While I was in the seminary in Rome, I worked at Santa Maria della Luca Parish in the Trastevere district of the city. The parish was one of several churches designated by the Diocese of Rome to be part of the Latin American Mission. At that time, the second largest group of immigrants living in the city hailed from my native country of Peru. For two years, every Thursday evening I worked with a lay missionary group, and I assisted at Mass on Sundays.
After ordination, I returned to the United States where the term coined to minister to Spanish-speaking Catholics was Hispanic Ministry. Why the difference in terminology? Is there a proper or correct way to describe those who are native to the Caribbean, Central* and South America?
Hispania is the ancient Latin name for Spain. Technically and historically speaking, something Hispanic or someone Hispanic comes from the geographical area of Hispania, meaning Spain and not the Caribbean, Central* or South America. It may be argued therefore that the term Hispanic is improperly used to describe someone who does not hail from Spain. Hispanic American would be a more accurate description for those from a country formerly colonized by Spain in the American continent. The term Hispanic may also be used as a linguistic term rather than a geographical one to describe someone who speaks Spanish. This makes it a term that denotes language rather than background or ethnicity.
The US Census began to utilize the term Hispanic in 1970 to describe people native to Central America, South America, and Spain. This usage led to even more confusion when Hispanic was denoted as a race (this has now ceased in the census, but many still think of it as a race). When the term Hispanic is used, it cannot be used to describe race because Latin Americans are of many races. There is no standard Hispanic or Latin American look. There are blacks, native americans, whites, mestizos and zambos, and all identify as Latin American despite racial differences. Latin American countries are united by culture, language, geography and history, but not by race.
Many in the United States prefer to be called Latino as a shortening of latinoamericano or Latin American. This term describes those from the American continent who speak languages derived from ancient Latin, so Spanish, Portuguese and French. Collectively known as romance languages, these languages became the mother tongue of many countries in the New World due to European colonization. A broader term, Latin American includes not only Spanish speakers, but also Brazilians, Haitians, and others due to their native language. Latin Americans on the west coast of the United States are usually identified as Latinos while those on the east coast are called Hispanic. This of course is a generalization, yet this seems to be a general trend. Latino and Hispanic are used almost interchangeably in the United States today, though currently there appears to be a strong preference for Latino. In recent years, a movement has emerged that does violence to the Spanish language by attempting to erase the use of gender in its grammar. The artificial, anglicized term latinx is never appropriate, and it has been rejected by most Latino groups, institutions, and individuals.
Oftentimes in common parlance in the United States, immigrants from Latin America are incorrectly referred to as “Spanish” or “Spanish people.” I did an experiment once years ago. I referred to people born in the United States as English while at a gathering a few days after I had had a conversation on this topic with those friends. When I was corrected, I said, “but you must be English because you speak English.” They got it. I speak Spanish, but I am not Spanish. I speak Spanish but the food I eat is Peruvian, not Spanish food or Hispanic food. Though in the United States people from the Caribbean, Central* and South America tend to be clumped together into a single category, natives from those many countries do not identify as a solid block.
In conclusion, the terms Hispanic and Latino are both acceptable terms to refer to people from or with roots south of the border, as long as these are understood as heritage, linguistic, or cultural categories and not a racial one. Though the terms are not exactly synonymous due to the reasons discussed above, they are used interchangeably today. The term Latino has gained much greater usage today since it avoids the background and misuse of the term Hispanic, and more closely mirrors the term used by immigrants from Latin America to describe themselves, latinoamericanos. In the end, preference and custom currently dictate the choice, encouraging many to use them interchangeably or including them side by side.
*When referring to “Central America,” this article includes Mexico.
Picture is mine, all rights reserved.
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