Running head: SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 1

Signature Assignment: Venezuelan Culture

Ramona Torres-Martinez
November 9, 2016
Fresno Pacific University

Signature Assignment
Every culture in the world has its own unique characteristics that are embraced by

society. The cultures beliefs, values, and religion are defined and followed by the people living

within the culture. In some instances, families must leave their country of origin but take with

them the cultural values that are significant to them. In the United States, the number of

immigrant families from other countries is on the rise and also the emersion of new cultures into

society. In recent years the populations of the Venezuelan immigrant community has been on

the rise with about 225,000 Venezuelan-born immigrants living in the U.S. (Krogstad &

Lopez, 2016, Para.7) This information captivated the attention of this student to learn more

about the Venezuelan culture by interviewing a Venezuelan immigrant that recently relocated to
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 2

the United States. In this essay, this student will discuss the foods, clothing, and religion, of the

Venezuelan culture. She will also compare the similarities and differences of her own Mexican

culture to the Venezuelan culture. Lastly, the student will inform about the Latin American

cultural influence on todays society.

This student interviewed Alida Esperanza Castro Zavarce, a Venezuelan University

professor and inquired about her experience growing up in Venezuela. The student questioned

Zavarce about the traditional foods consume in Venezuela. Zavarce responded Generally, for

breakfast and dinner people eat arepas, bread made from corn flour and stuffed with a variety of

fillings. Then she added that the typical dish served for lunch is the pabelln con barandas, a

dish that implements ingredients that are food staples in the cultures diet. The diet of the

Venezuelan culture is influenced and infused with the flavors and style of other cultures such as

Spanish, European, and African. (Maps of the World, n.d. para. 1) Venezuela cuisine offers a

wide variety of foods and dished to satisfy many appetites. The second question that this

student asked Zavarce was regarding the traditional clothes worn by the people for special

occasion and she answered Men wear a the custom liqui liqui suit and women wear a llanero, a

long wide skirt with an off the shoulder shirt. Another question that was asked by the students

in regards to the culture was about the religious beliefs. Zavarce explained that in Venezuela

the religion that counts with more followers is the Catholic religion. The statics demonstrate

that 24, 815, 000 of the Venezuela population follows the dioceses of the Catholic Church.

(Cheney, 2016) Zavarce continued to explain that even though the Catholic religion

predominated among the population she identifies as a libre-pensante or free-thinker, a

person who believes more in their inner power than that of an external God. A libre-pensante

assumes the responsibilities of their actions and plans a better way for future occasions. The
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 3

student then continued to ask Zavarce about her experienced with society and she

communicated that beside her muscular dystrophy disability her experience with society has

been good. She stated that, In both Venezuela and United Stated I have felt, both included

as well as appreciated.

The Venezuelan and Mexican cultures are similar in some aspects but each one has its

own unique and individual characteristics. Both cultures are considered part of Latin America

because they share similar lifestyles, beliefs, family values, religion and language. Through the

findings of the interview with Zavarce, this student was able to identify the similarities and

difference in both cultures. One similarity between both of the cultures is the affection that is

displayed during greeting. Zavarce shared that the Venezuelan likes to kiss and hug, of course,

keeping the proper protocol in cases that merit it The Mexican culture also values the

displaying closeness and friendliness to familiar people during greetings. The student

discovered one difference in regards to the greetings in both cultures. Zavarce mentioned that

the Venezuelan has a unique greeting in the world, regardless of age people ask for a blessing

from their parents, grandparents, uncles and god parents when arriving or departing. In the

Mexican culture is not a custom to ask for a blessing from a relative as a way of greeting

someone.
Another similarity that was realized by the students was in regards to the sociability

and friendliness of both cultures. In the Mexican culture visitors are welcomed into the home
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 4

with respect and amiability. In the interview Zavarce expressed that Venezuelans have a

saying that states (translated) Where two eat, three eat and continued people are always

welcome home, the minimum that is offered is a glass of water, but are usually invited to

drink coffee, eat, or savor some homemade dessert. In both of the cultures that guests are

made to feel that they are appreciated and loved.

One more similarity noticed by the student between both of the cultures was

concerning the obligations of family members with another. During the interview, Zavarce

stated that parents seek to distribute loads evenly with children so that all cooperate in

household chores depending, of course on the age regardless of the sex. In the students

Mexican culture the help of family members is important because family members depend on

one another to accomplish tasks. The interdependence in the family is a highly valued

characteristic that both cultures share.

