Hispanic

2018-07-22T17:12:11Z

Wikomon:

{{About|peoples and cultures related to [[Spain]]|[[Hispanos]], such as [[Californiano]]s, [[Hispanos of New Mexico|Novomexicanos]], [[Tejano]]s, or other uses of the English translation of Hispano|Hispano (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2015}}
{{globalize|date=May 2018}}

The term '''''Hispanic''''' ({{lang-es|hispano}} or {{lang|es|hispánico}}) broadly refers to the people, nations, and cultures that have a historical link to [[Spain]].

It commonly applies to countries once under [[colonization|colonial possession]] by the [[Spanish Empire]] following [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]], parts of the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. Principally, what are today the countries of [[Hispanic America]], the [[Spanish East Indies|Spanish Philippines]], and [[Spanish Sahara]] where Spanish may or may not be the predominant or official language and their cultures are heavily derived from Spain although with strong local indigenous or other foreign influences.

It could be argued that the term Hispanic should apply to all Spanish-speaking cultures or countries, as the historical roots of the word specifically pertain to the Iberian region. It is difficult to label a nation or culture with one term, such as ''Hispanic'', as the ethnicities, customs, traditions, and art forms (music, literature, dress, culture, cuisine, and others) vary greatly by country and region. The [[Spanish language]] and Spanish culture are the main distinctions.<ref name="fhwa.dot.gov"/><ref name="SBA 8005"/>

''Hispanic'' originally referred to the people of ancient Roman [[Hispania]], which roughly comprised the [[Iberian Peninsula]], including the contemporary states of [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], and [[Andorra]], and the [[British Overseas Territory]] of [[Gibraltar]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Vega |first=Noé Villaverde |title=Tingitana en la antigüedad tardía, siglos III-VII: autoctonía y romanidad en el extremo occidente mediterráneo |trans-title=Tingitana in late antiquity, the III-VII centuries: the autochthonous and Roman world in the west end of the Mediterranean. Which answers the million dollar question. Portuguese people are considered to be Hispanic because of the origin of the famial background.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdPYaA4nG8QC&pg=PA266&dq=Nova+Hispania+Ulterior+Tingitana.&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ei=CddQUbSXNoe7hAeL44GIDQ&ved=0CC4Q6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=Nova%20Hispania%20Ulterior%20Tingitana.&f=false |year=2001 |publisher=[[Real Academia de la Historia]] |language=Spanish |isbn=978-84-89512-94-8 |page=266 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bowersock |first1=Glen Warren |last2=Brown |first2=Peter |last3=Grabar |first3=Oleg |title=Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c788wWR_bLwC&pg=PA504&dq=hispania+tingitania&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ei=JjZSUdhekoDtBs6IgOgK&ved=0CCoQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=hispania%20tingitania&f=false |date=1999 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-51173-6 |page=504 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Corfis |first=Ivy A. |title=Al-Andalus, Sepharad and Medieval Iberia: Cultural Contact and Diffusion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=12w3qo2hkq4C&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=provinces++Hispania,++Tingitania&source=bl&ots=xw5lURJH3e&sig=NeXsOBaRK3hL1E-r2nYKI3aPp2w&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ei=EDhSUf7yIvGO7AaB2oCADg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=provinces%20%20Hispania%2C%20%20Tingitania&f=false|date=2009 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-17919-4 |page=231 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

==Terminology==
The term ''Hispanic'' derives from Latin ''Hispanicus'' ('Spanish'), the adjectival derivation of Latin (and Greek) ''Hispania'' ('Spain') and ''Hispanus''/''Hispanos'' ('Spaniard'), ultimately probably of [[Celtiberian language|Celtiberian]] origin.<ref name=Harper>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Hispanic&searchmode=none |title=Online Etymology Dictionary; Hispanic |first=Douglas |last=Harper |accessdate=10 February 2009}} Also: [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Spain&searchmode=none etymology of "Spain"], on the same site.</ref> In English the word is attested from the 16th century (and in the late 19th century in American English).<ref>{{cite book|last=Herbst |first=Philip |title=The Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiZQH5gHuggC&pg=PA107&dq=latin+hispanicus&hl=pt-PT&sa=X&ei=jx8pT6vaJsi_8gO-5bmnAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=latin%20hispanicus&f=false |date=1997 |publisher=Intercultural Press |isbn=978-1-877864-97-1 |page=107 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

The words ''Spain'', ''Spanish'', and ''Spaniard'' are of the same etymology as ''Hispanus'', ultimately.<ref name=Harper/>
[[File:Galician Celtic Stele - Estela Galaica.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Stele of a family of [[celts]], hispanus from [[Gallaecia]] : Apana · Ambo/lli · f(ilia) · Celtica /[[Celtici Supertamarici|Supertam(arica)]] · / [j] Miobri · /an(norum) · XXV · h(ic) · s(ita) · e(st) · /Apanus · fr(ater) · f(aciendum)· c(uravit)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://eda-bea.es/pub/record_card_2.php?refpage=%2Fpub%2Fsearch_select.php&quicksearch=torre+del+campo&order=4&rec=7448&newlang=en |title=Record No. 7448, Sepulchral inscription |work=Hispania Epigraphica Online Database |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>]]
''Hispanus'' was the Latin name given to a person from Hispania during [[Roman Empire|Roman rule]]. In English, the term ''Hispano-Roman'' is sometimes used.<ref name=Pohl>{{cite book|last1=Pohl |first1=Walter |last2=Reimitz |first2=Helmut |title=Strategies of Distinction: The Construction of the Ethnic Communities, 300-800 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OAZ1WNWSockC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=Hispano-Romans&source=web&ots=guGgdj2YJ3&sig=VP_iIaQ1aiGVUHIQ2Hcy4vSXluU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result |date=1998 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-10846-7 |page=117 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> The Hispano-Romans were composed of people from many different [[Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula|indigenous tribes]], in addition to [[Roman Italy|Italian]] colonists.<ref>{{cite book|last=Curchin |first=Leonard A. |title=The Romanization of Central Spain: Complexity, Diversity and Change in a Provincial Hinterland |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1134451121 |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=1134451121 |page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://arkeotavira.com/Mapas/Iberia/Populi.pdf |title=Pre-Roman Peoples and Languages of Iberia: An ethnological map of the Iberian Peninsula after the 2nd Punic War |work=Campo Arqueológico de Tavira |year=2011 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> Some famous ''Hispani'' (plural of ''Hispanus'') and ''Hispaniensis'' were the emperors [[Trajan]], [[Marcus Aurelius]], [[Hadrian]], [[Theodosius I]] and [[Magnus Maximus]], the poets [[Marcus Annaeus Lucanus]], [[Martial]] and [[Prudentius]], the philosophers [[Seneca the Elder]] and [[Seneca the Younger]], or the usurper [[Maximus of Hispania]]. A number of these men, such as Trajan, Hadrian and others, were in fact descended from Roman colonial families.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dunstan |first=William E. |title=Ancient Rome |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0742568342 |date=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, Inc. |isbn=0742568342 |page=312}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Merivale |first=Charles |title=A General History of Rome |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_XQAAAAMAAJ |date=1875 |publisher=D. Appleton and Co. |page=524}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Grainger |first=John D. |title=Nerva and the Roman Succession Crisis of AD 96-99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0415349583 |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415349583 |page=73}}</ref>

Here follows a comparison of several terms related to ''Hispanic'':
* ''Hispania'' was the name of the [[Iberian Peninsula]]/Iberia from the 3rd century BC to the 8th AD, both as a [[Roman Empire]] province and immediately thereafter as a [[Visigothic kingdom]], 5th–8th century.
* ''Hispano-Roman'' is used to refer to the culture and people of Hispania.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266981/Hispano-Roman |title=Hispano-Roman |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Boyle |first=Leonard E. |title=Medieval Latin Palaeography: A Bibliographical Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VCi0V2oBSkC&pg=PA115&dq=culture+Hispano-Roman&lr=&as_brr=3 |date=1984 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-6558-2 |page=115 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="Merriam Webster Online">{{cite web |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Hispanic |title=Hispanic |work=Merriam Webster Online |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
* ''Hispanic'' is used to refer to modern Spain, to the Spanish language, and to the Spanish-speaking nations of the world, particularly the [[Americas]],<ref name="Merriam Webster Online"/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/hispanic |title=Definition of Hispanic in English |work=Oxford Dictionary |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> Pacific Islands and Asia, such as the [[Philippines]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinlife.com/article/1446/are-filipinos-considered-hispanics|title=Are Filipinos Considered Hispanics?|website=LatinLife|language=en|access-date=2018-03-07}}</ref> and [[Guam]].{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
* ''Spanish'' is used to refer to the people, nationality, culture, language and other things of Spain.
* ''Spaniard'' is used to refer to the people of Spain.

