III, whose government sought to justify France's intervention in the Second Mexican Empire. (Full article...) See also: Latino and Ibero-America Recognized content - Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards. Spanish entry routes to Petén during the 17th century, overlaid with the route that Hernán Cortés took in 1525 The Spanish conquest of Petén was the last stage of the conquest of Guatemala, a prolonged conflict during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. A wide lowland plain covered with dense rainforest, Petén contains a central drainage basin with a series of lakes and areas of savannah. It is crossed by several ranges of low karstic hills and rises to the south as it nears the Guatemalan Highlands. The conquest of Petén, a region now incorporated into the modern republic of Guatemala, climaxed in 1697 with the capture of Nojpetén, the island capital of the Itza kingdom, by Martín de Ursúa y Arizmendi. With the defeat of the Itza, the last independent and unconquered native kingdom in the Americas fell to European colonisers. Sizeable Maya populations existed in Petén before the conquest, particularly around the central lakes and along the rivers. Petén was divided into different Maya polities engaged in a complex web of alliances and enmities. The most important groups around the central lakes were the Itza, the Yalain and the Kowoj. Other groups with territories in Petén included the Kejache, the Acala, the Lakandon Chʼol, the Xocmo, the Chinamita, the Icaiche and the Manche Chʼol. (Full article...) List of recognized articles South American dreadnought race The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (film) Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) ARA Moreno Rongorongo Andean condor Galápagos tortoise Chagas disease 1910 Cuba hurricane Spanish conquest of Guatemala Pedro II of Brazil List of international goals scored by Javier Hernández Sésamo Latin American Boom Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903 Venezuelan refugee crisis Argentine–Chilean naval arms race Violeta Chamorro Néstor Kirchner Carmen Casco de Lara Castro Pedro I of Brazil Uruguayan War Empire of Brazil 1930 FIFA World Cup Maya civilization Maya stelae Olmec colossal heads Nahuatl Cantons of Costa Rica Armero tragedy Nevado del Ruiz The General in His Labyrinth Fauna of Puerto Rico Luis Aparicio Award El Hatillo Municipality Effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Lesser Antilles and South America Norte Chico civilization Peru national football team Mario Vargas Llosa List of World Heritage Sites in Peru Mayor of Pichilemu May Revolution Juan Manuel de Rosas Pisco sour Calabozos Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre Cerro Azul (Chile volcano) Payún Matrú 2013 Rosario gas explosion Evo Morales Pedro II of Brazil Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil Mário de Andrade Thalassodromeus Lundomys 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix List of Golden Martín Fierro Award winners Guianan cock-of-the-rock Suriname at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Copa Libertadores Spanish American wars of independence Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos Guyana at the 2008 Summer Olympics Demerara rebellion of 1823 Dictator novel Augusto Roa Bastos Venezuelan crisis of 1895 Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Capybara Revolt of the Comuneros (Paraguay) Lake Tauca Topics More did you know - ... that Carmen Casco de Lara Castro, founder of one of the first human rights organizations in Latin America, was arrested, denied a passport, and monitored by the Stroessner regime? WikiProjects WikiProject South America WikiProject Latin America (semi-active) Selected article - Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, bordering the United States of America to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast, while having maritime boundaries with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km2 (761,610 sq mi), and is the thirteenth-largest country in the world by land area. With a population exceeding 134 million as of 2026, Mexico is the tenth-most populous country in the world and is home to the largest number of native Spanish speakers. Mexico City is the capital and largest city in Mexico, which ranks among the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Human presence in Mexico dates back to at least 11,500 BC, although dates as old as 28,000 BC have been proposed for less securely dated sites. Mesoamerica, considered a cradle of civilization, was home to numerous advanced societies, including the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotecs, Teotihuacan civilization, and Purépecha. Spanish colonization began in 1521 with an indigenous alliance that defeated the Aztec Empire, establishing the colony of New Spain with its capital at Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City. New Spain became a major center of the