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Central and South American Ethnic Groups, a Brief History

Central America is a rugged, mountainous isthmus of seven countries. Well-known ancient tribes included the Maya and Aztecs, who flourished until the arrival of Spanish conquistadores during the 1500s.

South America is the fourth largest continent, and is divided into twelve countries. Her ancient peoples were well advanced in agriculture, animal domestication, construction of roads and buildings. The most well-known example is the Inca civilization in the Andes region.

Both Spanish and Portuguese conquistadores, and to a lesser degree the English and Dutch, exploited the people and resources of Central and South America. The Spaniards imposed their language, religion, and culture upon the native tribes, with the result that Indian beliefs were combined with - but not replaced by - Catholicism.

Over the course of three hundred years there formed a Mestizo class, who were offspring of Indian mothers and Spanish fathers. South America also has the largest population of Africans outside the continent of Africa. They were brought in as slaves over several hundred years by the Spaniards.

As a result, the native tribes of Central and South America blended into new ethnic groups which form the majority in many countries.

These groups include Amerindian, mestizo, and mulatto. Many South American countries also have large populations of European and other immigrants: Spanish, Portuguese, Germans, Italians, and Arabs.