''Hispania'' was the Roman name for the whole territory of the [[Iberian Peninsula]]. Initially, this territory was divided into two provinces: [[Hispania Citerior]] and [[Hispania Ulterior]]. In 27 B.C, Hispania Ulterior was divided into two new provinces, [[Hispania Baetica]] and [[Hispania Lusitania]], while Hispania Citerior was renamed [[Hispania Tarraconensis]]. This division of Hispania explains the usage of the singular and plural forms (Spain, and The Spains) used to refer to the peninsula and its kingdoms in the Middle Ages.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Callaghan |first=Joseph F. |title=A History of Medieval Spain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yA3p6v3UxyIC&pg=PA24&dq=medieval+spain+was+a+geographic+location&hl=en&ei=MIe9TcmHDIOZ8QOLmY3cBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=31 August 1983 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-9264-5 |page=24 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

Before the marriage of Queen [[Isabella I of Castile]] and King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] in 1469, the four Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula—the Kingdom of [[Portugal]], the [[Crown of Aragon]], the [[Crown of Castile]], and the [[Kingdom of Navarre]]—were collectively called The Spains. This revival of the old Roman concept in the [[Middle Ages]] appears to have originated in [[Provence|Provençal]], and was first documented at the end of the 11th century. In the [[Council of Constance]], the four kingdoms shared one vote.

The word ''[[Lusitanians|Lusitanian]]'', relates to Lusitania or Portugal, also in reference to the [[Lusitanians]], possibly one of the first [[Proto-Indo-Europeans|Indo-European]] tribes to settle in Europe. From this tribe's name had derived the name of the [[Roman province]] of [[Lusitania]], and ''[[:la:Lusitania|Lusitania]]'' remains the name of Portugal in Latin.

The terms ''Spain'' and ''the Spains'' were not interchangeable.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rowe |first=Erin Kathleen |title=Saint and Nation: Santiago, Teresa of Avila, and Plural Identities in Early Modern Spain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDlqrxan22AC&pg=PA10&dq=the+spains+%22las+espanas%22&hl=en&ei=m1yYTeLxIMSp8AOB5MyzCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=the%20spains%20%22las%20espanas%22&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press |isbn=978-0-271-03773-8 |page=10}}</ref> Spain was a [[geographic region|geographic territory]], home to several kingdoms (Christian and Muslim), with separate governments, laws, languages, religions, and customs, and was the historical remnant of the Hispano-Gothic unity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ruiz |first=Teofilo F. |title=Spain's Centuries of Crisis: 1300 - 1474 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DteXifpgh_UC&pg=PA1&dq=the+spains&hl=en&ei=DTarTePwA4ip8APmpeC4Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=the%20spains&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=15 April 2008 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-470-76644-6 |page=1 }}</ref> Spain was not a political entity until much later, and when referring to the Middle Ages, one should not be confounded with the nation-state of today.<ref>{{cite book|last=Baruque |first=Julio Valdeón |title=Las Raices Medievales de España |trans-title=The medieval roots of Spain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WoApUAccnoC&pg=PA55&dq=concepto+de+espana&hl=en&ei=nnmhTa7KKs288gPv3cWoAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=2002 |publisher=Real Academia de la Historia |language=Spanish |isbn=978-84-95983-95-4 |page=55}}</ref> The term ''The Spains'' referred specifically to a collective of juridico-political units, first the Christian kingdoms, and then the different kingdoms ruled by the same king.

With the ''[[Decretos de Nueva Planta]]'', [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] started to organize the fusion of his kingdoms that until then were ruled as distinct and independent, but this unification process lacked a formal and juridic proclamation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fernández |first1=Luis Suárez |last2=Baratech |first2=Carlos E. Corona |last3=Vicente |first3=José Antonio Armillas |title=Historia general de España y América |trans-title=General History of Spain and America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wLNVAv7N-_YC&pg=PA87&dq=el+proceso+de+la+unificaci%C3%B3n+del+Estado+espana&hl=en&ei=rRegTanOJJGo8QOLppCoAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEsQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=1984 |publisher=Ediciones Rialp |isbn=978-84-321-2106-7 |page=87 |language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=María |first=María Paz Andrés Sáenz de Santa |title=Homenaje a la Constitución Española: XXV aniversario |trans-title=Tribute to the Spanish Constitution: XXV anniversary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f1Syv68oJnsC&pg=PA123&dq=castilla+union+jur%C3%ADdica+espana&hl=en&ei=6jKgTZWWBsur8APV47mgAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=1 January 2005 |publisher=Universidad de Oviedo |language=Spanish |isbn=978-84-8317-473-9 |page=123}}</ref>

Although colloquially and literally the expression "King of Spain" or "King of the Spains" was already widespread,<ref>{{cite book|last=Alcalá-Zamora |first=José N. |title=Felipe IV: el hombre y el reinado |trans-title=Felipe IV: The Man and the Reign |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4aYgR5YFEtAC&pg=PA137&dq=felipe+iv+por+la+gracia+de+dios+rey&hl=en&ei=09qhTY-OJcuw8QOjubyoAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=felipe%20iv%20por%20la%20gracia%20de%20dios%20rey&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016|date=2005 |publisher=CEEH |language=Spanish |isbn=978-84-934643-0-1 |page=137}}</ref> it did not refer to a unified nation-state. It was only in [[Spanish Constitution of 1812|the constitution of 1812]] that was adopted the name ''Españas'' (Spains) for the Spanish nation and the use of the title of "king of the Spains".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bib.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/c1812/12260843118006070754624/ima0138.htm |title=Constitucion politica de la Monarquia Española : Promulgada en Cadiz á 19 de Marzo de 1812 |trans-title=Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy: Promulgated in Cadiz on 19 March 1812 |work=Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes |accessdate=19 January 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref> [[Spanish Constitution of 1978|The constitution of 1876]] adopts for the first time the name "Spain" for the Spanish nation and from then on the kings would use the title of "king of Spain".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ruiz |first1=Joaquín del Moral |last2=Ruiz |first2=Juan Pro |last3=Bilbao |first3=Fernando Suárez |title=Estado y territorio en España, 1820–1930: la formación del paisaje nacional |trans-title=State and Territory in Spain, 1820–1930: The formation of the national landscape |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RaC85UYvbtIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=espanas+espana+nacion-estado&hl=en&ei=cKihTfmzA5fS4wa6yb2bAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016 |date=2007 |publisher=Los Libros de la Catarata |language=Spanish |isbn=978-84-8319-335-8 }}</ref>

The expansion of the [[Spanish Empire]] between 1492 and 1898 brought thousands of Spanish migrants to the conquered lands, who established settlements, mainly in the Americas, but also in other distant parts of the world (as in the Philippines, the lone Spanish territory in Asia), producing a number of multiracial populations. Today, the term ''Hispanic'' is typically applied to the varied populations of these places, including those with Spanish ancestry. The Filipinos however can be considered Hispanics because of the culture and language that Spanish left behind. Along with English and Tagalog, Spanish used to be one of the official languages in the Philippines before being removed in 1987 by the Cory Aquino government.

