Visiting Louisiana can be like stepping into another era. It is a thoroughly modern state that embraces its past and celebrates its diversity. The influences of the Creole and Cajun cultures are everywhere, from THE architecture to the language spoken. Even though the names of the two groups are often used interchangeably, the Creoles and the Cajuns have very different origins. Creole refers to any person of French, Spanish, or African descent born in the Louisiana region white it WAS under Spanish or French control more than two centuries ago. Cajuns are descended from French Canadians who were expelled from the colony of Acadia (in modern-day Nova Scotia) after it was conquered by the British. These two cultures have combined to make Louisiana one of the most interesting of our fifty states, where THE past lives on-in the region's music, food, art, and even holidays. Book jacket.