What Is Latin America?

The people who live in Latin America—generally thought of as Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean—today are the descendants of individuals from many different parts of the world and from many different cultural traditions. Unlike other regions of the world that have been inhabited by humans and human ancestors for hundreds of thousands or millions of years, people have only lived in the Americas for approximately twenty thousand years. This brief history of Latin America and its people provides an overview of the main historical occurrences that have resulted in the vibrant and dynamic societies and cultures that exist in the region today.

Although its origins are disputed, the term “Latin America” was proposed in the 1830s by a French economist who thought that the region should align itself with “Latin Europe” against other European powers. In the 1850s, South and Central Americans brought it into general use to differentiate the region from Anglo-Saxon America. Most broadly, and as used in this exhibit, Latin America and the Caribbean refers to all countries and dependencies in this hemisphere south of the United States. Although there are distinct cultural differences among the peoples who inhabit this region, the area shares a similar colonial and socioeconomic history.