===Definitions in ancient Rome===
The Latin gentile adjectives that belong to Hispania are ''Hispanus, Hispanicus,'' and ''Hispanienses.'' A Hispanus is someone who is a native of Hispania with no foreign parents, while children born in Hispania of (Latin) Roman parents were Hispaniensis. ''Hispaniensis'' means 'connected in some way to Hispania', as in "Exercitus Hispaniensis" ('the Spanish army') or "mercatores Hispanienses" ('Spanish merchants'). ''Hispanicus'' implies 'of' or 'belonging to' Hispania or the Hispanus or of their fashion as in "glaudius Hispanicus".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XaFJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA326&dq=hispanicus&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KrEuT8HnGcf-8QOXvbDnDg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=hispanicus&f=false |accessdate=19 January 2016 |date=1820 |publisher=E. Cave |page=326}}</ref> The gentile adjectives were not ethnolinguistic but derived primarily on a geographic basis, from the toponym Hispania as the people of Hispania spoke different languages, although [[Livy]] said they could all understand each other, not making clear if they spoke dialects of the same language or were polyglots.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=legacy/uvaBook/tei/Liv3His.xml;chunk.id=d264;toc.depth=1;toc.id=d231;brand=default |author=[[Livy|Titus Livius]] |title=The History of Rome, Vol. III 25.33 |work=University of Virginia Library |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
The first recorded use of an [[anthroponym]] derived from the toponym Hispania is attested in one of the five fragments, of [[Ennius]] in 236 B.C. who wrote "Hispane, non Romane memoretis loqui me" ("Remember that I speak like a Spaniard not a Roman") as having been said by a native of Hispania.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uib-es.academia.edu/EnriqueGarc%C3%ADaRiaza/Papers/1229269/GARCIA_RIAZA_E._Lengua_y_poder._Notas_sobre_los_origenes_de_la_latinizacion_de_las_elites_celtibericas_182-133_aC_Palaeohispanica_5-2005_637-655 |title=Lengua y poder. Notas sobre los orígenes de la latinización de las élites celtibéricas (182–133 aC) |trans-title=Language and power: Notes on the origins of colonization of the Celtic elites (182–133 BC) |journal=Palaeohispanica |issue=5 |year=2005 |pages=637–655 |first=Enrique |last=García Riaza |accessdate=19 January 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://arbor.revistas.csic.es/index.php/arbor/article/view/1365/1374 |title=España Y Los Españoles |trans-title=Spain and the Spanish |first=Rubén |last=Caba |journal=Arbor |volume=187 |issue=September=October 2011 |pages=977–982 |issn=0210-1963 |accessdate=19 January 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref>

===Definitions in Portugal and Spain===
The term Hispanic signifies the cultural resonance, among other elements and characteristics, of the descendants of the people who inhabited ancient Hispania (Iberian Peninsula). It has been used throughout history for many purposes, including drawing a contrast to the Moors and differentiating explorers and settlers.

Technically speaking, persons from Portugal or of Portuguese extraction are referred to as Lusitanians. In Portugal, Hispanic refers to something related to ancient Hispania, Spain or the Spanish language and culture, Portugal.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.priberam.pt/dlpo/hisp%c3%a2nico |title=Significado / definição de hispânico |work=Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa |language=pt |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> Portugal and Spain do not have exactly the same definition for the term Hispanic, but they do share the etymology for the word (pt: ''hispânico'', es: ''hispánico'').
[[The Royal Spanish Academy]] (Spanish: Real Academia Española, RAE), the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language defines the terms "Hispano" and "Hispánico" (which in Spain have slightly different meanings) as:<ref>{{cite web |url= http://dle.rae.es/?id=KW1s7dJ |title=hispano. |work=Diccionario de la lengua española |publisher=Real Academia Española |accessdate=9 November 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://dle.rae.es/?id=KVkY2zv |title=hispánico. |work=Diccionario de la lengua española |publisher=Real Academia Española |accessdate=9 November 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref>

Hispano:
* Of Hispania.
* Belonging or relative to old Hispania.
* Spanish, as applied to a person.
* Of or pertaining to [[Hispanic America]].
* Of or pertaining to the population of Hispanic American origin who live in the United States of America.
* A person of this origin who lives in the United States of America.
* People for [[The Republic of the Philippines]]

Hispánico:
* Belonging or relative to old Hispania and the peoples which were once part of it.
* Belonging or relative to Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.

Note that both terms include Portugal as part of "Hispania" as Hispania is the old Roman name given to the entire Iberian peninsula and their peoples, including the Lusitanians.

The common modern term to identify Portuguese and Spanish cultures under a single nomenclature is "Iberian", and the one to refer to cultures derived from both countries in the Americas is "Iberian-American". These designations can be mutually recognized by people in Portugal and Brazil, unlike "Hispanic", which is totally void of any self-identification in those countries, and quite on the opposite, serves the purpose of marking a clear distinction in relation to neighboring countries´ culture.

In Spanish, the term "hispano" as in "hispanoamericano", refers to the people of Spanish origin who live in the Americas; it also refers to a relationship to Hispania or to the Spanish language. There are people in Hispanic America that are not of Spanish origin, as the original people of these areas are Amerindians.

===Definitions in the United States===
{{See also|Ethnic groups in the United States|History of Hispanic and Latino Americans|Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Hispanic/Latino naming dispute}}

While originally the term referred primarily to the [[Hispanos of New Mexico]] within the [[United States]]<ref name="Cobos-1">Cobos, Rubén (2003) "Introduction," ''A Dictionary of New Mexico & Southern Colorado Spanish'' (2nd ed.); Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press; p. ix; {{ISBN|0-89013-452-9}}</ref>, today, organizations in the country use the term as a broad catchall to refer to persons with a historical and cultural relationship with Spain, such as Equatorial Guinea and Philippines which are- regardless of race and ethnicity.<ref name="fhwa.dot.gov">{{cite web |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/guidance/superseded/49cfr26.cfm |title=Archived: 49 CFR Part 26 |work=U.S. Department of Transportation |accessdate=19 January 2016 |quote="'Hispanic Americans,' which includes persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race..."}}</ref><ref name="SBA 8005">{{cite web |url=https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/SOP_80_05_3A.pdf |title=SOP 80 05 3A: Overview of the 8(A) Business Development Program |work=U.S. Small Business Administration |date=11 April 2008 |accessdate=19 January 2016 |quote="SBA has defined 'Hispanic American' as an individual whose ancestry and culture are rooted in South America, Central America, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, or Spain."}}</ref> The U.S. Census Bureau defines the [[ethnonym]] ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]'' to refer to "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race"<ref name="census.gov">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf |title=The Hispanic Population: 2010 |date=May 2011 |work=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> and states that Hispanics or Latinos can be of any race, any ancestry, any ethnicity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/05/28/whos-hispanic/ |title=Who’s Hispanic? |first1=Jeffrey S. |last1=Passel |first2=Paul |last2=Taylor |work=Pew Research Center |date=28 May 2009 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> Generically, this limits the definition of Hispanic or Latino to people from the Caribbean, Central and South America, or other Hispanic (Spanish or Portuguese) culture or origin, regardless of race. Latino can refer to males or females, while Latina refers to only females.

Because of the technical distinctions involved in defining "race" vs. "ethnicity," there is confusion among the general population about the designation of Hispanic identity. Currently, the United States Census Bureau defines six race categories:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf |title=Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin |work=U.S. Census Bureau |date=March 2011 |first1=Karen R. |last1=Humes |first2=Nicholas A. |last2=Jones |first3=Roberto R. |last3=Ramirez |accessdate=19 January 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429214029/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf |archivedate=29 April 2011 |df= }}</ref>
* White or Caucasian
* Black or African American
* American Indian or Alaska Native
* Asian
* Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
* Some Other Race

According to census reports, of the above races the largest number of Hispanic or Latinos are of the White race, the second largest number come from the Native American/American Indian race who are the indigenous people of the Americas. The inhabitants of Easter Island are Pacific Islanders and since the island belongs to Chile they are theoretically Hispanic or Latinos.
Because Hispanic roots are considered aligned with a European ancestry (Spain/Portugal), Hispanic/Latino ancestry is defined solely as an ''ethnic ''designation (similar to being Norse or Germanic). Therefore, a person of Hispanic descent is typically defined using both race and ethnicity as an identifier—i.e., Black-Hispanic, White-Hispanic, Asian-Hispanic, Amerindian-Hispanic or "other race" Hispanic.

