Latin America

Latin America is the region of the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese, or French predominates, including Mexico, Central America, much of the Caribbean, and South America.

Spanish colonization of the Americas: Spain’s conquest and settlement of territories across the Americas from the late fifteenth century onward. Spanish rule established the language and colonial institutions that define much of the region.
Spanish language: A Romance language originating on the Iberian Peninsula and spoken widely across the Americas. Spanish is the predominant language in most Latin American countries.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas: The diverse peoples whose societies inhabited the Americas before European colonization and continue to live there. Indigenous communities and cultures remain foundational across the region.
Anglo-America: The parts of the Americas shaped chiefly by English-speaking societies and British colonial histories. It is commonly contrasted with Latin America’s Romance-language colonial heritage.
Latin American debt crisis: The 1980s financial crisis in which several Latin American countries struggled to repay foreign debt. The crisis reshaped economic policy and international relations across much of the region.
Portuguese colonization of the Americas: Portugal’s conquest and settlement of Brazil, beginning in the sixteenth century. Portuguese rule made Brazil the region’s largest country and its main Portuguese-speaking society.
Portuguese language: A Romance language originating on the Iberian Peninsula and spoken in Brazil and several other countries. Portuguese distinguishes Brazil from its mostly Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Afro-Latin Americans: People of African descent in Latin America and their diverse communities and cultural traditions. Their histories reflect both the transatlantic slave trade and enduring African influence.
Hispano-America: The Spanish-speaking countries and territories of the Americas. This narrower label excludes Portuguese-speaking Brazil and French-speaking areas.
Import substitution industrialization: An economic strategy that promotes domestic manufacturing by limiting reliance on imported goods. Many Latin American governments used it to build industry during the twentieth century.

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