Hispanic

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For other uses, see Hispanic (disambiguation).

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The term differs from "Hispanic", which describes the person's descent. Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, "Iberian Peninsula") is a term denoting a derivation from Spain, its people and culture. It follows the same style of use as Anglo, which indicates a derivation of England and the English. Thus, the Spanish-American War in Spanish is known as Guerra Hispano-Estadounidense, the "Spanish-German Treaty" is Tratado Hispano-Alemán, and "Spanish America" is Hispanoamérica.

As used in the United States, Hispanic is one of several terms of ethnicity employed to categorize any person, of any racial background, of any country and of any religion who has at least one ancestor from the people of Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America, whether or not the person has Spanish ancestry. It is therefore not a racial term. The term was first adopted in the United States by the administration of Richard Nixon [1] and has since been used as a broad form of classification in the U.S. census, in local and federal employment, and numerous business market researches.

In Spain, Spanish-speaking Latin America and most countries outside the United States, Hispanic/Hispano is not commonly employed as a term for ethnicity; however, this can be implied depending on the context. When used in this manner, in Spanish-speaking Latin America an Hispano is commonly regarded to be any person whose ancestry stems, in whole or in part, from the people of Spain — to the contrast of the non-Hispanic (ie. non-Spanish descended) population. In this sense, when speaking of a nation's Hispanic population, those who are implied are Spaniards, criollos, mestizos, and mulattos, to the exclusion of indigenous Amerindians, unmixed descendants of black African slaves or other peoples from later migrations without any Spanish lineage who today reside in any of the Hispanic nations, regardless of whether they now use Spanish as their first and only language. In stark contrast, a non-Spanish-speaking Mayan Amerindian from Mexico, for example, who lives in the U.S. would be considered Hispanic as the term is officially defined and commonly understood there. North Americans often confuse the words "Hispanic" and "metizo", therefore assuming that all Latin Americans are dark-skinned with black hair and brown or black eyes. There are, however, many fair-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde Hispanics who are not mestizo.

Contents 1 The term "Hispanic" 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Synonyms and antonyms 1.3 "Hispanic" as a U.S. ethnic label 2 Hispanics in the United States 2.1 Demographics 2.2 History 2.3 Political trends 2.4 Cultural trends 2.5 Media 3 Racial diversity 4 Religious diversity 5 Music 6 Cuisine 7 Symbols 7.1 Flag 7.2 Hymn 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] The term "Hispanic"

[edit] Etymology

Etymologically, the term Hispano/Hispanic is derived from Hispania (whose meaning and derivation is uncertain), the name given by the Romans to the entire Iberian Peninsula — modern-day Spain and Portugal — during the period of the Roman Republic. In the modern era, however, Hispanic/Hispano has usually only been applied to Spain and things related to her, while a derivation from or relation to Portugal and its people (including Brazil and Portuguese-speaking Brazilians) is normally denominated Luso/Lusitanic, at least since 1640 when Portugal gained ultimate independence from Spain.

The usage of Hispanic as an ethnic indicator in the United States is believed to have come into mainstream prominence following its inclusion in a question in the 1980 U.S. Census, which asked people to voluntarily identify if they were of "Spanish/Hispanic origin or descent".

[edit] Synonyms and antonyms

Often the term "Hispanic" is used synonymously with the word "Latino", and frequently with "Latin" as well. Even though the terms may sometimes overlap in meaning, they are not completely synonymous.

"Hispanic" specifically refers to Spain, and to the Spanish-speaking nations of the Americas, as cultural and demographic extensions of Spain. It should be further noted that in a U.S. context, a Hispanic population consists of the people of Spain and everyone with origins in any of Spanish-speaking nations of the Americas, regardless of ancestry of the latter (including Amerindians). In the context of Spain and Latin America, a Hispanic population consists of the people of Spain, and when regarding the inhabitants of the Spanish-speaking nations of the Americas, includes only criollos, mestizos, mulattos, and others with Spanish ancestry, to the exclusion of indigenous Amerindians, unmixed descendants of black Africans and whites or other peoples from later migrations without any Spanish lineage.

In regards to the term Latin, in this context it refers to the conception of "Latin America" as a region, a concept which was introduced by the French in the 1860s when they dreamed of building an empire based in Mexico. See French intervention in Mexico. This concept of a "Latin" America was closely connected to the introduction of French positivism into the region's intellectual circles. [2] The French understood "Latin" to include themselves and other continental European Romance speaking nations, to the exclusion of their "Anglo-Saxon" colonial rivals the United States (in the Americas) and the United Kingdom (in Europe).

