{"id":279,"date":"2013-03-15T22:34:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T22:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html"},"modified":"2013-03-15T22:34:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T22:34:00","slug":"hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Hispanic, Latino or Latin American?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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Which of these is the proper way to describe people from Central and South America? \u00a0Having been born in Peru, I am much more comfortable with Latin American (or even better, South American).<\/div>\n

Depending on how the word \u201cHispanic\u201d is interpreted, it is either improperly used or artificial. \u00a0Let me explain.<\/p>\n

The ancient Latin name for Spain is Hispania<\/i>. \u00a0Technically and historically speaking something Hispanic or someone Hispanic comes from Hispania<\/i>, meaning from Spain and not from Central or South America. \u00a0It may be argued therefore that the term Hispanic is improperly used to describe someone who does not hail from Spain. \u00a0Hispanic American would be a more accurate description for those from a Central or South American country colonized by Spain (this excludes Brazil and some other nations).<\/p>\n

The term Hispanic used to describe Latin Americans may be considered artificial because the US Census began using it in 1970 to describe people hailing from Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Spain. \u00a0This led to even more confusion when Hispanic was denoted as a race (this has ceased today in the census, but many still think of it as a race). \u00a0When the term Hispanic is used, it cannot be used to describe race because Latin Americans are of many races. \u00a0I do not know how many times I\u2019ve been told, \u201cYou don\u2019t look Hispanic.\u201d \u00a0This statement is absurd. \u00a0There is no Hispanic or Latin American look; we are a mix of races. \u00a0There are blacks, indians, whites, mestizos and zambos and we all identify as Latin American despite racial differences. \u00a0We are united by culture, language and history, not by race.<\/p>\n

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Some prefer to be called Latino as a shortening of latinoamericano or Latin American. \u00a0Latin Americans on the west coast of the United States are usually identified as Latinos while those on the east coast are called Hispanic. \u00a0This of course is a generalization, yet this seems to be a general trend. \u00a0Latino and Hispanic are used almost interchangeably in the United States today even though the terms aren\u2019t perfectly equivalent since Hispanic excludes Brazilians while Latino does not. \u00a0The interchangeability of the terms became very evident to me two years ago when the Latin American Bishops in the United States published a letter titled, \u201cLetter of the Hispanic\/Latino Bishops to Immigrants.\u201d \u00a0The bishops did not choose one over the other, they allowed the reader to choose.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the United States folks proudly identify themselves as Italian-American, Irish-American, Polish-American etc. \u00a0This mentality is nonexistent in Latin America. \u00a0Even though my background is European, ever since childhood I was raised with a strong identity as Peruvian, recognizing the Incas as my ancestors (though I hardly have any indigenous blood). \u00a0I am as Peruvian as a native man who is full blooded Inca and as Peruvian as someone of mixed race.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes in common parlance in the United States, Latin Americans are referred to as \u201cSpanish.\u201d \u00a0I did an experiment once. \u00a0I referred to people born in the United States as English. \u00a0When I was corrected I said, \u201cbut you must be English because you speak English.\u201d \u00a0They got it. \u00a0I speak Spanish, but I am not Spanish. \u00a0I speak Spanish but the food I eat is Peruvian, not Spanish food or Hispanic food. \u00a0 The Mass at my parish is Mass in Spanish, not Spanish Mass or Hispanic Mass. \u00a0The congregation is not the \u201cSpanish people.\u201d We are certainly Spanish speaking, but we are not Spanish (unless someone from Madrid or Segovia is present, he or she would be Spanish). Everything is in the wording.<\/p>\n

I sometimes wonder if Hispanic Ministry in the church in the United States is a misnomer and it should be changed to Latin American Ministry as it is called in the church in Europe. \u00a0For two years while in seminary in Rome I worked at two Latin American Parishes in the Latin American Mission of Rome (not Hispanic parishes or the Hispanic Ministry of Rome). \u00a0Personally, I prefer to be identified as Latin American rather than Hispanic though I have no aversion to the term Hispanic. \u00a0I do use it all the time.<\/p>\n

My rant is now over. \u00a0I hope you found it thought provoking. \u00a0Especially if you\u2019re Latin American, I\u2019d love to hear your comments.<\/p>\n

I am happy we have a Latin American Pope!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Which of these is the proper way to describe people from Central and South America? \u00a0Having been born in Peru, I am much more comfortable with Latin American (or even better, South American). Depending on how the word \u201cHispanic\u201d is interpreted, it is either improperly used or artificial. \u00a0Let me explain. The ancient Latin name […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHispanic, Latino or Latin American?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Which of these is the proper way to describe people from Central and South America?  Having been born in Peru, I am much more comfortable with Latin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hispanic, Latino or Latin American?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Which of these is the proper way to describe people from Central and South America?  Having been born in Peru, I am much more comfortable with Latin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Labyrinthine Mind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-15T22:34:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html\",\"name\":\"Hispanic, Latino or Latin American?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-15T22:34:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-03-15T22:34:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\"},\"description\":\"Which of these is the proper way to describe people from Central and South America?  Having been born in Peru, I am much more comfortable with Latin\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/03\/hispanic-latino-or-latin-american-2.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hispanic, Latino or Latin American?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/\",\"name\":\"Labyrinthine Mind\",\"description\":\"Seeking God in the labyrinth\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\",\"name\":\"Father Pablo Migone\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Father Pablo Migone\"},\"description\":\"Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Father Pablo Migone was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2009 after studying at the Pontifical North American College and earning a Masters in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. 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