Latin & South American

Though the Maya of the 16th century survived European colonization, their culture remains threatened by modernization, and their languages are in danger of extinction.

Spanish conquistadors and missionaries spread Catholicism over a vast continent, with a profound impact on its Indigenous peoples.

Quilombos were communities formed by enslaved Africans who, upon escaping from plantations, rebuilt their traditions, developed sustainable alternatives for living, and became symbols of resistance.

In Mesoamerica, upon dying, individuals had to make a journey through nine levels full of dangers, such as rivers, winds, and animals, to reach rest in the underworld.

While European colonization would change Latin America forever, many indigenous communities employed effective strategies to preserve their native cultures.

In colonial Latin America, Catholicism, African spiritual practices, and Indigenous beliefs blended together to create a variety of new “magical” practices, some of which remain to this day.

The Toltecs, a Mesoamerican civilization that came into being not long before the Aztecs, greatly influenced both the Aztec empire and the culture of Mesoamerica.

Though they had no guns or steel, the Indigenous of the Americas fought valiantly with a variety of weapons that made use of local materials like obsidian.