A 1997 notice by the U.S. [[Office of Management and Budget]] defined ''Hispanic or Latino'' persons as being "persons who trace their origin or descent to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures."<ref name=omb>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards |title=Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity |work=The White House Office of Management and Budget |date=30 October 1997 |accessdate=29 January 2017}}</ref> The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|United States Census]] uses the [[ethnonym]] ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]'' to refer to "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Hispanic culture or origin regardless of race."<ref name="census.gov"/>

The [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]] asked if the person was "Spanish/Hispanic/Latino". The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|United States Census]] uses the [[ethnonym]] ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]'' to refer to "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race."<ref name="census.gov"/> The Census Bureau also explains that "[o]rigin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person's ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/hispanic/ |title=Hispanic Origin |work=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=19 January 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119231531/http://www.census.gov/population/hispanic/ |archivedate=19 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The [[United States Department of Transportation|U.S. Department of Transportation]] defines ''Hispanic'' as, "persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, or other Spanish or Portuguese culture or origin, regardless of race."<ref name="fhwa.dot.gov"/> This definition has been adopted by the [[Small Business Administration]] as well as by many federal, state, and municipal agencies for the purposes of awarding government contracts to minority owned businesses.<ref name="SBA 8005"/>
The [[Congressional Hispanic Caucus]] and the [[Congressional Hispanic Conference]] include representatives of Spanish and Portuguese, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. The [[Hispanic Society of America]] is dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of [[Spain]], [[Portugal]], and [[Latin America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/museum.htm |title=The Museum at the Hispanic Society of America |work=hispanicsociety.org |accessdate=19 January 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221201551/http://hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/museum.htm |archivedate=21 December 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, proclaimed champions of Hispanic success in higher education, is committed to Hispanic educational success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Ibero-America, Spain and Portugal.

The U.S. [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] encourages any individual who believes that he or she is Hispanic to self-identify as Hispanic.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-11-28/pdf/05-23359.pdf |title=Race and Ethnic Categories |journal=[[Federal Register]] |volume=70 |number=227 |date=28 November 2005 |page=71295 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> The [[United States Department of Labor]] - [[Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs]] encourages the same self-identification. As a result, any individual who traces his or her origins to part of the [[Spanish Empire]] or [[Portuguese Empire]] may self-identify as Hispanic, because an employer may not override an individual's self-identification.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kb.dol.gov/DOLArticlePage?agency=OFCCP&parentCatValue=Employer&article=ka1i0000000WEpsAAG |title=May an employer override an individual's self-identification of race, gender or ethnicity based on the employer's visual observation? |work=United States Department of Labor |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

The [[1970 United States Census|1970 Census]] was the first time that a "Hispanic" identifier was used and data collected with the question. The definition of "Hispanic" has been modified in each successive census.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0075/twps0075.html#f1 |first1=Arthur R. |last1=Crese |first2=Audrey Dianne |last2=Schmidley |first3=Roberto R. |last3=Ramirez |title=Identification of Hispanic Ethnicity in Census 2000: Analysis of Data Quality for the Question on Hispanic Origin, Population Division Working Paper No. 75 |work=U.S. Census Bureau |date=9 July 2008}}</ref>

In a recent study, most Spanish-speakers of Spanish or Hispanic American descent do not prefer the term "Hispanic" or "Latino" when it comes to describing their identity. Instead, they prefer to be identified by their country of origin. When asked if they have a preference for either being identified as "Hispanic" or "Latino," the Pew study finds that "half (51%) say they have no preference for either term."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/04/study-most-hispanics-prefer-describing-identity-from-familys-country-of-origin/ |title=Study: Most Hispanics Prefer Describing Identity From Family’s Country Of Origin |work=CBS DC |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> A majority (51%) say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin, while 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label such as Hispanic or Latino. Among those 24% who have a preference for a pan-ethnic label, "'Hispanic' is preferred over 'Latino' by more than a two-to-one margin—33% versus 14%." Twenty-one percent prefer to be referred to simply as "Americans."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views-of-identity/ |title=When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity |date=4 April 2012 |work=Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

====Hispanicization====
Hispanicization is the process by which a place or a person absorbs characteristics of Hispanic society and culture.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places: Community and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary America |year=2004 |editor-first=Dan |editor-last=Arreola |chapter=14. "'''Hispanization''' of Hereford, Texas"}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CENSR-18 Census 2000 Special Reports: We the People – Hispanics in the United States |date=December 2004 |first=Roberto R. |last=Ramirez |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/censr-18.pdf |work=US Bureau of the Census |page=10 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Hispanic Community Types and Assimilation in Mex-America |year=1998 |last=Haverluk |first=Terrence W. |journal=[[The Professional Geographer]] |volume=50 |issue=4 |pages=465–480 |doi=10.1111/0033-0124.00133}}</ref> Modern hispanization of a place, namely in the United States, might be illustrated by Spanish-language media and businesses. Hispanization of a person might be illustrated by speaking Spanish, making and eating Hispanic American food, listening to Spanish language music or participating in Hispanic festivals and holidays - Hispanization of those outside the Hispanic community as opposed to [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]] of Hispanics into theirs.

One reason that some people believe the assimilation of Hispanics in the U.S. is not comparable to that of other cultural groups is that [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] have been living in parts of North America for centuries, in many cases well before the English-speaking culture became dominant. For example, [[California]], [[Texas]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]] (1598), [[Arizona]], [[Nevada]], [[Florida]] and [[Puerto Rico]] have been home to Spanish-speaking peoples since the 16th century, long before the U.S. existed. (The language of the Native Americans existed before this, until the invasion and forced assimilation by the Spanish.) These and other Spanish-speaking territories were part of the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]], and later [[Mexico]] (with the exception of Florida and Puerto Rico), before these regions joined or were taken over by the United States in 1848. Some cities in the U.S. were founded by Spanish settlers as early as the 16th century, prior to the creation of the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. For example, San Miguel de Gualdape, [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] and [[St. Augustine, Florida]] were founded in 1526, 1559 and 1565 respectively. [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]] was founded in 1604, and [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]] was established in 1660. [[El Paso]] was founded in 1659, [[San Antonio]] in 1691, [[Laredo, Texas]] in 1755, [[San Diego]] in 1769, [[San Francisco]] in 1776, [[San Jose, California]] in 1777, [[New Iberia, Louisiana]] in 1779, and [[Los Angeles]] in 1781. Therefore, in many parts of the U.S., the Hispanic cultural legacy predates English/British influence. For this reason, many generations have largely maintained their cultural traditions and [[Spanish language]] well before the United States was created. However, Spanish-speaking persons in many Hispanic areas in the U.S. amounted to only a few thousand people when they became part of the United States; a large majority of current Hispanic residents are descended from Hispanics who entered the United States in the mid-to-late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Language retention is a common index to assimilation; according to the 2000 census, about 75 percent of all Hispanics spoke Spanish in the home. Spanish language retention rates vary geographically; parts of Texas and New Mexico have language retention rates over 90 percent, whereas in parts of Colorado and California, retention rates are lower than 30 percent. The degree of retention of Spanish as the native language is based on recent arrival from countries where Spanish is spoken. As is true of other immigrants, those who were born in other countries still speak their native language. Later generations are increasingly less likely to speak the language spoken in the country of their ancestors, as is true of other immigrant groups.

==Spanish-speaking countries and regions==
{| class="wikitable" align="right" line-height="0.87em"
|-valign="top" border="1" style="background:#FFFF00;"
| align="center" |'''[[Hispanophone|Spanish-speaking countries]]'''
|-
|[[File:Map of the spanish language uses.png|thumb|the map of the spanish language uses]]
|-
|{{legend|Red|''Spanish identified as sole official language''}}
|-
|{{legend|#000080|''Spanish identified as co-official language''}}
|-
|{{legend|#00ff55|''Former Spanish co-official, now identified as auxiliary language''}}
|}

{{See also|Hispanophone|Hispanic America|List of countries where Spanish is an official language}}
Today, Spanish is among the [[List of languages by number of native speakers|most commonly spoken first languages]] of the world. During the period of the [[Spanish Empire]] from 1492 and 1898, many people migrated from Spain to the conquered lands. The [[Spaniard]]s brought with them the Castilian language and culture, and in this [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|process that lasted several centuries]], created a [[global empire]] with a diverse population.

