Colombia

Ties of Culture, Class, Family, and Religion

There are three broad geographical and cultural groups: the interior, countryside, and coastal regions. Descendants of the Spanish colonizers born in Colombia are known as criollos. The three main mixed ethnic groupings are mestizo (mixed white and indigenous ancestry), mulatto (mixed white and black ancestry), and zambo (mixed black and indigenous ancestry). The upper class is generally of European ancestry; they are wealthy, educated, and control the top economic or political positions. There is a small exclusive elite based on family ancestry. The middle class is relatively newer and largely concentrated in urban areas. At the bottom are the poor, lower classes who are largely excluded from economic and social welfare opportunities.

The upper and middle classes rely on a system of connected political, social, economic, and financial networks known as roscas, which allow a few powerful elite to control institutions as diverse as banks and universities; and on palancas, or the influence wielded by powerful friends, relatives, or political party networks. Poor Colombians rely on extended family networks or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for employment or economic aid, as the government social welfare system covers only a small percentage of the population. Key NGOs include the Pasto Education Project, the Rural Education Project, the Women's World Bank, the Carvajal Foundation, the Solidarios Financial Cooperative, and the Unified Central of Workers. Project areas have included agriculture, education, healthcare, land redistribution, labor reform, indigenous rights, and microbusiness loans.

Colombia's cultural scene features a number of artistic styles and communities. Prominent artists and musicians include Pedro Nel Gomez and Nobel Prize–winner Gabriel García Márquez, part of the literary community known as José Félix Fuenmayor's Group of Barranquilla. Colombian indigenous and folk artists include gold-and silversmiths, woodworkers, potters, weavers, and the makers of musical instruments. Colombia's diverse music scene includes regional and indigenous music, most notably cumbia music and dance. The city of Ibague is the musical center of Colombia. Important secular holidays and celebrations include Independence Day (July 20), the Carnaval of Barranquilla, the Cartagena International Caribbean Music Festival, and the Festival of the Devil. Beauty pageants are popular national events, most notably the Miss Colombia Pageant held annually in November.

Soccer is the dominant sport and can serve to unite the country when the national team is playing. Other popular sports include basketball, volleyball, golf, and tennis, while bullfights and rodeos enjoy regional popularity. The Reinado de Belleza is a popular sporting event.

Families socialize during special occasions, Sunday dinners, or on country outings known as paseos. They also maintain social contact through the Internet. Colombia has seen increased use of the Internet along with the rest of Latin America, mainly for e-mail and social networking sites such as Sonico, Hi5, Facebook, and MySpace. Colombia has one the highest numbers of Facebook account holders in Latin America. E-mail and social networking tie in with the cultural emphasis on family networking. According to Internet World Stats, 47.6 percent of the Colombian population has Internet access.

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