Latin American Culture Research Paper

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The United States has historically been known as the “melting pot” of America. In fact, immigration is the premise on which the United States was founded. Immigration over the last several hundred years from a vast array of countries has helped shaped the cultural make up the United States. In an attempt to answer the questions, “How has Latin American Culture influenced the United States?” this research paper will take an in-depth look at Latin America’s profound effect on the entertainment industry, food and restaurant industry and sports within the United States over the last two or three decades. Immigration is an integral part of the United States. According to a Huffington Post article, the 2011 Census Bureau reported that 1 in…show more content…
Acculturation is defined “the process through which individuals of groups adopts cultural features from a different group and weave them into their own cultural fabric without losing an inherent sense of identity” (Conill.com, 2012). It is due to this acculturation that Latin American culture has had, and continues to have, a notable effect on American culture. We can begin to first look at the acculturation that has taken place within the entertainment industry. One of the most profound impacts of Latin American cultural influence can be found within the music industry. Most recently an HBO documentary entitled “The Latin Explosion: A New America” was aired in which this phenomenon is clearly seen and explained. The documentary interviews Latin artists that have influenced the entertainment industry of today and walks viewers through the journey those artists have taken into the American mainstream and acceptance. Artists like Desi Arnaz, Frank Rodriguez, Frank Lugo, Bobba…show more content…
One particular sport where is could not be more true is in baseball. America’s favorite pastime, baseball has become more popular within the Latin American community mostly due to the fact that most professional baseball player are of Hispanic decent. “Baseball demonstrates how deeply integrated Hispanics are in American sports culture”. (Conill.com, 2012) The first Latin Americans to play to sport were Esteban Bellán and Vincent Nava who were of Cuban and Mexican descent. In 1902, Colombian Luis Castro became the first Latin American born player in the major leagues since 1886 when he began playing for the Philadelphia A’s. Little by little a few more Latino players came on the scene but it was Castro’s rise to power that propelled a large number of Latino players making it to the Major’s. Cuba is thought to be the largest producer of baseball followed by the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico. In Cuba, Fidel Castro banned all professional sports after the revolution of 1959. Due to the loss of professional baseball, players were no longer able to earn any sort of significant income and so players immigrated to the United States. The influx of Cuban players in the major leagues exploded, particularly in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting financial crisis faced by Cuba. “Many times these players come to the U.S. with

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