Religion

Due to the Spanish and Portuguese influence, most Latin American countries are predominantly Catholic. The Catholicism is often blended with remnants of the pre-Conquest religion. Local gods and spirits came to be venerated as saints instead. In the Chiapas region of Mexico there are Catholic churches where the locals perform healing ceremonies with coloured candles and sometimes sacrificed chickens. The traditional way of doing the ceremony was to have a drink of the locally fermented alcohol. Modern business interests intervened and now the ceremonies are conducted with a bottle of Coke or Fanta. The belch caused by the carbonated drinks is seen as a good way of expelling evil spirits.