Hispanic (Spanish: hispano; Portuguese: hispânico; Latin: Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically denoted relation to the ancient Hispania and its peoples.

The term now refers to the culture and people of the Spanish-speaking countries of Hispanic America and Spain; or countries with a historical legacy from Spain, including the Southwestern United States; the African nations of Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara; the Asia-Pacific nations of the Philippines, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands; and to the ethnic individuals of those cultures. It can also refer to the Hispanosphere geographical distribution, the same way Latin (Latino) refers to the Romance languages in general.

Terminology

Etymologically, the term "Hispanic" is derived from Hispania,^[1] the name given by the ancient Romans to the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar).

Hispanus was the Latin name given to the people of Hispania, the Hispano-Romans. The Hispano-Romans were composed of people from many different origins tribes of Hispania.^[2] Some famous Hispani (plural of Hispanus) were Seneca the Elder, Seneca the Younger, Lucan, Martial, Prudentius, the Roman Emperor Trajan, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, and also Magnus Maximus and Maximus of Hispania. The etymology of the words, Hispanic, Spanish and Hispano-Roman, has the same Latin root name, Hispania, but the connotation of the original meaning of the root word has slightly different meanings in the multiple derived modern English words:

• Hispano-Roman is used to refer to the culture and people of Hispania, ancestors of the Portuguese and Spanish peoples. (historical meaning).
• Hispania is used to refer to a province of the Roman empire, the native land of the Hispano-Romans
• Hispanic is used to refer to modern Spain, and to the Castilian language, and to the Spanish speaking nations of the Americas.^[3][4]
• Spanish is used to refer to the Castilian language, the culture and the people of Spain (narrowing of meaning)
• Spaniard is used to refer to the people of Spain (narrowing of meaning).

Prior to the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, the four Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, namely the Kingdom of Portugal, the Crown of Aragon, the Crown of Castile and the Kingdom of Navarre, were collectively referred to as Hispania, the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. This usage, in medieval times, appears to have originated in Provençal and appears to be first documented at the end of the 11th century. In the Council of Constance the four kingdoms shared one vote.

Portugal adopted the word "Lusitanic,^[5] or "Lusitanian" to refer to its the culture and people in reference to the Lusitanians, one of the first Indo-European tribes to settle in Europe, from which later on derived the name of the Roman province of Lusitania, which was a part of Roman province of Hispania. Portugal's name in Latin is Lusitania. The expansion of the Spanish Empire between 1492 and 1898 brought thousands of Spanish migrants to the conquered lands, creating a large settlement that stretches all over the world and producing several multiracial populations. Portuguese speakers, however, are not considered "Hispanic" by the US Census Bureau.

Definitions in the USA

Further information: Racial demographics of the United States and Race and ethnicity in the United States Census and History of Latinos and Hispanics in the United States

During the 1970s, the United States Government defined the term "Hispanic" to identify Latin American individuals, and their descendants, living in the U.S., regardless of race.^[6]

The ethnic label Hispanic was the result of efforts by a New Mexican U.S. Senator, Joseph 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, people of Spanish descent such as Montoya referred to themselves as hispanos which was anglicized as "Hispanic".

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget currently defines "Hispanic or Latino" as "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race".^[7]

The terms Hispanic and Latino tend to be used interchangeably in the United States, due largely to a syntax inconsistency between the English language and the Spanish language.^{[citation needed]} Some define the term "Latino" as a shortened version of the noun '"Latin American". Others define the word "Latin" as the name of the language used by the ancient Romans, while "Latino" is the name given to the people who spoke the language.^{[clarify—discuss]}

Hispanization

Hispanization is the process by which a place or a person absorbs characteristics of Hispanic society and culture.^[8][9][10] Modern hispanicization of a place, namely in the United States, is illustrated by, but not limited to, Spanish language newspapers, radio stations, churches, as well as Latin restaurants, tortilla factories, panaderias (bakeries), taquerias (taco restaurants) and specialty music stores, clothing stores, and nightclubs. Hispanization of a person is illustrated by, but not limited to, speaking Spanish, making and eating Latin food, listening to Spanish language music, dressing in Santa Fe style or other Hispanic styles, and participating in Hispanic festivals and holidays. Hispanization is the opposite of assimilation. Assimilation is the process by which a minority culture absorbs characteristics of the dominant society and culture. In the United States Anglo culture has long been the dominant culture and, historically, U.S. immigrants have assimilated by the third generation. For example, by the third generation most Ukrainian-Americans have lost the ability to speak Ukrainian, make Ukrainian easter eggs, cook Ukrainian food, play Ukrainian music, or dance like a Cossack. A few immigrant groups to the U.S. have been slow to assimilate--Greeks, Chinese, and especially Hispanics.

One of the reasons why the assimilation of Hispanics in the US is not comparable to that of other cultural groups, is that Hispanic peoples have been living in some parts of North America for centuries, in many cases well before the Anglo culture became dominant. For example, California, Texas and New Mexico have been home to Hispanic peoples since the 18th century, even before the US gained independence from Great Britain. These and other Spanish-speaking territories were part of Spain, and later Mexico, before they joined the United States in 1848. Some cities in the US were founded by Spanish settlers in the 17th century, prior to the creation of the Thirteen Colonies. For example, Pensacola and St. Augustine, Florida were founded in 1559 and 1565 respectively, and Alburquerque, New Mexico was established in 1660. Therefore, in some parts of the US the Hispanic cultural roots are older than the Anglo-Saxon roots. For this reason many generations of American Hispanics have largely maintained their cultural traditions and Spanish language.