Latinos, meanwhile, is a contraction of "Latinoamericanos", and refers only to those from Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries of Latin America, regardless of ancestry in all contexts. Those from French Canada are very rarely included, while those from Haiti are never. In the rare cases where they are, along with residents of French Guiana, it is with some ambiguities.

The confusion that arises is from the similarity between the words Latino and Latin, and between the concept of Hispanic and Latino. Latino is a shortened version of the noun Latinoamericano (Latin American). In the Spanish language "Latín" (Latin) is the name of the language of the Romans. This means that "Latín" is not confined solely to Hispanics, Latin Americans, or Latinos, but has always included such peoples as the Italians, French, Romanians, Portuguese, etc.

Thus, of a group consisting of a Brazilian, a Colombian, a Mexican, a Spaniard, and a Romanian; the Brazilian, Colombian, and Mexican would all be Latinos, but not the Spaniard or the Romanian, since neither Spain nor Romania is geographically situated in Latin America. Conversely, the Colombian, Mexican and Spaniard would all be Hispanics, but not the Brazilian or the Romanian, since Brazilians speak Portuguese, having been colonized by Portugal. Finally, all of the above nationalities would all be Latín, including the Romanian. To further clarify, a Latino is a US citizen or resident of Latin American descent or birth.

It should be noted that the categories of "Latino" and "Hispanic" are used primarily in the United States to socially differentiate people. As social categories they are not mutually exclusive and without ambiguities and cannot be seen as independent of social discrimination (socioeconomic, ethnic or racial). These terms do not exist in everyday usage in the Caribbean, Central or South America.

Besides "Hispanic", "Latino", and "Latin", other terms are used for more specific subsets of the Hispanic population. These terms often relate to specific countries of origin, such as "Mexican", "Mexican-American", "Cuban", "Puerto Rican" or "Dominican", etc. Other terms signify distinct cultural patterns among Hispanics which have emerged in what is now the United States, including "Chicano", "Tejano", "Nuyorican", etc.

[edit] "Hispanic" as a U.S. ethnic label

In the United States, some people consider "Hispanic" to be too general as a label, while others consider it offensive, often preferring to use the term "Latino", which is viewed as a self-chosen label. The preference of "Latino" over "Hispanic" is partly because it more clearly indicates that those it is referring to are the people from Latin America (including Brazil) and not Spain. Different labels prevail in different regions, as well. In places like Arizona and California, the Chicanos are proud of their personal association and their participation in the agricultural movement of the 1960s with César Chávez, that brought attention to the needs of the farm workers. Usually younger Hispanics will not refer to themselves as such, however.

It is important to remember that the majority of "Hispanics" do not identify as "Hispanic" or "Latino," but with their national origin, i.e. Mexican-American. And, it is debatable that Latino is any less self-imposed than Hispanic. The label, Hispanic, was the result of efforts by a Hispanic New Mexican senator, Montoya, who wanted a label that could be used to quantify the Spanish-speaking population for the US Census. The label Hispanic was chosen in part because in New Mexico, well-to-do people of Spanish descent such as Montoya referred to themselves as Hispanos, and the transliteration of Hispano is Hispanic. Thus, while Latino is more popular in some urban areas, Hispanic is more popular in some parts of the southwest.

Previously Hispanics were commonly referred to as "Spanish-Americans", "Spanish-speaking Americans", and "Spanish-surnamed Americans". These terms, however, proved even more misleading or inaccurate since:

• Most U.S. Hispanics were not born in Spain, nor were most born to recent Spanish nationals;
• Although most U.S. Hispanics speak Spanish, not all do, and though most Spanish-speaking people are Hispanic, not all are (e.g., many U.S. Hispanics by the fourth generation no longer speak Spanish, while there are some non-Hispanics of the Southwestern United States that may be fluent in the language), and;
• Although most Hispanics have a Spanish surname, not all do, and while most Spanish-surnamed people are Hispanic, not all are (e.g., there are tens of millions of Spanish-surnamed Filipinos, but very few, only about 3.5%, would qualify as Hispanic by ancestry).
• Many Catalans and Basques refuse to identify themselves as Hispanic in the US census, especially those who have Catalan and Basque as mother tongues.

