Race In Latin America Essay

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Latin America Shaped by Race from Past to Present Race significantly impacts many people around the world. In fact each and every one of our lives have been effected in some way because of our race. Latin American countries have undoubtedly experienced the impact of race on a broad spectrum. The past issues of race amongst Latin American countries have shaped the present day lives of Latin Americans. It is apparent that race has played a continuous role in the establishment of present day social and economical standards of these countries. Firstly, in the Colonial period the people of Latin American countries were categorized by their race. This system that was put into place by the Iberian Crowns was called the caste system. It was a system …show more content…

There are millions of blacks living in Brazil today because of the slave trade. It is rooted in African traditions from religion to music. Much like the caste system, Brazilians have over one hundred categories for their race. The people are many different shades of brown. Henry Gates when speaking of Brazil said, “It’s a hybrid nation and its people are descendants of African, European, and the original indigenous inhabitants (“Brazil: A Racial Paradise”). They label themselves as mulato, moreno, cafuso, caboclo, negra, and black to name a few. Just like Brazil the Dominican Republic is a mixture of different skin tones. Henry Gates, said the people of the Dominican Republic “are a rainbow of darks, tans, and browns” (Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided). At least ninety percent of the people are of African descent (Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided). Yet, the people are in denial of their black ancestry. They refer to themselves as Indio. Indio is a broad generalization of many shades of brown. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are separated only by a river. The people of the Dominican Republic tried to abolish and forget everything that had to do with their African descent, whereas the Haitians clung to every piece of heritage they could. The people of Haiti are darker than the people from the Dominican Republic and the modern day people of

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