Language retention is a common index to assimilation, and according to the 2000 census, about 75 percent of all Hispanics spoke Spanish in the home — even many Hispanics who can trace their ancestry to the original Spanish settlement of the U.S. Southwest between 1598 and 1769. Spanish language retention rates vary geographically; parts of Texas and New Mexico have language retention rates over 90 percent, whereas parts of Colorado and California have retention rates lower than 30 percent. Hispanic retention rates are so high in parts of Texas and New Mexico and along the border because the percentage of Hispanics living there is also very high. Laredo, Texas; Chimayo, New Mexico; and Nogales, Arizona, for example, all have Hispanic populations greater than 90 percent. In these pockets, Hispanics have always been the majority population. These communities are known within the Hispanic community as "continuous communities" because Hispanics have continuously been the majority population since they were settled in the 16th or 17th centuries. Interestingly, Anglos moving into these communities often Hispanicize, creating a situation where assimilation and Hispanization are one and the same.

Hispanosphere

Main article: Hispanosphere

Spanish identified as the sole official language     Spanish identified as a co-official language

The countries of the Hispanic-influenced world

During the Spanish colonial period between 1492 to 1898, many people from Spain migrated to new lands they had conquered. The Spaniards brought with them their language and culture, and integrated with the society they had settled, creating a large empire that stretched all over the world and producing several multiracial populations. Their descendants are found in the following continents and countries that were originally colonized by the Spanish people.

Today, the Hispanosphere consists of the following continents and countries:

Europe

• Spain
• Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain

Hispanic America

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Puerto Rico (Unincorporated territory of the United States)

North America

• Hispanics in the United States

Africa

• Equatorial Guinea
• Western Sahara

Asia-Pacific

• Philippines
• Guam
• Northern Mariana Islands

Music

Main articles: Music of Spain and Latin American music

Folk and popular dance and music also varies greatly among Hispanics. For instance, the music from Spain is a lot different from the Hispanic American, although there is a high grade of exchange between both continents. In addition, due to the high national development of the diverse identities of Spain, there is a lot of music in the different languages the Peninsula (Catalan and Basque, mainly). See, for instance, Music of Catalonia or Rock català.

On the other side, Latin America is home to a wide variety of music, instead it's usual to speak about "Latin" music as a single genre. 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 Hispanic Americans — such as tejano music — has influences in rock, jazz, R&B, pop, and country music as well as traditional Mexican music such as Mariachi. 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.

Literature

Main article: Hispanic literature

There is a huge variety of literature from US Hispanics and the Hispanic countries. Of the most recognized writers are Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Gabriel García Márquez, Rubén Darío, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortázar, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges and Ernesto Sabato, amongst others.

Religious diversity

With regard to religious affiliation among Hispanics, Christianity — specifically Roman Catholicism — is usually the first religious tradition that comes 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 but growing number of Hispanics belong to a Protestant denomination.

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, Peru and Cuba (Argentina is host to the third largest Jewish population in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States and Canada)^[11][12] in the 19th century and during and following World War II. 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. Other syncretistic beliefs include Spiritism and Curanderismo.

While a tiny minority, there are some Hispanic Muslims in Latin America and the US.

In the United States some 70% of U.S. Hispanics report themselves Catholic, and 23% Protestant, with 6% having no affiliation.^[13] 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 4%, are U.S. Hispanic Jews and U.S. Hispanic Muslims. Most U.S. Hispanic Muslims are recent converts.^{[citation needed]}

Footnotes

References

• De la Garza, Rodolfo O., and Louis Desipio. Ethnic Ironies: Latino Politics in the 1992 Elections (1996)
• What is a Hispanic? Legal Definition vs. Racist Definition.Montalban-Anderssen. (1996)
• What is a Hispanic? Legal Definition vs. Racist Definition. Romero Anton Montalban-Anderssen. Large file with footnotes (1996)

See also

Aztec Criollo Cuban-American lobby Afro-Latino Black Hispanic Famous Hispanic Americans Hispanicity Hispania Hispanic cultural legacy in the Philippines Hispanic culture Hispanic Paradox Hispanophone Iberian Ibero-America Inca Indigenous peoples Isleños

Languages of Spain Latino List of United States cities with a majority Hispanic population Maya civilization Maya peoples Nationalities of Spain Spain Spaniard Spanish Empire Spanish in the United States Spanish language Spic White Hispanic Hispanic British

External links

• Spanish Arts: Painting, Sculpture, Music, Architecture, Literature
• Centro Virtual Cervantes
• Biblioteca Virtual Cervantes
• Testament of Isabella of Castile
• Immigration, Hispanics and the curse of the Black Legend
• Hispanic Americans in the U.S. Army
• 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.
• Latino arts
• Classic Cuban cooking
• 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 National Hispanic News - Blogante News For, From & About Hispanics & Latinos
• 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
• HispanicSMB.com - Hispanic Business Portal
• Politicos Latinos Website listing the USA's major Latino/Hispanic Politicians
• Diario Las Americas Website for Miami's Original Hispanic Daily Newspaper
• Hispanic Digital Network The Nation's First Internet Advertising Network of U.S. Hispanic Newspapers, Magazines and Media Portals
• Hispanic PR Wire Leading News Distribution Service Reaching U.S. Hispanic Media and Opinion Leaders

---

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Hispanic". Image Credit.

bookmark   email   print   tweet   facebook