Cultural Fragments

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Cultural Fragments (CO)

1 - Caño Cristales, a succession of manholes, rapids and waterfalls located near the town of La Macarena is arguably one of the most spectacular sites of the world. For a short span of time between the wet and dry seasons, the river, also known as “The river that ran away from __________ (8)” explodes in a kaleidoscope of yellow, blue, green, black and red.

2 - Small farmers from the mountains outside Medellin have long brought their __________ (7) into town for sale. In 1957 the tourist board asked the venders to parade their wares through town. This has since become a tradition in Medellin.

3 - The Caldas Manizales historic center has a neo-classical, neo-gothic, and neo-renaissance __________ (10) architecture. The city also has a mixed concrete and adobe construction which is unique to Colombia and Latin America.

4 - The Lajas Cathedral is located in Ipiales was built on the bridge spanning the __________ (5) . The city is located near the boarder with Ecuador.

5 - In the center of Bolívar Square, the main square of the city, is a statue of Simón Bolívar. The inscription on the statue reads, “If Caracas gave me life, Cartagena granted me the ________(5).”

6 - Raizals or “__________ (13)” refer to a group of people who are native islanders as well as immigrants to the island. The native islanders have kept strong cultural ties to Jamaica and Haiti. As of 2005, Raizals made up approximately 57% of the total population.

7 - The northernmost part of the country is home to the __________ (7) desert which has extremely large coal reserves. The desert also contains a national park that is a tropical oasis.

Cultural Fragments (MX)

1 – One of the most important period of the Mexican art movement is Mexican __________ (8). It took place from the 1920s through the 1960s. The historical significance of the movement relates to its social and political undertones.

2 – The largest city park in Latin America is located in Mexico City. The name of this park is __________ (11) Park. One of the park’s main functions is to be an ecological area amongst the city.

4 – The oldest conserved colonial era structure is the Palace of Cortés, which is almost 500 years old. The building was built as a residence for Hernán Cortés and his wife and was converted in the eighteenth century into a __________ (4).

8 – The first major Pre-Columbian civilization was the Olmec who lived in the low lands of south central Mexico. The Olmec’s artwork is the most familiar aspect of their culture and they were defined through artifacts which were sold on the pre-Columbian art ___________ (6).

9 – The Nobel Prize winning writer and poet, Octavio __________ (3) was influenced in part by Marxism and Buddhism. His later poetry was about modern painting, love and eroticism.

10 – The Mesoamerican deity, __________ (12), is a “feathered serpent” who was related to the god of Venus, wind, dawn, arts and crafts and knowledge. He was one of several important Aztec gods.

11 – With roots into the Pre-__________ (8) period, a tianguis is an open-air market held in a town on certain days. Traditional merchandise is still sold in rural areas. Mass-produced goods are mostly sold in cities.

Cultural Fragments (PE)

1 - The manguaré is a musical instrument used by the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. This instrument is used in __________ (10), to declare war, to post messages and even in declarations of love.

2 - A main tourist attraction in the Peruvian Amazon is the Inkaterra owned complex consisting of _________ (5) suspension bridges and two observation towers which overlook the jungle. Walking along these hanging bridges you are able to view the jungle as only few can. (Number of bridges)

3 - This __________ (8) style castle, Chancay Castle, contains underground passages which travel in the direction of the sea. The Castle also houses a museum which contains over 1200 pieces of ceramics, textiles and mummies from the Chancay culture.

4 - The Manu National Park is home to one of the largest varieties of flora and fauna. Visiting the park is restricted and entrance is only allowable through a travel agency. This is in part due to the vulnerability of the plants and animals, as many of them are near __________ (10).

5 - La Casa de __________ (6) is a large residence in the jungle of Peru built during the rubber boom at the end of the nineteenth century and is said to be the first prefabricated house in the Americas. The house has been restored and the second floor now contains a restaurant.

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Cultural Fragments (UY)

1 - Sculptor José __________ (7) was one of the most notable contributors to the Legislative Palace, creating numerous reliefs for the building. The Palace is the location of the General Assembly of Uruguay. The building has been declared a National Historic Monument.

2 - Mate is a drink prepared by steeping leaves of the mate plant in hot water. The drink is then consumed out of a hollow gourd through a metal straw or __________ (8). The flavor of mate is similar to that of a green tea and can become bitter is steeped too long.

3 - A popular Uruguayan __________ (7) genre is candombe. It has African roots and was developed on the banks of the Rio de la Plata due to the influx of slaves in the colonial period through the nineteenth century.

4 - Parque Prado, the largest of six main public parks, contains several jogging paths around the __________ (9) Creek, which flows through the park. Other areas of the park that are frequently visited are the Rose Garden, the Botanical Garden, and the Rural del Prado, a seasonal farm animal and cattle fairground.