The term "Spanish American", however, is still currently in use by many of those who, while not of recent descent from a Spanish national, have continued to practice and view Spanish culture and identity as dominant in their lives. In this usage it emphasized ancestral history and identity, and is not meant to indicate citizenship of the 'old country'.

[edit] Hispanics in the United States

[edit] Demographics

Hispanics constitute the largest minority group, by place of origin, in the United States. Blacks/African Americans are the nation's largest minority by race, as Hispanic is not a race: a Hispanic person may be of any race (white, black, Asian, Amerindian, mixed). As of July 1, 2004, Hispanics accounted for 14.1% of the population, around 41.3 million people. The Hispanic growth rate over the July 1, 2003 to July 1, 2004 period was 3.6% - higher than any other ethnic group in the United States, and in fact more than three times the rate of the nation's total population (at 1.0%). The projected Hispanic population of the United States for July 1, 2050, is of 102.6 million people. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 24% of the nation’s total population on that date. [3] These projections, however, are based on the problematic assumption that the children of the people who identify today as Latino or Hispanic will necessarily identify as Latino or Hispanic fifty years from now. Given that Hispanic is an ethnic identifier in the US Census, there is reason to believe that it will decrease in popularity as some Hispanics assimilate and become unhyphenated Americans.

Of the nation's total Hispanic population, 49% lives in California or Texas. Not counting Puerto Rico — which is a territorial possession of the United States — New Mexico is the state with the highest proportion of Hispanics, where 43% is of Hispanic origin. The proportion of Hispanics in the states of California and Texas exceeds 35% each.

The Hispanic population of Los Angeles County, California - numbering over 4.6 million - is the largest of any county in the nation. [4] Meanwhile, for the 2000 to 2004 period, Lee County, Florida had the fastest growth rate in Hispanic population of any other county in the United States. [5]

Some 64% of the nation's Hispanic population are of Mexican or Mexican-American ancestry. Another approximately 10% are of Puerto Rican background, with about 3% each of Cuban, Salvadoran and Dominican origins. The remainder are of other Central American, South American or other Hispanic or Latino origins. [6]

The overwhelming majority of Hispanics of Mexican/Mexican-American origin are concentrated in the Southwestern United States, primarily California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The majority of the Hispanic population in the Southeastern United States, concentrated in Florida, are of Cuban origin. The Hispanic population in the Northeastern United States, concentrated in New York and New Jersey, is composed mostly of Puerto Ricans, however, the Dominican population has risen considerably in the last decade, especially in proportion to that region's Hispanic population. The remainder of other Hispanics, composed of various Central American and South American origins, may be found throughout the country, though South Americans tend to concentrate on the East Coast of the United States (joining Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans) and Central Americans on the West Coast of the United States (joining Mexicans/Mexican Americans).

There are few recent immigrants directly from Spain. In the 2000 Census, 112,999 Americans specifically reported their ancestry as Spaniard, which was a significant decrease from the 1990 Census, where those who reported "Spaniard" numbered 519,136. The Census Bureau attributes the decrease to the trend among increasing numbers of Hispanics of all national groups, including Spaniards, of identifying themselves with general labels such as "Hispanic" rather than a specific national origin.

