Latin America Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
region of the Americas where Romance languages are primarily spoken
About Latin America
The term "Latin America" dates to propaganda efforts by French Emperor Napoleon III (reigned 1848-1870; the first few years as President) to exert French influence in the Americas on the basis of Spanish and Portuguese being languages derived from Latin just as French was. While this effort was an embarrassing failure for France (their would-be puppet Emperor Maximilian of Mexico first refused to be a puppet and was later executed by republican Mexicans), the term did replace the earlier term "Iberoamerica" almost entirely and is now in use in most languages, including Latin American Spanish. There are debates about which lands in the Americas should be encompassed by this term, but this guide uses it only for Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking places. Do not conflate all of Latin America wi
Latin America Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 7 sections including: