Hispanic Influenceson Brazilian Culture

Prior to the arrival of Portuguese sailors in the early sixteenth century, Brazil's population consisted entirely of Amerindians who were "concentrated along major rivers and a few strips of fertile coastal land" (Nyrop, 1983, p. 102). In the year 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral, a Portuguese explorer, arrived on the shores of Brazil and claimed the territory in the name of Portugal. At the time, Spain and Portugal were in competition over the seizure of land in the New World. However, whereas Spain was able to conquer most of the lands of Central and South America, Portugal's acquisitions were limited to the region which has since become Brazil. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Portuguese established colonies in the region. In doing so, they imposed their own culture on the land while at the same time attempting to crush the culture of the indigenous Indians. During that period, the Portuguese rulers in Brazil also began importing African slaves (

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rectly upon Portuguese models. In terms of architecture, for example, it has been noted that colonial Brazilian churches often made use of the baroque style of ornamentation and decoration which was popular in Portugal at the time (p. 13). Despite Portuguese culture being the strongest during Brazil's colonial development, there were nonetheless Indian and African cultural influences felt at the same time. Throughout its recent history, Brazil has been a nation of ethnic and cultural multiplicity. In this regard, it has been noted that "colonial Brazil was an ethnic hodgepodge with a distinctly Portuguese cultural backdrop" (Nyrop, 1983, p. 102). Although the culture of Portugal provided the basis for subsequent development in Brazil, the other cultures also played a large role. Thus, today, "Brazil's culture is not Negro or White or Indian, but an immensely complex culture in which all three racial elements have made a contribution and have mutually influenced one another" (Franco, 1967, p. 124). One of the main reasons why this cultural diversity exists today lies in the fact that the early Portuguese colonists were generally men who left their families behind in the old country. Because of this, the Portuguese colonist
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Latin American, Catholic Nyrop, Indian African, America Portugal's, African Portuguese, River African, World Burns, White Indian, Brazilian Carnival, Indians Africans, brazilian culture, indian african, thompson 1988, nyrop 1983, franco 1967, portugal continued, african influences, cultural influences, portuguese indian african, noted colonial, modern brazil, brazilian culture seen, nyrop 1983 102,
Approximate Word count = 1239
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)