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South American countries had their own cultures back when we in the west still wore diapers. It was just suppressed be the colonial tyranny for a while. " [/q]

Before European came to South American, the dominant cultures was the Maya empire from Mexico to northern Central America, Inca more to the south, and various tribes in the rain forest. Most of those cultures have been wiped out when the European invaded, through massacre, diseases and assimilation. And they never came back, right now, to the exception of a few countries such a Bolivia or Equator, the population of South America is dominated by people from European origin. The dominant culture is of a Latino (Spanish and Portuguese) inspiration.

Good point.

This is really not true. A significant proportion (probably most, we don't actually know that well) of the native population after the beginning of European colonization of South America died due to disease, warfare, and the ilk. Also, there are very few South American people (maybe recent immigrants?) whose ancestry is not mixed. But at any rate, native cultures have both deeply influenced nearly every facet of South American life and have also in certain areas continued to have more or less independent existences.

Also, there is a significant logical flaw in your statement: you can't be "wiped out" and "assimilated" at the same time.



Dominant origin of people does not equal dominant culture (see above). Like, not even remotely. Whatever "dominant culture" means.

Moreover, the population of a country like, say, Brazil, is largely dominated by people from West African origin. In other parts of South America, very often the most widespread "origin" (a somewhat misleading term since nearly everyone is of mixed descent) is native.