Culture is Ever-Changing

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Latin America is a place full of rich culture and tradition, something most of the population here in California is aware of due to our close proximity to our Southern friends in Mexico. Within the Hispanic community, our actions, thoughts, and even societal views are dominated by our culture. In other words, to Latin Americans, culture, family, and religion is everything, but with so many migrating north and searching for a greater opportunity of a better life, the cultural norms may not resemble those of 100, even 50 years ago.
One of the major influences in the Latin culture due to the Spanish conquest of the natives has been religion. Catholicism spread throughout Latin America as a result of Spain and Portugal’s expansion to the New World (http://www.hispanic-culture-online.com/hispanic-religion.html#axzz2TDnjLQw). These countries felt so strongly about their beliefs that they were persistent on spreading it to the locals, taking no consideration for the already established natives and their belief systems. The result of this was a mix in cultures, with the very intense European Catholics, the natives had no choice but to embrace their religion. So began the fusion of worlds creating a culture that pulled elements from both sides of its family tree to create something that is all it’s own. Religion soon became a structure from which we molded ourselves after, shaping who we become, without losing that heritage we had gained across the ages.
Our old culture teaches us that family is key (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5237.html), and one should always stand by their family no matter what. It teaches us that when we are ill, our family will show their love by taking care of us and making sure we make a full and fast re...

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...ceived. Perceived as “losing” our heritage, we seem to believe that change is something bad we should always avoid, when in reality our culture is changing to adapt, as it did when the Europeans first set foot in the Americas. In conclusion, change is not always something to fear, because change is what has gotten us to where we are today, and sure, cultures will morph a bit to their surroundings, but it won’t change who you are.

Works Cited

Hede, Marcela. "Hispanic Religion, Catholic Traditions, Meaning and Celebrations Among Hispanics." Hispanic Religion. Hispanic Culture Online, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.
Clutter, Ann W., and Ruben D. Nieto. "Ohio State University Fact Sheet." Understanding the Hispanic Culture, HYG-5237-00. Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013
Rodriguez, Richard. "Essay: The Fear of Losing a Culture." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

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