transoceanic economy during the Age of Discovery, fueled by silver mining and its position as a hub between Europe and Asia. This gave rise to one of the largest multiracial populations in the world. The Peninsular War led to the 1810–1821 Mexican War of Independence, which ended Peninsular rule and led to the creation of the First Mexican Empire, which quickly collapsed into the short-lived First Mexican Republic. In 1848, Mexico lost nearly half its territory in the Mexican-American War. Liberal reforms set in the Constitution of 1857 led to civil war and French intervention, culminating in the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire under Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg, who was overthrown by Republican forces led by Benito Juárez. The late 19th century saw the long dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, whose modernization policies came at the cost of severe social unrest. The 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution led to the overthrow of Díaz and the adoption of the 1917 Constitution. Mexico experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth in the 1940s–1970s, amidst electoral fraud, the Tlatelolco massacre, and economic crises. The late 20th century saw a shift towards neoliberalism, marked by the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, amidst unrest in Chiapas. (Full article...) List of selected articles Flag of Mexico Peru Argentina Brazil Chile Dominican Republic Nicaragua Colombia Costa Rica Latin Americans Honduras Cuba Guatemala Race and ethnicity in Latin America 2010 Ecuador crisis Venezuelan protests (2014–present) Mesoamerica History of Guatemala 2010 Copiapó mining accident Indictment and arrest of Augusto Pinochet 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis Mary Wilhelmine Williams Foreign policy of the Ollanta Humala administration Guayabera Responses to the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis Augusto Pinochet Panama Canal Zone Panama Panama Canal International sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis Latin America–United Kingdom relations Deportation of Germans from Latin America during World War II Canada–Latin America relations Tegucigalpa Women in Latin music Capture of the sloop Anne White Latin Americans Day of the Dead Suriname Bolivia Paraguay 2014 Venezuelan protests Military dictatorship in El Salvador Canada–Latin America relations Hugo Chávez Nicolás Maduro 2018 Panama–Venezuela diplomatic crisis 2016 Peruvian general election COVID-19 pandemic in South America 2010 Colombia–Venezuela diplomatic crisis 2011–2013 Chilean student protests Pancho Villa Deforestation in Central America San Salvador Second French intervention in Mexico Mabel Moraña San José, Costa Rica Mexican cuisine Belize City Guatemalan Civil War Guatemala City Panama Papers Montevideo Bogotá Amazon River Amazon rainforest Emperor tamarin Santiago Brasília Santo Domingo Mexico City Managua Asunción Caracas Havana Quito LATAM Chile Kingston, Jamaica Sucre La Paz Rio de Janeiro São Paulo Buenos Aires Córdoba, Argentina Economy of South America Coffee production in Brazil Andes Latino (demonym) Latin Americans Latin music Banana Wars LGBT cinema in Latin America Ethnic groups in Latin America HIV/AIDS in Latin America Lima Feminism in Latin America Mestizo Latin American economy Latin American art Did you know (auto-generated) ... that Antonio Oteiza was a missionary in Latin America but from 1961 focused on creating religious art, which he felt had more impact than sermons? ... that the Dominican folktale of the ciguapa was propagandized by the Rafael Trujillo regime to promote race mixing? ... that Tural, the setting of the expansion pack Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, is inspired by Latin America and Southeast Asia? ... that, as part of Operación Estrella Polar III, Chilean president Gabriel Boric became the first Latin American leader to visit the South Pole? ... that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak complained when a joint declaration was made at a summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that used the term Islas Malvinas? ... that Diana Vicezar created recycled housing for street dogs, a recruitment platform for international students, and a podcast about Latin American students in Ireland? General images The following are images from various Latin America-related articles on Wikipedia. 