International Studies - Latin America Concentration

Examine a region of sharp contrasts and rich cultural history. In addition to its European ancestry, some parts of Latin America are strongly Native American. Sixty-two Native American languages are spoken in Mexico alone. Other parts show an unmistakable African heritage. Along the Caribbean coasts of Belize and Guatemala and south to Colombia and Venezuela, Afro-Caribbean people speak Creole languages. Parts of Latin America, especially Brazil, are widely expected to dominate the global economy. Other countries count among the poorest in the world (Honduras and Nicaragua) or house some of the starkest differences in wealth and poverty (Colombia and Mexico). Latin America houses 9% of the world's population in 20 countries. Some 18% of U.S. citizens describe themselves as Latino. As with other parts of the world, when we study Latin America, we also study ourselves.