[edit] History

The Hispanic presence in the United States is the second longest, after the Native American. Most Americans associate the early Spanish in this hemisphere with Hernán Cortés in Mexico and Francisco Pizarro in Peru, but Spaniards pioneered the present-day United States, too. The first confirmed landing in the continental US was by a Spaniard, Juan Ponce de León, who landed in 1513 at a lush shore he christened La Florida. Within three decades of Ponce de León's landing, the Spanish became the first Europeans to reach the Appalachian Mountains, the Mississippi River, the Grand Canyon and the Great Plains. Spanish ships sailed along the East Coast, penetrating to present-day Bangor, Maine, and up the Pacific Coast as far as Oregon. From 1528 to 1536, four castaways from a Spanish expedition, including a "black" Moor, journeyed all the way from Florida to the Gulf of California, 267 years before Lewis and Clark embarked on their much more renowned and far less arduous trek. In 1540 De Soto undertook an extensive exploration of the present US and in the same year, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led 2,000 Spaniards and Mexican Indians across today's Arizona-Mexico border and traveled as far as central Kansas, close to the exact geographic center of what is now the continental United States. Other Spanish explorers of the US make up a long list that includes among others, Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, Pánfilo de Narváez, Sebastián Vizcaíno, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Gaspar de Portolà, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Tristán de Luna y Arellano and Juan de Oñate. In all, Spaniards probed half of today's lower 48 states before the first English tried to colonize, at Roanoke Island. The Spanish didn't just explore, they settled, creating the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States at St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565. Santa Fe, New Mexico also predates Jamestown, Virginia and Plymouth Colony (of Mayflower and Pilgrims fame). Later came Spanish settlements in San Antonio, Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, to name just a few. The Spanish even established a Jesuit mission in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay 37 years before the founding of Jamestown in 1607. Two iconic American stories have Spanish antecedents, too. Almost 80 years before John Smith's alleged rescue by Pocahontas, a man by the name of Juan Ortiz told of his remarkably similar rescue from execution by an Indian girl. Spaniards also held a thanksgiving, 56 years before the Pilgrims, when they feasted near St. Augustine with Florida Indians, probably on stewed pork and garbanzo beans. As late as 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, Spain held claim to roughly half of today's continental United States (in 1775, Spanish ships even reached Alaska). From 1819 to 1848, the United States and its army increased the nation's area by roughly a third at Spanish and Mexican expense, including three of today's four most populous states: California, Texas and Florida. Hispanics became the first American citizens in the newly acquired Southwest territory and remained a majority in several states until the 20th century. The national amnesia in the US about the historic presence of Hispanics is not new. Until well into the 20th century this fact was barely mentioned in history books. The early European history of what is now the United States was Spanish, not English, and the denial of this heritage is rooted in age-old stereotypes that still entangle today's immigration debate. See also New Spain[7]

[edit] Political trends

Main article: Hispanic and Latino politics in the United States

Hispanics differ on their political views. For example, many Cubans and Colombians tend to favor conservative political ideologies and support the Republicans, while Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans lean more towards the Democrats; however, because the latter groups are far more numerous (Mexicans alone are nearly 60% of Hispanics), the Democratic Party is considered to be in a far stronger position among Hispanics overall. In the past two national election cycles, however, the Presidency of George W. Bush has had a significant impact on the political leanings of Hispanic Americans. As a former Governor of Texas, President Bush has regarded the growing Hispanic community as a potential source of growth for the conservative and/or Republican movement--particularly because of the Catholic and more conservative social values that many Hispanic Americans share with the conservative element of the American political system. The U.S. Census indicates that the Hispanic population of the United States is the fastest growing minority in the country, and will hold considerable political clout within the next 50 years. Some political organizations associated with Hispanic Americans are LULAC, the United Farm Workers, the Cuban American National Foundation, the National Institute for Latino Policy and the Young Lords.

Bush has made some gains for the Republican Party among Hispanics. For example, in the 1996 presidential election, 72% of Hispanics backed President Clinton, but in 2000, that Democratic total fell to 62%, and down further to 58% in 2004, with Democrat John Kerry winning Hispanics 58-40 over Bush.

It also breaks down interestingly by state. Hispanics in the West, especially in California, were much stronger for the Democratic Party than in Texas and Florida. California Latinos voted 63-32 for John Kerry in 2004, and both Arizona and New Mexico Latinos by a smaller 56-43 margin, but Texas Latinos were split nearly evenly, and Florida Latinos (mostly being Cuban American) actually backed President Bush by a 54-45 margin.

In the 2006 midterm election, however, due to the heated debate of illegal immigration and the general misfortune of the Republican Party, Latinos went as strongly Democratic as they have since the Clinton years. Exit poll showed Latinos voting for Democrats by a lopsided 69-30 margin, with Florida Latinos for the first time split evenly. The runoff election in Texas' 23rd congressional district was seen as a bellwether of Latino politics, and Democrat Ciro Rodriguez's unexpected (and unexpectedly decisive) defeat of Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla was seen as proof of a left lurch among Latino voters, as heavily Latino counties overwhelmingly backed Rodriguez, and heavily white counties overwhelmingly backed Bonilla.

