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I was just thinking the other day....If Belize and Guyana are both Central/South American countries that are considered part of the West Indies without being geographically located in the Caribbean/Antilles, couldn't you make the same case for Panama and Venezuela?
Imho, there's many cultural overlaps between both countries and Puerto Rico/Cuba/Dominican Republic.
1. In Panama and Venezuela, baseball is the national sport.
2. Panama is heavily influenced by the U.S. due to the American occupation/invasion
3. Panama and Venezuela both have a strong tri-racial component like the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and many claim to be a mixture of three races as opposed to strictly White/Amerindian. Panama is 15% Afro Latino with over 60% being Afro-descendants(higher than Puerto Rico) and Venezuelans are almost carbon copies of Puerto Ricans genetically(just with more Amerindian ancestry)
4. Puerto Rican reggaeton originated from Garifuna Panamanians who created the genre
5. Modern Venezuelan politics has been strongly influenced by Cuba
6. Santeria is the fastest growing religion in Venezuela
7. Both speak Spanish with a Caribbean/Andalucian influenced accent
8. They both technically share a Caribbean coastline(which even Guyana can't make the claim to)
There's some others and I think an argument could be made for either side(After all, even Mexico has a Caribbean influence in Veracruz and Cozumel). However, I was figuring if Guyana and Belize could be considered "West Indian", Panama and Venezuela could be considered "Caribbean Hispanic."
Guyana and Belize's ties to the English speaking Caribbean islands are stronger than Panama and Venezuela's ties to the Spanish speaking islands (especially Guyana as Belize undergoes massive demographic changes)...that being said, I thought the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela was already considered Caribbean Hispanic...Panama probably has closer ties to the English speaking islands of Jamaica and Barbados more than it does to the Spanish speaking islands...I would imagine Panama is pretty close to the Caribbean parts of Colombia but I will let the Panama experts on the board speak on that
Guyana and Belize's ties to the English speaking Caribbean islands are stronger than Panama and Venezuela's ties to the Spanish speaking islands (especially Guyana as Belize undergoes massive demographic changes)...that being said, I thought the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela was already considered Caribbean Hispanic...Panama probably has closer ties to the English speaking islands of Jamaica and Barbados more than it does to the Spanish speaking islands...I would imagine Panama is pretty close to the Caribbean parts of Colombia but I will let the Panama experts on the board speak on that
You've made some very good points. I guess what makes Panama and Venezuela stand out to me is the fact that the whole countries appear to be mainly influenced by the Caribbean whereas places like Colombia and Costa Rica have more of a "segmented" Caribbean influence. Cartagena, for instance, is often ridiculed and maligned by the Paisa region of Colombia which is the most mainstream/populous. In Venezuela, though, Caracas and the most populous states are on the Caribbean coast. It's similar in Panama too.
I personally considered the Caribbean Coast of Central America and Panama to be apart of the Greater Caribbean region. the Caribbean coasts of Venezuela and Colombia are also very linked to the Caribbean as well.
Panama, Venezuela, and the Caribbean coast of Colombia does have the Spanish Caribbean feeling that one feels in the three Spanish isles. In Venezuela they have the three main components, namely Spanish, African, and the Indigenous is greatly Arawakan (the ancestral peoples of the Tainos form the Antilles) which probably explains why the culture is so similar to PR's, DR's, and Cuba's. With a few minor difference, Venezuelans (especially those from Caracas) even speak like people from the Spanish island (they even use Taino words that are unknown outside the Spanish Caribbean islands, such as mata to mean tree.) In Panama the feeling is mostly due to the Spanish and African influences, the Indigenous is something else. The same as in Panama applies to Colombia's Caribbean coast.
Generally, they are included in what is known as the 'Gran Caribe' or Greater Caribbean.
I was just thinking the other day....If Belize and Guyana are both Central/South American countries that are considered part of the West Indies without being geographically located in the Caribbean/Antilles, couldn't you make the same case for Panama and Venezuela?
Imho, there's many cultural overlaps between both countries and Puerto Rico/Cuba/Dominican Republic.
Quote:
1. In Panama and Venezuela, baseball is the national sport.
2. Panama is heavily influenced by the U.S. due to the American occupation/invasion
3. Panama and Venezuela both have a strong tri-racial component like the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and many claim to be a mixture of three races as opposed to strictly White/Amerindian. Panama is 15% Afro Latino with over 60% being Afro-descendants(higher than Puerto Rico) and Venezuelans are almost carbon copies of Puerto Ricans genetically(just with more Amerindian ancestry)
Quote:
4. Puerto Rican reggaeton originated from Garifuna Panamanians who created the genre
5. Modern Venezuelan politics has been strongly influenced by Cuba
6. Santeria is the fastest growing religion in Venezuela
7. Both speak Spanish with a Caribbean/Andalucian influenced accent
8. They both technically share a Caribbean coastline(which even Guyana can't make the claim to)
There's some others and I think an argument could be made for either side(After all, even Mexico has a Caribbean influence in Veracruz and Cozumel). However, I was figuring if Guyana and Belize could be considered "West Indian", Panama and Venezuela could be considered "Caribbean Hispanic."
Not anymore, in Panama is Futbol (soccer) now.
Garifuna Panamanians??? WHAT??? There are no Garifunas in Panama, that is in Central America, mostly Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, as well as, in Saint Vincent. Where did you get this info from?
Garifuna Panamanians??? WHAT??? There are no Garifunas in Panama, that is in Central America, mostly Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala, as well as, in Saint Vincent. Where did you get this info from?
i thought baseball was still very popular in Panama?
and yeah, that poster was wrong about reggaeton LOL.
i thought baseball was still very popular in Panama?
and yeah, that poster was wrong about reggaeton LOL.
Yes, indeed baseball is still very popular in Panama, as a matter of fact, right now it is baseball season, but people are dying for soccer now, and since Panama just classified for the World Cup 2018 people have gone wild over it.
"since Panama just classified for the World Cup 2018 people have gone wild over it."
thanks to a Colombian.
Oh Joaco
After England and Colombia, I'm rooting for Panama!
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