Culturally, Spaniards (those living in Spain) are typically European, but they also have small traces of many peoples from the rest of Europe, such as for example, old Germania, Scandinavia, France, the Mediterranean, the Near East and northern Africa.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/7/1361.full |title=Estimating the Impact of Prehistoric Admixture on the Genome of Europeans |first1=Isabelle |last1=Dupanloup |first2=Giorgio |last2=Bertorelle |first3=Lounès |last3=Chikhi |first4=Guido |last4=Barbujani |journal=[[Molecular Biology and Evolution]] |date=24 March 2004 |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=1361–1372 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msh135 |accessdate=19 January 2016 |pmid=15044595}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~mcdonald/WorldHaplogroupsMaps.pdf |title=Y Haplogroups of the World |year=2005 |first=J. D. |last=McDonald |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>

===Language and ethnicities in Spanish-speaking areas around the world===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; line-height: 1.25em"
! Continent/region
! Country/territory
! Languages spoken<ref name="cia.lang">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html#2098 |title=The World Factbook: Languages |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
! Ethnic groups<ref name="cia.ethc">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html#2075 |title=The World Factbook: Ethnicity Notes |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
! Picture
! References
|-
!rowspan="2"| Europe
| '''Spain'''
| Spanish (official) 70%, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] 20%, [[Galician language|Galician]] 7%, [[Basque language|Basque]] 2% (official regionally) (Spanish is spoken by 100% of the population)<ref>{{cite news |url= http://elpais.com/diario/2009/06/30/catalunya/1246324046_850215.html |title=El catalán pierde peso como lengua habitual por la inmigración |trans-title=Catalan as an everyday language loses weight by immigration |first=Lourdes |last=Morgades |newspaper=[[El País]] |date=30 June 2009 |accessdate=19 January 2016 |language=Spanish}}</ref>
| 88.0% [[Spanish people|Spanish]], 12.0% others ([[Romanian people|Romanian]], [[British people|British]], [[Moroccan people|Moroccan]], [[Latin Americans|Hispanic American]], [[German people|German]]) (2009) ''(See: [[Spanish people]]'')
| [[File:Sta-eulalia.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ine.es/prensa/np551.pdf |title=Avance del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero de 2009 |trans-title=The Municipal Register of 1 January 2009 |work=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |date=1 January 2009 |accessdate=22 September 2009 |language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html |title=The World Factbook: Spain |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''Andorra'''
| [[Catalan language|Catalan]] (official) 57.7%, Spanish 56.4%, French 14.5%, Portuguese 13.9%
|
| [[File:Andorralavella03.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultura.ad/images/stories/llengua/coneixements2014.pdf |title=Coneixements I Usos Lingüístics De La Població D’Andorra (1995-2014) |work=Centre de Recerca Sociològica d’Estudis Andorrans |page=24 |accessdate=19 January 2016 |language=Catalan }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="2"| North America
| '''[[Mexico]]'''
| Spanish 92.7%, Spanish and other language 5.7%, native/indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; (Native/ Indigenous languages include [[Mayan languages]], [[Mixtec]], [[Nahuatl]], [[Purépecha language|Purépecha]], [[Zapotec languages|Zapotec]], and other) (2005)
| [[Mestizo]] (European, mainly Spanish and Native Mixed) 65%,<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379167/MexicoBritannica.com |title=Mexico |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> [[Indigenous peoples of Mexico|Amerindian]] (or predominantly Amerindian) 17.5%, [[White Mexican|White]] (full Spanish or other European) 16.5%,<ref name="cia.mex">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html |title=The World Factbook: Mexico |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> other (including [[Afro-Mexican|Black]] minority) 1%<ref name="britannica.com"/> ''(See: [[Mexican people]])''
|[[File:Mexico Dic 06 045 1.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref name="cia.mex"/>
|-
| '''United States'''
| English 79.4%, Spanish 12.8%, other Indo-European 3.7%, Asian and Pacific Islander languages 3.0%, other 0.9% (2010 census) (Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii).
('''''Note:''' The U.S. is a predominantly English-speaking country. As is true of many immigrant families, the immigrants often speak Spanish and some English, while their children are fluent English speakers because they were born and educated in the U.S. Some retain their Spanish language as is true of other immigrant families. The recent influx of large numbers of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries into the U.S. has meant that the number of Spanish-speaking U.S. residents has increased, but the children speaking English as is true of the historic U.S. immigrant experience, continues. Migration from Hispanic countries has increased the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. Of those who speak Spanish in the United States, three quarters speak English well or very well.''
| [[White American|White]] 79.96%, [[African American|Black]] 12.85%, [[Asian American|Asian]] 4.43%, [[Native Americans in the United States|Amerindian]] and [[Alaska Native]] 0.97%, [[Native Hawaiian]] and other Pacific islanders 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)
('''''Note:''' a separate listing for [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] is not included because the U.S. Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Hispanic American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) and of Spanish descent living in the U.S. who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15–16% of the total U.S. population is Hispanic, not including estimates about [[Legal alien|alien residents]]'').
|[[File:Alamo Mission, San Antonio.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_S1601&prodType=table |title=Language Spoken At Home: 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS) |work=American FactFinder |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html |title=The World Factbook: The United States |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="7"| [[Central America]]
| '''[[Belize]]'''
| Spanish 43%, [[Belizean Creole]] 37%, [[Mayan languages|Mayan dialects]] 7.8%, English 5.6% (official), [[German language|German]] 3.2%, [[Garifuna language|Garifuna]] 2%, other 1.5%
| [[Mestizo]] 34%, [[Belizean Kriol people|Kriol]] 25%, [[Maya peoples]] 10.6%, [[Garifuna people|Garifuna]] 6.1%, other 11% (2000 census) ''(See:[[Belizean people]])''
| [[File:Belmopan Parliament.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://celade.cepal.org/cgibin/RpWebEngine.exe/PortalAction?&MODE=MAIN&BASE=CPVBLZ2000&MAIN=WebServerMain.inl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220091841/http://celade.cepal.org/cgibin/RpWebEngine.exe/PortalAction?&MODE=MAIN&BASE=CPVBLZ2000&MAIN=WebServerMain.inl |dead-url=yes |archive-date=20 December 2008 |title=Belize 2000 Housing and Population Census |accessdate=11 October 2008 |year=2000 |publisher=Belize Central Statistical Office }}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Costa Rica]]'''
| Spanish (official)
| [[White Latin Americans|White]] 81%, [[Mestizo]] 13%, [[Afro-Costa Rican|Black]] 3%, [[Amerindian]] 1%, Chinese 1% Other 1%
|[[File:National Theatre of Costa Rica.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html |title=The World Factbook: Costa Rica |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[El Salvador]]'''
| Spanish (official)
| [[Mestizo]] 86%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 12%, [[Amerindian]] 1%
|[[File:Metropolitan Cathedral.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html |title=The World Factbook: El Salvador |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Guatemala]]'''
| Spanish 59.4%, Amerindian languages 40.5% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including [[K'iche' language|K'iche]], [[Kaqchikel language|Kakchiquel]], [[Q'eqchi' language|Kekchi]], [[Mam language|Mam]], [[Garifuna language|Garifuna]], and [[Xinca language|Xinca]]).
| [[Mestizo]] 41%, [[K'iche' people|K'iche]] 9.1%, [[Kaqchikel people|Kaqchikel]] 8.4%, [[Mam people|Mam]] 7.9%, [[Q'eqchi' people|Q'eqchi]] 6.3%, other [[Maya peoples]] 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 18.5% (2001 census)
|[[File:Catedral Metropolitana, Guatemala City.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html |title=The World Factbook: Guatemala |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Honduras]]'''
| Spanish (official), (various Amerindian languages, including [[Garifuna language|Garifuna]], [[Lenca language|Lenca]], [[Miskito language|Miskito]], [[Ch’orti’ language|Ch’orti’]], and [[Tol language|Tol]]). [[English language|English]](on the [[Bay Islands Department|Bay Islands]])
| [[Mestizo]] (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, [[Amerindian]] 7%, [[Afro-Latin American|Black]] 2%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 1%
|[[File:23 Teguc Hauptpl.JPG|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html |title=The World Factbook: Honduras |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Nicaragua]]'''