[edit] Cultural trends

Main article: Hispanic culture

Popular culture varies widely from one Hispanic community to another, but despite this several features tend to unite Hispanics from diverse backgrounds. Many Hispanics, including U.S.-born second and third generation Mexican-Americans, use the English language frequently and Spanish language to varying degrees. The most usual pattern is monolingual Spanish usage among new migrants or older foreign born Hispanics (65% are Mexican), complete bilingualism among long settled immigrants and their children, and the use of English and/or Spanglish and colloquial Spanish within long established Hispanic communities by the third generation and beyond. In some families the children and grandchildren of immigrants speak mostly English with some Spanish words and phrases thrown in. Overall, half of U.S. Hispanics are bilingual in English and Spanish, about one-quarter speak only English and about one quarter speak only Spanish. [8]

Also see: Association of Hispanic Arts

[edit] Media

The United States is home to thousands of Spanish language media outlets ranging in size from giant commercial broadcasting networks and major Hispanic-oriented periodicals with circulations numbering in the millions, to low-power AM radio stations with listeners numbering in the hundreds. There are hundreds of online media outlets targeting US Hispanic audiences, some of which are online versions of their printed counterparts and others online exclusively.

In the aspect of public television, otherwise known as non-commercial television, there are organizations that advocate a greater degree of programming from a Hispanic-American perspective in public television. The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) has been a leader since its founding in 1986 in advocating for Latino inclusion in television, radio and film. In 1999, along with a board coalition of national Latino organizations, the NHMC led a "brownout" of the national television networks after discovering that there were no Latinos in any of their new shows that year. This resulted in the signing of historic diversity agreements with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC that have increased the hiring of Latino talent and other staff in all of the networks since then. Also prominent in this area is Latino Public Broadcasting which funds programs of educational and cultural significance to Hispanic-Americans. These LPB-funded projects are distributed to various public television stations throughout the United States.

Noteworthy Spanish-language media outlets include:

• Univision and Telemundo, respectively the first and second largest Spanish-language television networks in the United States, each with affiliates in nearly every major U.S. market, including numerous affiliates internationally.
• El Nuevo Herald, a Spanish-language daily newspaper serving the greater Miami, Florida market.
• Vida Latina, a Spanish-language entertainment magazine distributed throughout the Southern United States.

[edit] Racial diversity

The racial diversity to be found among Hispanics stems from the fact that Hispanic America has always been, since 1492, an area of immigration until late in the 20th century, when the region has increasingly become an area of emigration. Even outside the broad US definition of Hispanic, the term encompasses a very racially diverse population. While in the United States, Hispanics are often treated as a group apart from whites, blacks or other races, they actually include people who may identify with any or all of those racial groups.

In the mass media as well as popular culture, "Hispanic" is often incorrectly used to describe a subject's race or physical appearance. In general, Hispanics are assumed to have traits such as dark hair and eyes, and tan or brown skin, similar to that of the Roma People. Many others are viewed as physically intermediate between whites and Amerindians.

Hispanics with mostly Caucasoid or Negroid features may not be recognized as such in spite of the ethnic and racial diversity of most Latin American populations. Hispanics who do not look like the stereotypical Hispanic may have their ethnic status questioned or even challenged by others. Actors Cameron Diaz and Alfonso Ribeiro, for example, are both Hispanic, even though they may be presumed not to be so because they do not fit the stereotype, the former being white and the latter predominantly black.

A great proportion of Hispanics identify as mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian), regardless of national origin. This is largely because most Hispanics have their origins in majority mestizo Latin American countries. Many individuals identified as "Hispanics" (based on the U.S. definition) are of unmixed Native American ancestry, many of those from Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru—where they constitute a majority or plurality of the population—and a considerable proportion from Mexico.

Many Hispanics born in or with descent from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Colombia may be of African descent, be it mulatto (mixed European and black African), zambo (mixed Amerindian and black African), triracial (specifically European, black African, and Amerindian) or unmixed black African.

Many other Hispanics may be of unmixed European ancestry, primarily (besides Spaniards) those from Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay. 81% of the Puerto Rican population are white (mostly Spanish origin).[[9]]In the case of many Argentines and Uruguayans, though labelled "Hispanic" by the U.S. definition, most actually trace their ancestries to different European countries other than Spain. This is also true for differing proportions of people from other Hispanic countries, although at greatly reduced rates. Argentines and Uruguayans of full or partial Italian ancestry alone account for at least one third of their countries' populations, with up to half of all Argentines today believed to be eligible for Italian passports.[10] Other ancestries include German, Irish, French, Polish, Welsh, and others. Nevertheless, even in the cases of Argentines and Uruguayans, most do possess some Spanish ancestry, as the waves of European immigrants to these two countries tended to quickly assimilate, intermarrying with the country's local population which at that time resembled other Latin American countries of today, and was composed in its majority by Spanish-descended mestizos, then criollos, and according to census records of the period, in the region of Buenos Aires itself, up to 30% Afro-Argentines which included mulattos.[11][12][13]

Likewise, a percentage of Hispanics as defined by the U.S. may trace their ancestries from the Middle East, or East Asia. Examples of these would include Colombians, Ecuadorians, and Mexicans of Lebanese ancestry; Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Panamanians of Chinese ancestry; Chileans and Paraguayans of German ancestry; or Peruvians of Japanese ancestry. When they migrate to the United States, the definition as most frequently advocated would consider them Hispanic. See also: Asian Latino.

