Culture of Venezuela
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Venezuelan people have a very rich and very diverse cultural heritage. A sort of melting pot culture has been created by wide influences, from the original American Indians to the Spanish and Africans who arrived after the Spanish conquest, the 20th century waves of immigration brought many Italians, Portuguese, Arabs, Germans, and others from the bordering countries of South America. About 85% of Venezuelans live in urban areas in the northern part of the country. Even though almost half of the land area is south of the Orinoco River, only 5% of the population live in that area. About 96% of the population call themselves Roman Catholic. The rest belong to other churches, mainly the Protestant church.
language: Spanish
[edit] A Cultural Melting Pot
Venezuelan culture is indeed a blend of three main cultures: Indigenous, African, and Spanish. The first two also had different tribes within them, with various cultures. The Indigenous influence is found mostly in the typical food of the country (like arepas), in the vocabulary and in many place names. The capital of Caracas is named after the tribe of indigenous people that lived in the valley where the city now stands. The African influence was mostly food, language and musical instruments such as the drums. The Spanish influence was of course the heaviest, and in particular the influence of the regions of Andalucia and Extremadura from which most of the colonial people came. Examples of the Spanish influence is easily found in the religion, language, architecture, music, food and other aspects of Venezuelan culture.
Venezuela was also enriched by other European cultures during the 19th Century, especially the French. Most recently, the large cities and oil-rich regions saw a large influx of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese immigration, alongside American influences. Adding to the already complex cultural landscape, American influence gave Venezuelan culture things such as baseball, the national sport of Venezuela, cinema, arts and architecture.
As is seen in the rest of Latin America, the cultural influences have not created racial divides with in the country. Venezuela is so racially rich and mixed that there is no real differentiation alongside racial lines (except for the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon and other regions) but along social classes (which are themselves heavily influenced by racial background). It can be noted that the higher-income groups enjoy pop music, heavily influenced by America, brand-name clothes, and European fashion. The lower-income classes often listen to musica llanera, merengue and salsa (although this also occurs in the high classes but to a lesser degree) and wear simpler clothes. The difference between urban and rural areas is also important, as it is elsewhere in the world.