| Spanish 97.5% (official), [[Miskito language|Miskito]] 1.7%, others 0.8% (1995 census) (English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast).
| [[Mestizo]] (mixed Amerindian and European) 69%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 17%, [[Afro-Latin American|Black]] 9%, [[Amerindian]] 5%
|[[File:Town Square - Granada, Nicaragua.JPG|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html |title=The World Factbook: Nicaragua |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Panama]]'''
| Spanish (official), English 14% (bilingual: requires verification)
| [[Mestizo]] (mixed Amerindian and European) 70%, [[Afro-Latin American|Black]] 14%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 10%, [[Amerindian]] 6%
|[[File:Catedral panama viejo.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pm.html |title=The World Factbook: Panama |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="9"| South America
| '''[[Argentina]]'''
| Spanish (official), other European and Amerindian languages
| [[Argentines of European descent|European Argentine]] 86% (mostly from Spanish and Italian ancestries), [[Mestizo]], [[Indigenous peoples in Argentina|Amerindian]] and other non-European or non-White groups (including [[Arab Argentine|Arab]], [[Asian Argentine|East Asian]], and [[Afro Argentine|Black]] minorities) 14% ''(See: [[Argentinian people]])''
|[[File:Catedral de Salta (552008).jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html |title=The World Factbook: Argentina |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Bolivia]]'''
| Spanish 60.7% (official), [[Quechua language|Quechua]] 21.2% (official), [[Aymara language|Aymara]] 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)
| [[Quechua people|Quechua]] 30%, [[Mestizo]] (mixed White and Amerindian ancestry) 30%, [[Aymara people|Aymara]] 25%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 15%, [[Afro Bolivian|Black]] minority.
|[[File:Puerta de la Iglesia San Lorenzo Potosí Bolivia.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html |title=The World Factbook: Bolivia |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Chile]]'''
| Spanish (official), [[Mapudungun]], other European languages
| [[White Latin Americans|White]] 52.7%, [[Mestizo]] 44.1%, [[Indigenous peoples in Chile|Amerindian]] 3.2% ''(See: [[Chilean people]])''
|[[File:Catedral de Santiago.JPG|120x120px]]
|<ref name="Lizcano">{{cite journal |title=Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI |url=http://convergencia.uaemex.mx/index.php/convergencia/article/download/1461/1125 |first=Francisco |last=Lizcano Fernández |publisher=Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, [[Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México]] |journal=Convergencia |volume=38 |issue=May–August 2005 |issn=1405-1435 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Colombia]]'''
| Spanish (official), 68 ethnic languages and dialects. [[English language|English]] also official in the [[San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina]] Islands.
| [[Mestizo Colombian|Mestizo]] 49%, [[White Colombian|White]] 37%, [[Afro-Colombian|Black]] 10.6% (includes Mulatto and [[Zambo]]), [[Indigenous peoples in Colombia|Amerindian]] 3.4%, [[Romani people|Roma]] 0.01%, among other ethnic groups. ''(See: [[Colombian people]])''
|[[File:52 - Ipiales - Décembre 2008.jpg|120x120px]]
|<ref name="The Society and Its Environment">{{cite journal |last1=Bushnell |first1=David |first2=Rex A. |last2=Hudson |date=2010 |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Colombia.pdf |journal=The Society and Its Environment |title=Colombia: a country study |number=87 |location=Washington D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress}}</ref><ref name= "portafolio">{{cite journal |url=http://www.portafolio.co/portafolio-plus/bienvenidas-las-diferencias-celebrar-la-multiculturalidad |journal=Portafolio |first=Beethoven |last=Herrera |title=Bienvenidas las diferencias: a celebrar la multiculturalidad |trans-title=Welcome the differences: a celebration of multiculturalism |date=1 March 2013 |language=Spanish |location=[[Bogotá]] |accessdate=3 September 2013}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Ecuador]]'''
| Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially [[Quechua language|Quechua]])
| [[Mestizo]] (mixed Amerindian and White) 65%, [[Indigenous peoples in Ecuador|Amerindian]] 25%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 7%, [[Afro Ecuadorian|Black]] 3%
|[[File:Quito pl de la Independencia 2006 01.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ec.html |title=The World Factbook: Ecuador |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Paraguay]]'''
| Guaraní language|[[Paraguayan Guaraní]], (official) Spanish (official)
| [[Mestizo]] (mixed European and Amerindian) 55%, White 40% (European descent, mostly Spanish, German, Italian, French, Polish, Ukrainian, Arab (mostly Syrians and Lebanese) and Jew), Mulato 3.5%, Amerindian 1.5%
|[[File:Paraguay church.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html |title=The World Factbook: Paraguay |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Peru]]'''
| Spanish (official), [[Quechua language|Quechua]] (official), [[Aymara language|Aymara]], and a large number of minor [[Amazonian languages]]
| [[Mestizo]] 38%, [[Indigenous peoples in Peru|Quechua]] 29.7%, [[Indigenous peoples in Peru|Aymara]] 4.7%, [[Indigenous peoples in Peru|Amazonian]] 1.8%, [[European Peruvian|White]] 15.5%, [[Afro-Peruvian|Black]] 5%, [[Asian Peruvian|East Asian]] 3.3%.
|[[File:Cathédrale de Lima - Septembre 2007.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |title=The Socioeconomic Advantages of Mestizos in Urban Peru |work=Princeton University |pages=4–5 |url=http://paa2012.princeton.edu/papers/120475 |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Uruguay]]'''
| Spanish (official)
| White (mostly from Spanish and Italian ancestries) 88%, [[Mestizo]] 8%, [[Afro-Uruguayan|Black]] 4%, [[Amerindian]] (less than 0.5%)
|[[File:Ciudad Vieja de Montevideo.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uy.html |title=The World Factbook: Uruguay |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Venezuela]]'''
| Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
| [[Mestizos]] (mixed Amerindian, White and African) 49,9%, [[White Venezuelan|White]] 42,2%, [[Afro-Latin American|Black]] 3,5% and [[Amerindians]] 2,7% ''(See: [[Venezuelan people]])''
|[[File:Casa natal del Libertador.JPG|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ine.gov.ve/CENSO2011/documentos/pdf/ResultadosBasicosCenso2011.pdf |title=Resultados Básicos Censo 2011 |work=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |location=[[Caracas]] |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan="3"| [[Caribbean|Caribbean Islands]]
| '''[[Cuba]]'''
| Spanish (official)
| [[White Latin Americans|White]] 69.1% (mostly Spanish and Portuguese, or other European and British Ancestry), [[Mulattoes]] 20.7%, [[Afro-Cuban|Black]] 10.2% (2002 census) ''(See: [[Cubans]])''
|[[File:Street 3 La Habana Vieja.JPG|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html |title=The World Factbook: Cuba |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Dominican Republic]]'''
| Spanish (official)
| [[Mestizo]] 44%, [[Mulatto]] 30%, [[White Latin Americans|White]] 16%, [[Ethnic groups of Africa|African]] 10%
|[[File:Parque Colon, Santo Domingo (2003).jpg|thumb|Santo Domingo]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=2016-09-23}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Puerto Rico]]''' (Territory of the U.S. with Commonwealth status)
| Spanish, English
| [[White Latin Americans|White]] (mostly of Spanish ancestry) 76.2%, [[Black history of Puerto Rico|Black]] 6.9%, Asian 0.3%, [[Amerindian]] 0.2%, mixed 4.4%, other 12% (2007)
| [[File:Historic house in Cabo Rojo, PR.jpg|120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html |title=The World Factbook: Puerto Rico |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
! Africa
| '''[[Equatorial Guinea]]'''
| Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes the other 2 official languages - [[French language|French]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Fang language|Fang]], [[Bube language|Bube]], [[Annobonese]], [[Igbo language|Igbo]], [[Krio language|Krio]], [[Pichinglis]], and English) (1994 census) '''Note:''' Equatorial Guinea was the only Spanish colony in Sub-Saharan Africa.
| [[Fang people|Fang]] 85.7%, [[Bubi people|Bubi]] 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, [[Annobon]] 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census)
|[[File:Kathedrale Santa Isabel.jpg|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ek.html |title=The World Factbook: Equatorial Guinea |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Polynesia]]'''
| [[Easter Island]] Territory of [[Chile]]
| Spanish (official), [[Rapa Nui language|Rapanui]]
| [[Rapanui]]
|[[File:AhuTongariki.JPG|120x120px]]
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ci.html |title=The World Factbook: Chile (includes Easter Island) |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="6"| '''The CIA World Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).<ref name="cia.copy">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/contributor_copyright.html |title=The World Factbook: Copyright notice |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>'''
|}