On occasion the demographics of certain nations may not mirror the demographics of their communities in the United States. This is the case with Cuban Americans. Most Cuban Americans are of relatively unmixed Spanish ancestry, despite Cuba being a mulatto/black majority country, according to most estimates. The racial disparity between Cubans on the U.S. mainland and those on the island is caused largely by the fact that most of the emigrants who fled in the early days of communist Cuba belong to the upper and middle classes, classes which have traditionally been predominantly white in that country as in other parts of Latin America.

The presence of these mentioned races and race-mixes are not country-specific, since they can be found in every Latin American country, whether as larger of smaller proportions of their respective populations. Even in Spain, the European motherland of Hispanicity, there is a slowly growing population of mestizos and mulattos due to the reversal of the historic Old World-to-New World migration pattern.

Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the Federal 2000 Census, 47.9% identified as white (termed "white Hispanic" by the Census Bureau); 42.2% "Some other race"; 6.3% Two or more races; 2% Black or African American; 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% Asian; and 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander [14]. Note that even among those Hispanics who reported one race only, most would also possess at least some ancestral lineage from one or more other races, despite the fact that only 6.3% reported as such. (This is also applicable to the Non-Hispanics counted in the U.S. Census, although maybe in less proportion.)

A further contribution that contradicts the popular associations of Hispanic as a race, and especially as a race different from white or even Anglo-Saxon, lies in the recent discoveries by population genetics. A research team at Oxford University has found that the majority of Britons are actually descended from the Spanish, Celtiberians or just Iberians who began arriving about 6,000/7,000 years ago. The proportion of this population group that also originated in Spain is 73 per cent in Scottland, 64 percent in England and 83 per cent in Wales. In fact, Dr. Brian Sykes has stated that the genetic fingerprint of the populations tested in the British Isles and Spain is almost identical. Until recently Britons were believed to be of predominantly Anglo-Saxon or different Celtic origins, but this belief is now proven to be a myth. They and their American descendants share the same genetic markers with Spaniards and a lot of Hispanics. 12 3 4

[edit] Religious diversity

With regard to religious affiliation among Hispanics, Christianity — specifically Roman Catholicism — is usually the first religious tradition that springs to mind. Indeed, the Spaniards took the Roman Catholic faith to Latin America, and Roman Catholicism continues to be the overwhelmingly predominant, but not the only, religious denomination amongst most Hispanics. A small number of Hispanics are also Protestant.

There are also Hispanic Jews, of which most are the descendants of Ashkenazi Jews who migrated from Europe (German Jews, Russian Jews, Polish Jews, etc.) to Latin America, particularly Argentina, in the 19th century and during and following World War II, and from there to the United States. Some Hispanic Jews may also originate from the small communities of reconverted descendants of anusim — those whose Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestors long ago hid their Jewish ancestry and beliefs in fear of persecution by the Spanish Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition in the Iberian peninsula and Latin America. There are also the now Catholic-professing descendants of marranos and the Hispano crypto-Jews believed to exist in the once Spanish-held Southwestern United States and scattered through Latin America. Additionally, there are Sephardic Jews who are descendants of those Jews who fled Spain to Turkey, Syria, and North Africa, some of who have now migrated to Latin America, holding on to some Spanish/Sephardic customs, such as the Ladino language. (See also History of the Jews in Latin America and List of Latin American Jews.)

Among the Hispanic Catholics, most communities celebrate their homeland's patron saint, dedicating a day for this purpose with festivals and religious services. Some Hispanics syncretize Roman Catholicism and African or Native American rituals and beliefs. Such is the case of Santería, popular with Cuban Americans and which combines old African beliefs in the form of Roman Catholic saints and rituals; or Guadalupism (the devotion towards Our Lady of Guadalupe) among Mexican American Roman Catholics. This latter hybridizes Catholic rites for the Virgin Mary with those venerating the Aztec goddess Tonantzin (earth goddess, mother of the gods and protector of humanity) and has all her attributes also endowed to the Lady of Guadalupe, whose Catholic shrine stands on the same sacred Aztec site that had previously been dedicated to Tonatzín, on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico.

