Religion in Latin America

Religion in Latin America is very important to many people. For a long time, most people in Latin America have followed a belief called Catholicism. Today, this is still the most common belief, with about half of all people identifying as Catholic.

But things are changing. More and more people are choosing other beliefs, like Protestants, or deciding they do not follow any belief at all, called irreligious. Surveys show that around one-fifth of people are Protestant, and another one-fifth say they are not religious.

These changes show how the beliefs of people in Latin America are growing and evolving, making the area a rich place to learn about different ways people think and live together.

Christianity

Most people in Latin America are Christians, with the majority being Roman Catholics. The number of Protestant groups is growing, especially in places like Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico. One Protestant group, Pentecostalism, is becoming very popular, even among the middle class. Anglicanism has also been present and growing in the region for a long time.

Christianity came to Latin America with Spanish explorers who arrived in the New World. Spreading the Christian faith was a key goal of their conquest. They wanted to teach the native people about Christianity and bring them into the Christian community. Over time, different groups within the Christian faith tried different ways to share their beliefs with the native people.

Missionaries faced many challenges in teaching Christianity. Language differences made it hard to communicate, as native people spoke many different languages. To help overcome this, parts of the Bible were translated into Nahuatl, a common language in Mexico and parts of Central America. Cultural differences also posed challenges, as native people had their own long-standing religious practices. Sometimes, these old and new beliefs mixed together, creating a blend of both. Despite these difficulties, Christianity became a major part of life in Latin America.

Indigenous and Afro-Latin creeds

Many people in places like Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru still follow old traditions and rituals from their ancestors. In Cuba and Brazil, people also practice special beliefs such as Santería, Candomblé, Umbanda, and Macumba. These traditions are an important part of their culture and history.

Other world religions

Some Latin American countries have smaller groups of people who follow different religions besides Catholicism and Protestantism. For example, Argentina has the largest number of Jews and Muslims in the region. Brazil has many people who practice Spiritism, a belief system started by Allan Kardec. Other religions such as Judaism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith, and Shinto also have followers in Latin America.

Statistics

Different studies show how people in Latin America think about religion. Some surveys look at the number of people who follow different beliefs.

Nicaragua was not part of one of the big studies.