===Areas with Hispanic cultural influence===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; line-height: 1.25em"
! Continent/region
! Country/territory
! Languages spoken <ref name="cia.lang"/>
! Ethnic groups <ref name="cia.ethc"/>
! References
|-
|'''Africa'''
| '''[[Western Sahara]]'''
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is the official language of Western Sahara, while Spanish is still widely spoken.
| The major ethnic group of the Western Sahara are the [[Sahrawis]], a nomadic or Bedouin group speaking Arabic.
|{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}
|-
| '''Asia'''
| '''[[Philippines]]'''
|[[Chavacano language|Chavacano]], a [[Spanish-based creole languages|Spanish-based creole language]] is spoken in the Philippines by 600,000 people.<ref name="phil">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html |title=The World Factbook: Philippines |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111070218/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html |archivedate=11 January 2010 |df= }}</ref> [[Philippine Spanish]] is natively spoken by 5,000 people but second- and third-language speakers range from 500,000 to 2,500,000.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ethnologue.com/country/PH |title=Philippines |editor-last1=Lewis |editor-first1=M. Paul |editor-first2=Gary F. |editor-last2=Simons |editor-first3=Charles D. |editor-last3=Fennig |year=2015 |work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=18th |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>There are 2,532 immigrants from Spain according to [http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft20%2Fp85001&file=inebase&L= INE] (1 January 2009)</ref><ref>1,816,773 Spanish + 1,200,000 Spanish creole: Antonio Quilis ''La lengua española en Filipinas'' (1996), p.234 [http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01350553135573500088680/209438_0013.pdf Cervantesvirtual.com],
[http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/au/es/File/Ten_Reasons_low-res(1).pdf Mepsyd.es] (p.23), [http://www.mepsyd.es/redele/Biblioteca2006/DavidSanchez/Memoria.pdf Mepsyd.es] (p.249), [http://spanish-differences.com/Spanish/Philippines-Spanish.php Spanish-differences.com], [http://www.aresprensa.com/cms/cms/front_content.php?idart=208 Aresprensa.com]. The figure 2,900,000 Spanish-speakers, we can find in Thompson, R.W., [https://books.google.com/books?ei=vCXASpS0LqXkmwO0lZnlBg&ct=result&q=Pluricentric+languages%3A+differing+norms+in+different+nations+spanish+philippines+speakers&btnG=Buscar+libros "Pluricentric languages: differing norms in different nations"] (p.45), or in [https://web.archive.org/web/19980224084238/http://www.sispain.org/spanish/language/worldwid.html Sispain.org]. More than 2 million Spanish-speakers and around 3 million with Chavacano speakers according to "[http://www.elcastellano.org/noticia.php?id=505Elcastellano.org Instituto Cervantes de Manila]"</ref> [[Hispanic culture in the Philippines|Hispanic influences]] have impacted several native languages, such as [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], [[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] and [[Ilocano language|Ilocano]]. Many aspects of Filipino culture including cuisine, traditional dances, music, festivals, religion, architecture, traditional costumes and crafts exhibit Hispanic origin and influences.<ref name="phil"/>
| [[Spanish Filipino]]. Various ethnolinguistic groups particularly with some Hispanic heritage that forms up the [[Filipino people]] ([[Zamboangueño people|Chavacanos]], [[Cebuano people|Cebuanos]], [[Hiligaynon people|Hiligaynons]], [[Waray people|Warays]], [[Tagalog people|Tagalogs]], [[Ilocano people|Ilocanos]], [[Kapampangan people|Kapampangan]], [[Bicolano people|Bicolanos]] and others)
| <ref name="phil"/>
|-
| rowspan="4"| '''[[Micronesia]]'''
| '''[[Guam]]'''
| Former Spanish territories in Asia-Pacific no longer recognize Spanish as an official language. The predominant languages used in Guam are English, Chamorro and Filipino. Also, in Guam – a U.S. territory – and the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth in political union with the U.S., a [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|Malayo-Polynesian language]] called [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] is spoken, with numerous loanwords with Spanish etymological origins. However it is not a Spanish creole language.<ref name="guam">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gq.html |title=The World Factbook: Guam |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
| Asians, [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]], [[Filipino people|Filipinos]], and others
| <ref name="guam"/>
|-
| '''[[Federated States of Micronesia|FSM Micronesia]]'''
| Micronesia's official language is English, although native languages, such as [[Chuukese language|Chuukese]], [[Kosraean language|Kosraean]], [[Pohnpeian language|Pohnpeian]], [[Yapese language|Yapese]], [[Ulithian language|Ulithian]], [[Woleaian]], [[Nukuoro]] and [[Kapingamarangi]] are also prominent.<ref name="micro">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fm.html |title=The World Factbook: Federated States of Micronesia |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
| Asians, Micronesians, and others
| <ref name="micro"/>
|-
| '''[[Northern Mariana Islands]]'''
| In the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth in political union with the U.S., a [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|Malayo-Polynesian language]] called [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] is spoken, with numerous loanwords with Spanish etymological origins. However it is not a Spanish creole language. The top four languages used in the Northern Mariana Islands are Filipino, Chinese, Chamorro and English.<ref name="nm">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cq.html |title=The World Factbook: Northern Mariana Islands |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
| Asians, Chamorro, and others
| <ref name="nm"/>
|-
| '''[[Palau]]'''
| In Palau, Spanish is no longer used; instead, the people use their native languages, such as [[Palauan language|Palauan]], [[Angaur]], [[Sonsorolese language|Sonsorolese]] and [[Tobian language|Tobian]].<ref name="palau">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ps.html |title=The World Factbook: Palau |work=CIA.gov |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref>
| Asians, [[Palauan language|Palauan]], and others
| <ref name="palau"/>
|-
| colspan="6"| '''The CIA World Factbook is in the public domain. Accordingly, it may be copied freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).<ref name="cia.copy"/>'''
|}

==Culture==
The [[Miguel de Cervantes Prize]] is awarded to Hispanic writers, whereas the [[Latin Grammy Award]] recognizes Hispanic and Portuguese musicians, and the Platino Awards as given to outstanding Hispanic films.

===Music===
{{Main article|Music of Spain|Hispanic music|Latin music (genre)}}

Folk and popular dance and music also varies greatly among Hispanics. For instance, the music from Spain is a lot different from the [[Hispanic America]]n, although there is a high grade of exchange between both continents. In addition, due to the high national development of the diverse [[nationalities and regions of Spain]], there is a lot of music in the [[Languages of Spain|different languages of the Peninsula]] ([[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Galician language|Galician]] and [[Basque language|Basque]], mainly). See, for instance, [[Music of Catalonia]] or [[Rock català]], [[Music of Galicia, Cantabria and Asturias]], and [[Basque music]]. [[Flamenco]] is also a very popular music style in Spain, especially in [[Andalusia]]. Spanish ballads "romances" can be traced in Argentina as "milongas", same structure but different scenarios.