On the other hand, the student also noticed differences in both of the cultures. The

difference realized concerned the family structure and the gender roles in the family. In the

Venezuelan culture Zavarce noted that presently, the society has been abolishing the machismo,

especially in families who have done studied in a University, where the roles of father and

mother are shared to attend to the children. In the students culture the role of the male in the

family remains more prevalent than the female role regardless of the level of education.
Lastly, the student discovered that another difference in the cultures is the importance and

emphasize that is placed on education in the Venezuelan culture. The cultural beliefs promote a

sense of accomplishment for completing a higher level degree. Zavarce explained that in

Venezuela education is free and mandatory by the government from preschool up to

undergraduate This differs from the culture of the student because the education in Mexico is

free in some area but attendance is not mandated by the government. Zavarce also added that
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 5

with the current political crisis in the country there is an immense leak of talent searching for

better places to live.

The Latin American culture has a large influence on modern day society. The population

of Latinos which includes individuals from Venezuela has been on the rise as the census found

that Latinos had increased for 35. 3 to 50.5 million, accounting for 56 percent of the nations

growth. (Zinn, Eitzen & Wells, 2015, p 113) An area of society that the student believes that is

influenced with the growth of the Latin American culture is the food industry that offers foods

that are reflective of the culture. In todays society, most restaurants and fast food places offer

typical food from the Latin American culture such as beans, rice, tortillas, tacos, burritos, and a

variety of meats. The food of the culture has influenced the individuals from other cultures in

society to sample the variations of foods that are available within the Latin American Culture.

Another area that the student considers that has been influenced by the Latin American

culture is the music industry. The influenced of the Latin culture on music in society can be

heard on the radio, in clubs, on the television and in movies, Latin beats and sounds continue to

express the pride, identity and lifestyle of the Latino culture. (Messina, n.d., para. 3) The music

that is heard by many people in society has roots or has been inspired by the beats in the Latin

American culture. With the advancements in technology and being able to hear music on mobile

devices the music of Latin artist are now being integrated into the American society gaining

recognition and appreciation. This student also believes considers that the Latin American culture

has had an influence on the broadcasting and entertainment industry. The language of Latin

America has influenced the growth of the need for entertainment in Spanish, thus The two

largest broadcasting networks are Univision and Telemundo, which provide Spanish-language

television to the majority of the U.S. (Yafai, 2015, p. 7) These two major broadcasting
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 6

companies provide television shows and news programs that are seen by millions across the

United States.

Lastly, this student believes that the most significant influence for the culture continue to

be the Catholic religion because it still remain one the popular religions among the Latin

American culture. With the growth of the Latin American population in the United Stated, more

people are being exposed to the culture and the religious beliefs.

To conclude, in the Venezuelan culture people respect and value the beliefs and tradition

that are an important part of everyday life. The Venezuelan culture shares similarities with other

Latin American cultures but it is the people within the culture that make it unique. Each person

has their own religious beliefs and values. In the case of Zavarce she acknowledges the

importance of the main religion of the culture but adapted her own religious beliefs. However,

the influence of the Latin America culture in the United State can be seen in various areas of

society. Therefore, every culture that is part of our society is essential to creating a diverse

environment where people can learn about each others cultures and appreciate the qualities of

other cultures.
References
Cheney, D. (2016). Statistics by Country, by Catholic Population [Catholic-Hierarchy].

Catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 4 November 2016, from http://www.catholic-

hierarchy.org/country/sc1.html
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT 7

Krogstad, J.M., & Lopez, G. (2016, August 4). Venezuelan Asylum Applications to U.S. Soar in

2016. Retrieved on November 4, 2016 from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-

tank/2016/08/04/venezuelan-asylum-applications-to-u-s-soar-in-2016/
Messina,G. (n.d). The Influence of Latin Music in the US. Popular Hispanics. Retrieved on

November 4, 2016 from http://popularhispanics.com/music-entertainment.php?pid=499

Maps of the World. (n.d.). Venezuela Food. Retrieved on November 4, 2016 from
Yafai, N. (2015, August 17). Latino/Hispanic Culture in the U.S. Inter Exchange. Retrieved on

November 4, 2016 from

http://www.mapsofworld.com/venezuela/culture/food.htmlhttps://www.interexchange.org

/articles/abroad/2015/08/17/latino-hispanic-culture-in-us/
Zavarce, A. (2016, October). Personal Interview.
Zinn, M.B., Eitzen, S.D., & Wells, B. (2015). Diversity in Families. (10th Ed.) Upper Saddle

River, New Jersey: Pearson Education