While a tiny minority, there is number of Hispanic Muslims in Latin America and the US.

In the United States, the Pew Charitable Trusts in 2003 prepared a detailed study of Hispanic Churches in American Public Life, some 70% of U.S. Hispanics report themselves Catholic, and 23% Protestant, with 6% having no affiliation. A minority among the Roman Catholics, about one in five, are charismatics. Among the Protestant, 85% are "Born-again Christians" and belong to Evangelical or Pentecostal churches. Among the smallest groups, less than 1%, are U.S. Hispanic Jews and U.S. Hispanic Muslims. Most U.S. Hispanic Jews are the descendants of Ashkenazi Jews who migrated from Europe to Latin America, particularly Argentina, and thence to the United States. Most U.S. Hispanic Muslims are recent converts. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Music

Folk and popular dance and music also varies greatly among Hispanics. While many people speak of "Latin" music as a single genre, Latin America is home to a wide variety of music. Hispanic Caribbean music tends to favor complex polyrhythms of African origin. Mexican music shows combined influences of mostly Spanish and Native American origin, while traditional Northern Mexican music — norteño and banda — is more influenced by country-and-western music and the polka, brought by Central European settlers to Mexico. The music of Mexican Americans — such as tejano music — has influences in rock and jazz music in addition to traditional Mexican music. Meanwhile, native Andean sounds and melodies are the backbone of Peruvian and Bolivian music, but also play a significant role in the popular music of most South American countries and are heavily incorporated into the folk music of Ecuador and Chile and the tunes of Colombia, and again in Chile where they play a fundamental role in the form of the greatly followed nueva canción. In US communities of immigrants from these countries it is common to hear these styles. Latin pop, Rock en Español, Latin hip-hop and Reggaeton styles tend to appeal to the broader Hispanic population, and varieties of Cuban music are popular with many Hispanics of all backgrounds.

There is a huge variety of literature from US Hispanics and the Hispanic countries.

[edit] Cuisine

"Hispanic cuisine" as the term is applied in the Western Hemisphere, is a misnomer. The vast majority of foods in "Latin America" are of Native American origins, and not of Spain. The cuisine of Spain often mirrors the cuisines of its Mediterranean neighbors, and in addition to the abundance of olives, olive oil, tomatoes, seafood and meats, foreign influences, such as the use of saffron, were introduced during the spice trade.

Traditional Mexican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Spanish, Argentine, and Peruvian cooking, for example, all vary greatly from each other, and take on new forms in the United States. While Mexican cuisine is the most familiar variety of "Hispanic food" in most of the United States, it is not representative of the cuisine of most other Hispanic peoples, in that is is heavily representative of indigenous ("Indian") foods.

The cuisines of Mexico, El Salvador and other Central American countries are still heavily dependent and greatly indebted to staples of the cuisine and diet of the Aztec and Maya, including maize, beans, chile peppers. After 1492 these tradition came to be melded with those from Spain to form the modern cuisines of that region. Among the more popular and well known dishes of this region are tacos, enchiladas, tamales, rice and beans, horchata, and pupusa.

Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine, on the other hand, can be heavily dependent on starchy root vegetables, plantain and rice, and the most prominent incluences on their Spanish culinary traditions are those which were introduced by African slaves, and to a lesser degree, later Chinese immigrants.

Argentina relies almost exclusively on red meats, consuming almost everything derived from beef, and is heavily influenced by Italian cuisine.

In Peruvian cuisine guinea pigs are popular as a source of meat (derived from the diet of the Inca) and staples indigenous to the region, such as maize and the myriad of potato varieties, are the most utilized there. Rice also plays an important role in Peruvian cuisine.

This diversity in staples and cuisine is also evident in the differing regional cuisines within the national borders of the individual countries. Most groceries in heavily Hispanic areas carry a wide array of specialty Latin American products, in addition to the widely available brands of tortillas and Mexican style salsa.

[edit] Symbols

[edit] Flag

While relatively unknown, there is a flag representing the countries of Hispanic America, its people, history and shared cultural legacy.