5 - Designed by Mario Palanti, the Palacio Salvo has a similar design to the Palacio Barolo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was also designed by Palanti. The Palacio Salvo was originally intended to be a __________ (5) but now houses offices and private residences.

Cultural Fragments (BO)

1 - Carnival of Oruro is a religious ceremony celebrated in the city of Oruro, which is considered the __________ (4) capital of Bolivia. This carnival is conducted over three days and nights with more than 50 groups marching in the parade through the city.

2 - Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world, lies at the foot of the Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain). The Cerro Rico was the major supplier of __________ (6) during the New World Spanish Empire.

3 - The world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Tunupa, is located near the crest of the Andes and formed from several prehistoric lakes. Atop this lake is several feet of salt. The salt covers a pool of brine which contains 50-70% of the world’s __________ (7).

4 - The Wiphala is commonly used as a flag representing the native people of all of the Andes including people from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia. This flag has recently become a dual flag of Bolivia, along with the more well known flag consisting of red, yellow and __________ (5) stripes.

5 - La Paz Bus Station is the city’s main bus terminal. It is the gateway for intercity bus travel with buses running to all of the major cities in Bolivia. This bus station was built by the French architect __________ (7) Eiffel.

Cultural Fragments (NI-CR-PA)

1 - Mola, a native word for __________ (5) is an article of clothing worn by women as part of a traditional costume and consist of geometric designs and natural colors.

2 - Abolishing the country’s army during his __________ (5) term in office, José Maria Hipólito Figueres Ferrer also granted women and blacks voting rights and nationalized the banking sector. Since this time, Costa Rica has had no army, only a national police consisting of 7,500 people for a population of over four million.

3 - The Macho Ratón is a theatrical masked dance which stemmed from Spain’s __________ (10) literary style. These types of novels usually depict a low class rogue as the protagonist who tries to live off his wits amongst corruption.

4 - With a surface area that appears to span like the sea, this fresh water lake known to locals as Lago __________ (9) is the second largest lake in Latin America. This lake is connected to the Caribbean Sea and is home to the only fresh water sharks in the world.

5 - Rubén Dario is a famous poet who initiated the modernism movement in Spanish-American literature. In July 1888 he published one of his most notable works entitled __________ (4).

Cultural Fragments (VE)

1 - The largest Venezuelan island in the Caribbean Sea is Margarita Island, and is one of the top vacation spots for Venezuelans. El Yaque Beach, on the southern part of the island, is internationally known for its __________ (11) and kite surfing.

2 - The dunes of coro are located in Médanos Park on the __________ (7) of Médanos. Since this area is mainly desert, there is not much more than brush and shrubs in the way of flora.

3 - The statue of the god of waters __________ (8), goblets, and two rows of light poles help define the monument in Fort Tiuna called the Paseo de los Proceres. This monument contains statutes of the heroes from Venezuela’s independence.

4 - The Baralt Theater, originally built in an __________ (6) architectural style in 1877, was torn down and rebuilt in a neoclassical style. The new theater was also expanded to an inclined audience, three balconies, amongst other more modern features.

5 - At the summit of Mount Roraima you will find a milestone, marking the triple boarder between Venezuela, Brazil and __________ (6). With it’s almost vertical walls, it was nearly impossible to scale the plateau, thus, there was much speculation as to what was atop the plateau. In his book, The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle, it was speculated that dinosaurs lived atop.

Cultural Fragments (CU-DR-PR)

1 - The mountains of the Dominican Republic drain into four major rivers. The longest and most important is the Yaque del Norte which empties into the bay of Monte _________ (6) in the Northwest. The other rivers are the Yuna River in the Northeast, the Yaque del Sur, which empties into the Caribbean and the Artibonito which flows into Haiti.

2 - Francisco Ramirez Ortiz, the writer of the Puerto Rican national anthem, denied having written it in fear of being deported. The song was originally written for his lover, but became the national anthem due to its popularity. La __________ (10) is an accurate reflection of the people of Puerto Rico.

3 - Located in plazas pushing their brightly painted carts, __________ (10) are selling their shaved ice treats made with varying flavored syrups.

4 - The highest peak in all the Caribbean islands is El pico Duarte which lies in the Cordillera Central range. A __________ (6) bust of Duarte atop a stone pedestal sits at the summit, next to the Dominican flag and a cross. (Name the material)

5 - Rumba originated in various African ethnic groups in Central and West Africa, brought to Cuba as slaves. A subgenre of Cuban rumba known as __________ (9) is played in 2/4 or 4/4 tempo and developed in the 19th century. This male/female couple’s dance is recognized for its distinctive thrusting movement called vacuano. (Name the subgenre)