1903 political cartoon: President Roosevelt intimidating Colombia to acquire the Panama Canal Zone. (from History of Latin America) Ethnic distribution by country. (from Culture of Latin America) The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is the second largest in the world, after only of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City. (from Culture of Latin America) Holy week, Ouro Preto-MG, 2010. Chrome. Photo: Guy Veloso. (from Culture of Latin America) Monument to Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City (from Culture of Latin America) Comandanta Ramona of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, Mexico (from History of Latin America) Mexican Stock Exchange (from Culture of Latin America) Fidel Castro and his men in the Sierra Maestra, 2 December 1956 (from History of Latin America) In blue countries under right-wing governments and in red countries under left-wing and centre-left governments as of 2023 (from History of Latin America) Calls for justice in the wake of the Guatemalan genocide (from History of Latin America) Roll-on/roll-offships, such as this one pictured here at Miraflores locks, are among the largest ships to pass through the Panama Canal. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. (from History of Latin America) The Guadalajara International Film Festival is considered the most prestigious film festival in Latin America. (from Culture of Latin America) A 17th-century map of the Americas (from History of Latin America) Pope Paul VI and Salvadoran cleric Oscar Romero (now St Oscar Romero) (from History of Latin America) The joropo, as depicted in a 1912 drawing by Eloy Palacios (from Culture of Latin America) Countries in Latin America by date of independence (from History of Latin America) Villa de Leyva, a historical and cultural landmark of Colombia (from Culture of Latin America) Exhumation of corpses in the aftermath of the Guatemalan genocide (from History of Latin America) Intermediate level international-style Latin dancing at the 2006 MIT ballroom dance competition. A judge stands in the foreground. (from Culture of Latin America) Plaquita, a Dominican street version of cricket. The Dominican Republic was first introduced to cricket through mid-18th century British contact, but switched to baseball after the 1916 American occupation. (from Culture of Latin America) Map of Countries in Latin America with Socialist regimes during the Cold War c. 1985 (from History of Latin America) Agrarian reform poster, Guatemala 1952 (from History of Latin America) Left-leaning leaders of Bolivia, Brazil and Chile at the Union of South American Nations summit in 2008 (from History of Latin America) The name Augusto Sandino, Nicaraguan nationalist hero for his struggle against the United States, was taken by leftist guerrillas as the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). (from History of Latin America) Instituto Arnoldo Gabaldón, declared August 30, 1984, as a National Historic Landmark (from Culture of Latin America) Che Guevara Cuban revolutionary poster (from History of Latin America) Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (from History of Latin America) Fiambre, Guatemalan traditional dish, eaten on November 1, the Day of the Dead (from Culture of Latin America) Selected panorama The Ruins of Sacsayhuamán Panorama of The Ruins of Sacsayhuamán, a main sight in the City of Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire and Peru. It is a major tourist destination and receives almost 1.5 million visitors a year. Selected picture Moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island Moai Credit: Aurbina Moai are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500 CE.Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the island's perimeter. Almost all moai have overly large heads three-eighths the size of the whole statue. The moai are chiefly the living faces (aringa ora) of deified ancestors (aringa ora ata tepuna).The statues still gazed inland across their clan lands when Europeans first visited the island, but most were cast down during later conflicts between clans. Categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Latin America Ibero-America Mesoamerica South America Latin America and the Caribbean Countries in Latin America Culture of Latin America Education in Latin America Foreign relations of Latin America Latin American history Latin American integration Latin America-related lists Organizations based in Latin America Latin American people Pontifical Commission for Latin America Latin American restaurants Spanish language in the Americas Stock exchanges in Latin America Latin American studies Works about Latin America Writers on Latin America Latin American law stubs Countries Territories (in bold), dependencies, and subnational entities of a country not located primarily in Latin America are italicized. Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic French Guiana Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Honduras Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique Mexico Montserrat Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela Related portals North and Central America Caribbean South America Associated Wikimedia More portals Discover Wikipedia using portals List of all portals The arts portal Biography portal Current events portal Geography portal History portal Mathematics portal Science portal Society portal Technology portal Random portal WikiProject Portals