Nov 08
Somewhat related to my last post: Palenquero [NYTimes link, registration required] is a Spanish-based creole (linguists believe it is the only Spanish-based creole language in Latin America) spoken by a community founded by runaway slaves in northern Colombia. Though Spanish-based, Palanquero’s grammatical structure makes it incomprehensible to Spanish speakers, and the language also contains several West African-derived words.
The village of San Basilio de Palenque (home of the Palenquero language) was in 2005 declared by UNESCO to be a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.