Central American Cuisine

Central America is an isthmus, or land bridge, that unites the two continents of North and South America. It consists of seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Except for Belize, all of these countries were first settled by the Spanish in the early 1500s and remained part of the Spanish colonial empire until they revolted for independence in 1821.

People and Culture

There are some 38 million people in Central America. The largest single racial or ethnic group is the mestizos, people of mixed Native American and European heritage. Mestizos make up two thirds of the region's population. Native Americans, or Amerindians, account for more than one sixth of the people. They are especially numerous in Guatemala, which has several million Maya Indians. Only one Central American in eight is white. The largest concentration of whites is in Costa Rica. However, because of the legacy of European colonization, and lingering racial discrimination, whites make up the majority of the wealthy elite groups in every country.

Blacks, mulattos (people of mixed African and European heritage), and Garifuna (people of mixed African and Carib Indian heritage) together account for only 3 percent of the total population. They live in Panama, Nicaragua, on the Caribbean coasts of other countries, and especially in Belize, where they make up nearly two fifths of the population. Small percentages of the population are of South Asian or Chinese ancestry.

A majority of Central Americans speak Spanish, but Indian languages are also in common use. English is the official language of Belize.

The countries of Central America all have similar social structures. Each is led by a small group of elite business investors and landowners, who tend to have close relationships with military and government leaders. Each nation also has a small and struggling middle class made up of merchants and professionals from many walks of life. The majority of the people in Central America are poor, struggling to support themselves as farmers, factory labourers, office clerks, or service workers.

Large numbers of Central Americans have moved from their farms and villages to search for opportunities in cities. By the end of the 20th century about half the people lived in cities and half in rural areas. Poor newcomers to the cities have nowhere to stay but in inner-city slums or suburban shantytowns, which often lack basic amenities such as clean water or electricity. Even so, cities tend to receive an extremely large share of each country's limited financial resources. Government programs tend to be focused on cities, and institutions such as schools, universities, and hospitals are concentrated in urban areas.

Most Central Americans are raised to conform to traditional male and female roles. Men still hold the majority of high-level jobs in business and government, but women have gradually improved their social and economic situation over the years. Growing numbers of poor Indian women support their families by starting small businesses or by selling products on sidewalks and in open-air marketplaces. Women have also gained political power. In the 1990s two countries—Panama and Nicaragua—even elected women presidents