Latin America is a place filled with rich culture and tradition, something that most people here in California are aware of due to our close proximity to our friends from south to Mexico. Within the Hispanic community, our actions, thoughts, and even social opinions are dominated by our culture. In other words, for Latinos, culture, family and religion are everything, but with so many migrating north and seeking more opportunities for a better life, cultural norms may not look like they did in 100, even 50 years ago. One of the major influences in Latin culture due to the Spanish conquest of the natives was religion. Catholicism spread throughout Latin America as a result of the expansion of Spain and Portugal into the New World (http://www.hispanic-culture-online.com/hispanic-religion.html#axzz2TDnjLQw). These countries felt their beliefs so strongly that they were persistent in spreading them to the locals, without taking into consideration the already established natives and their belief systems. The result of this was a mix of cultures, with European Catholics being very intense, the natives had no choice but to embrace their religion. Thus began the merging of worlds creating a culture that pulled elements from both sides of its family tree to create something that was all its own. Religion soon became a structure on which to model ourselves, shaping what we will become, without losing the heritage we had acquired over the centuries. Our old culture teaches us that family is the key (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg- fact/5000/5237.html), and you should always stand by your family no matter what. It teaches us that when we are sick, our family will show us their love by taking care of us and making sure we make a quick and complete response......middle of paper......received. Perceived as a “loss” of our heritage, we seem to believe that change is something negative that we should always avoid, when in reality our culture is changing to adapt, as happened when Europeans first set foot in the Americas. Bottom line, change isn't always something to fear, because change is what brought us to where we are today, and sure, cultures will morph a bit based on your surroundings, but it won't change who you are. Works Cited Hede, Marcela. "Hispanic Religion, Catholic Traditions, Meaning, and Celebrations Among Hispanics." Hispanic religion. Hispanic Culture Online and Web. May 13, 2013.Clutter, Ann W. and Ruben D. Nieto. “The Ohio State University Fact Sheet.” Understanding Hispanic Culture, HYG-5237-00. Ohio State University, nd Web. May 13, 2013 Rodriguez, Richard. "Essay: The Fear of Losing a Culture." Time. Time and Web. May 13th 2013.