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Almost all of the countries of South and Central America were at one time Spanish colonies in the New World. The Spaniards were the first Europeans to explore (and plunder) the lands of the Americas, under the conquistadors of the 1500's. Although they were outnumbered by the native populations, Spanish became widely used by the various populations, and eventually Spanish language and names became dominant.
Weapons of the Spanish Conquistadors
With the exception of British Honduras (Belize) British Guinana (Guyana) French Guiana, Dutch Guiana (Suriname) and Brazil (Portugese), the Spanish Empire included all countries from the Rio Grande in Mexico to Cape Horn in Argentina. This was largely due to two Spanish explorers: Cortez and Pizarro.
When Hernando Cortez landed in the Western Hemisphere from Spain, he and about 35 soldiers appeared before the natives. To the natives, they were considered gods, simply because they were riding horses, both clad in plated armor. They also had with them, a Catholic priest. When Cortez met with the Mayan Chief and subsequently gave the Chief a Bible, the chief threw the Bible on the ground and said something to the effect that bibles and the Spanish Gods weren't needed, nor their beliefs.
This ensued a major battle against approximately 500 to 5,000 Mayan warriors, which the Spanish quickly defeated because of their steel swords and body armor, and because they fought on horseback. To Mayans, they seemed like strange creatures having four legs and two-heads and covered by steel.
When Cortez looked down at the valley below, and saw more than 80,000 Mayans, he intended to conquer, civilize and culturize them. He had no idea of the fact that the Mayans, Aztecans, Incas and the Toltecs (a committee of Elders, from all the tribes) were already "civilized" with their own laws and their own gods. Unbeknownst to Cortez, the Europeans had a secret weapon even they didn't know about: diseases. These were mainly diseases of Europeans and animals, which came from the Middle East, and from Asia. These were diseases for which the Central American Tribes had no antibodies to protect them. Diseases such as, smallpox, flu, tuberculosis, malaria, plague, measles, diptheria and cholera infected tens of thousands of Mayans, helping to decimate the tribes and empires.
What else can I help you with?
What is the official language in almost of Central America?
The official language in most of Central America is Spanish.
What is the most commonly spoken language in Central America?
Spanish is the most commonly spoken language in Central America, due to the region's history of Spanish colonization. It is the official language in all countries in Central America, with the exception of Belize where English is the official language.
What is the major language of Central America?
If you mean central North America then it would be English, but if you mean central South America, and Brazil is the most central to the country then I would suggest language of Brazil or even Spanish.
What is the official language of most of the countries in south and central America?
spanish
Which country in central America has English as its official language?
Belize is the only country in Central America that has English as its official language, alongside Spanish and Belizean Creole.
What are the four continents where Spanish is the official language?
Well, there aren't whole continents that speak Spanish as their official language. Almost all of South America has Spanish as their official language, except for Brazil, which speaks Portuguese. Parts of Africa speak Spanish, Spain obviously, and then Mexico.
What Central American country has English as their official language?
Central America is composed of 7 different countries, each with its own official or national language. Most of the countries of central America are Spanish-speaking countries.
In Central America nations the official language is?
Spanish in 6 countries and English in 1.
Non spanish speaking countries in Central America?
There is only one country in Central America that has English as an official language, and that is Belize. There are two other countries that recognize English as a language, although Spanish is the official language and they are Honduras and Nicaragua.
Name a country in Central America that speaks Spanish?
Costa Rica is a country in Central America where Spanish is the official language spoken by the majority of the population.
What is the official language in most central American nations?
All of them except Belize have Spanish as their official language.
What are 7 Spanish speaking countries in Central America?
Spanish is the Official language of the following 5 Central American countries:Costa RicaEl SalvadorGuatemalaHondurasPanamaSpanish is a Primary language in Nicaragua.Mexico is not a Central American country. Spanish is the primary (but not official) language there as well.