It was created in October of 1933 by Ángel Camblor, captain of the Uruguayan army. It was adopted by all the states of Latin America during La Conferencia Panamericana (The Pan-American Conference) held that same year in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The white background stands for peace, the Inti sun god in Inca mythology symbolizes the light shining on the American continent, and the three crosses represent Christopher Columbus' caravels, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María used in his first voyage from Spain to the New World in 1492. The lilac color of the crosses evokes the Castilian banner.

[edit] Hymn

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Himno de las Américas

(R. Sciamarella)

Un canto de amistad, de buena vecindad,

unidos nos tendrá eternamente.

Por nuestra libertad, por nuestra lealtad

debemos de vivir gloriosamente.

Un símbolo de paz alumbrará el vivir

de todo el Continente Americano.

Fuerza de Optimismo, fuerza de la hermandad

será este canto de buena vecindad.

Argentina, Brasil y Bolivia,

Colombia, Chile y Ecuador,

Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela,

Guatemala y El Salvador,

Costa Rica, Haití y Nicaragua,

Honduras y Panamá,

Norteamérica, México y Perú,

Cuba y Canadá:

¡Son hermanos soberanos de la libertad!

¡Son hermanos soberanos de la libertad!

Hymn of the Americas

(translation)

A song of friendship, of good neighborhood,

will unite us eternally.

For our liberty, for our loyalty,

we must live gloriously.

A symbol of peace will illuminate the life

of all the American Continent.

A force of Optimism, a force of brotherhood

shall be this song of good neighborhood.

Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia,

Colombia, Chile and Ecuador,

Uruguay, Paraguay, and Venezuela,

Guatemala and El Salvador,

Costa Rica, Haiti and Nicaragua,

Honduras and Panama,

North America, Mexico and Peru,

Cuba and Canada:

They are sovereign brothers of freedom!

They are sovereign brothers of freedom!

In an alternate version, the countries are re-arranged, "Canadá" is removed (as the already mentioned "Norteamérica" implies both the United States and Canada), and "Santo Domingo" (i.e. Dominican Republic) is added instead.

Argentina, Brasil y Bolivia,

Colombia, Chile y Ecuador,

Uruguay, Venezuela y Honduras

Guatemala y El Salvador,

Costa Rica, Haití y Nicaragua,

Cuba y Paraguay,

Norteamérica, México y Perú,

Santo Domingo y Panamá:

[edit] References

• De la Garza, Rodolfo O., and Louis Desipio. Ethnic Ironies: Latino Politics in the 1992 Elections (1996)

[edit] See also

• Latino
• Spaniard
• Spain
• European
• Iberian
• Latin
• Roman
• White people
• Hispania
• Spanish language
• Conquistadors
• Western Europe
• Latin Europe
• Roman Empire
• Lusitanic
• Criollo
• Christopher Columbus
• Hernan Cortes
• Madrid
• Spanish in the United States
• Cuban-American lobby
• Hispanic cultural legacy in the Philippines
• IMSCF Syndrome
• List of Hispanics
• Famous Hispanic Americans
• List of United States cities with a majority Hispanic population
• Islenos
• Latin peoples
• Ethnic cleansing
• Aztec
• Mayan
• Inca
• Indigenous peoples
• Hispanic Paradox

[edit] External links

• Famous Hispanics
• Hispanic Community in U.S. - Stats and Facts.
• Mexica Movement Indigenous rights and education organization that aggressively challenges the application of the Hispanic label toward people of Mexican and Central American descent. The groups states that the US government's usage of the term "Hispanic" is a top-down method of ethnically cleansing their indigenous identities.
• PBS 'A Cultural Identity' Examines the creation of the Hispanic label by Richard Nixon.
• Los Angeles Times 'A Look Beyond The Label' Newspaper editorial criticizing the usage of the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" as being oversimplifications of what is essentially a Mexican-dominant group, not all being Spanish speakers.
• Separated by a Common Language: The Strange Case of the White Hispanic A White Argentine questions the application of the Hispanic label to non-white Spanish speakers.
• The History of Immigration
• U.S. Hispanic Market in 2010
• Hispanic Business magazine
• Hispanic Genealogy
• Hispanic Heritage Foundation
• Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA)
• HispanicTips.com
• Hispanic Online Market
• Hispanic Market in the U.S.
• Marketing to US Hispanics and Latin America Conference
• Parchepinga - Non profit hispanic virtual community from Arizona