On the other side of the ocean, Hispanic America is also home to a wide variety of music, even though "Latin" music is often erroneously thought of, as a single genre. Hispanic Caribbean music tends to favor complex polyrhythms of African origin. [[Music of Mexico|Mexican music]] shows combined influences of mostly European and Native American origin, while traditional Northern Mexican music — [[norteño (music)|norteño]] and [[banda music|banda]] — [[polka]], has influence from polka music brought by [[Central Europe]]an settlers to [[Mexico]] which later influenced western music. The music of Hispanic Americans — such as [[tejano music]] — has influences in [[Rock music|rock]], [[jazz]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Latin pop|pop]], and [[country music]] as well as traditional Mexican music such as [[Mariachi]]. Meanwhile, native [[Andes|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 U.S. communities of immigrants from these countries it is common to hear these styles. [[Latin pop]], [[Rock en Español]], [[Hip-hop|Latin hip-hop]], [[Salsa (dance)|Salsa]], [[Merengue (dance)|Merengue]], [[colombian cumbia]] 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}}

[[File:Medal of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize.svg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Miguel de Cervantes Prize]], most prestigious literary award in the Spanish language]]

Spanish-language literature and folklore is very rich and is influenced by a variety of countries. There are thousands of writers from many places, and dating from the Middle Ages to the present. Some of the most recognized writers are [[Miguel de Cervantes|Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra]] (Spain), [[Lope de Vega]] (Spain), [[Pedro Calderón de la Barca|Calderón de la Barca]] (Spain), [[Jose Rizal]] (Philippines), [[Carlos Fuentes]] (Mexico), [[Octavio Paz]] (Mexico), [[Miguel Ángel Asturias]] (Guatemala), [[George Santayana]] (US), [[José Martí]] (Cuba), [[Sabine Ulibarri]] (US), [[Federico García Lorca]] (Spain), [[Miguel de Unamuno]] (Spain), [[Gabriel García Márquez]] (Colombia), [[Rafael Pombo]] (Colombia), [[Horacio Quiroga]] (Uruguay), [[Rómulo Gallegos]] (Venezuela), [[Luis Rodriguez Varela]] (Philippines), [[Rubén Darío]] (Nicaragua), [[Mario Vargas Llosa]] (Peru), [[Giannina Braschi]] (Puerto Rico), [[Cristina Peri Rossi]] (Uruguay), [[Luisa Valenzuela]] (Argentina), [[Roberto Quesada]] (Honduras), [[Julio Cortázar]] (Argentina), [[Pablo Neruda]] (Chile), [[Gabriela Mistral]] (Chile), [[Jorge Luis Borges]] (Argentina), [[Pedro Henríquez Ureña]] (Dominican Republic), [[Ernesto Sabato]] (Argentina), [[Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel]] (Equatorial Guinea), [[Ciro Alegría]] (Peru), [[Joaquin Garcia Monge]] (Costa Rica), and [[Jesus Balmori]] (Philippines).

===Sports===
In the majority of the Hispanic countries, [[association football]] is the most popular sport. The men's national teams of Argentine, Uruguay and Spain have won the [[FIFA World Cup]] a total five times. The Spanish [[La Liga]] is one of the most popular in the world, known for [[FC Barcelona]] and [[Real Madrid]]. Meanwhile, the [[Argentine Primera División]] and [[Mexican Primera División]] are two of the strongest leagues in the Americas.

However, [[baseball]] is the most popular sport in some Central American and Caribbean countries (especially Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela), as well as in the diaspora in the United States. Notable Hispanic teams in early baseball are the [[All Cubans]], [[Cuban Stars (West)|Cuban Stars]] and [[New York Cubans]]. The [[Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum]] recognizes Hispanic baseball personalities. Nearly 30 percent (22 percent foreign-born Latinos) of [[MLB]] players today have Hispanic heritage.

Several Hispanic sportspeople have been successful worldwide, such as [[Diego Maradona]], [[Alfredo di Stefano]], [[Lionel Messi]], [[Diego Forlán]] (association football), [[Juan Manuel Fangio]], [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], [[Eliseo Salazar]], [[Fernando Alonso]], [[Marc Gené]], [[Carlos Sainz]] (auto racing), [[Ángel Nieto]], [[Dani Pedrosa]], [[Jorge Lorenzo]], [[Marc Márquez]], [[Marc Coma]], [[Nani Roma]] (motorcycle racing), [[Emanuel Ginóbili]], [[Pau Gasol]], [[Marc Gasol]] (basketball), [[Julio César Chávez]], [[Saúl Álvarez]], [[Carlos Monzón]] (boxing), [[Miguel Indurain]], [[Alberto Contador]], [[Santiago Botero]], [[Rigoberto Urán]], [[Nairo Quintana]] (cycling), [[Roberto de Vicenzo]], [[Ángel Cabrera]], [[Sergio García]], [[Severiano Ballesteros]], [[José María Olazábal]] (golf), [[Luciana Aymar]] (field hockey), [[Rafael Nadal]], [[Marcelo Ríos]], [[Guillermo Vilas]], [[Gabriela Sabatini]], [[Juan Martín del Potro]] (tennis).

Notable Hispanic sports television networks are [[ESPN Latin America]], [[Fox Sports Latin America]] and [[TyC Sports]].

===Religion===
With regard to religious affiliation among Spanish-speakers, [[Christianity]] — specifically [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] — is usually the first religious tradition that comes to mind {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}. The Spaniards and the Portuguese took the Roman Catholic faith to Ibero-America and the Philippines, and Roman Catholicism remains the predominant religion amongst most Hispanics. A small but growing number of Hispanics belong to a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denomination.
{{Unbalanced section|date=December 2009}}
There are also Spanish-speaking [[Jew]]s, most of whom are the descendants of [[Ashkenazi Jews]] who migrated from Europe (German Jews, Russian Jews, Polish Jews, etc.) to Hispanic America, particularly [[Argentina]], [[Uruguay]], [[Peru]] and [[Cuba]] (Argentina is host to the third largest Jewish population in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States and Canada)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jppi.org.il/uploads/JPPI_2014-2015_Annual_Assessment-English.pdf |title=Annual Assessment: The Situation and Dynamics of the Jewish People |year=2015 |page=18 |work=The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ujc.org/section.html?id=29 |title=Global Jewish Populations |work=United Jewish Federations |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531003148/http://www.ujc.org/section.html?id=29 |archivedate=2008-05-31 |df= }}</ref> in the 19th century and following World War II. Many Spanish-speaking Jews also originate from the small communities of reconverted descendants of [[anusim]] — those whose Spanish [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardi Jewish]] ancestors long ago hid their Jewish ancestry and beliefs in fear of persecution by the [[Spanish Inquisition]] in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and Ibero-America. The Spanish Inquisition led to a large number of forced conversions of Spanish Jews.

Genetic studies on the (male) [[Y chromosome|Y-chromosome]] conducted by the [[University of Leeds]] in 2008 appear to support the idea that the number of forced conversions have been previously underestimated significantly. They found that twenty percent of Spanish males have Y-chromosomes associated with Sephardic Jewish ancestry.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas |last=Wade |title=Gene Test Shows Spain's Jewish and Muslim Mix |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=5 December 2008 |page=A12 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/science/05genes.html |subscription=yes}}</ref> This may imply that there were more forced conversions than was previously thought.

There are also thought to be many Catholic-professing descendants of [[marrano]]s and Spanish-speaking [[Crypto-Judaism|crypto-Jews]] in the [[Southwestern United States]] and scattered through Hispanic America. Additionally, there are Sephardic Jews who are descendants of those Jews who fled Spain to Turkey, [[Syria]], and North Africa, some of whom have now migrated to Hispanic America, holding on to some Spanish/Sephardic customs, such as the [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] language, which mixes Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic and others, though written with Hebrew and Latin characters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Ladino |title=Ladino |work=Online Etymology Dictionary |accessdate=19 January 2016}}</ref> [[Slavery|Ladinos]] were also African slaves captive in Spain held prior to the colonial period in the Americas. (See also [[History of the Jews in Latin America|History of the Jews in Hispanic America]] and [[List of Latin American Jews|List of Hispanic American Jews]].)

Among the Spanish-speaking Catholics, most communities celebrate their homeland's [[patron saint]], dedicating a day for this purpose with festivals and religious services. Some Spanish-speakers syncretize Roman Catholicism and African or Native American rituals and beliefs. Such is the case of [[Santería]], popular with [[Afro-Cuban]]s, which combines old African beliefs in the form of Roman Catholic saints and rituals. Other syncretistic beliefs include [[Spiritism]] and [[Curandero|Curanderismo]].

While a tiny minority, there are some Muslims in Latin America, in the US, and in the Philippines. Those in the Philippines live predominantly in the province forming the [[Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao]].

In the United States, some 65% of Hispanics and Latinos report themselves Catholic and 21% Protestant, with 13% having no affiliation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/religion_hispanic_churches.pdf |title=Hispanic Churches in American Public Life: Summary of Findings |accessdate=27 December 2006 |date=January 2003 |last1=Espinosa |first1=Gastón |last2=Elizondo |first2=Virgilio |last3=Miranda |first3=Jesse |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101044854/http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/religion_hispanic_churches.pdf |archivedate=1 November 2006}}</ref> A minority among the Roman Catholics, about one in five, are [[charismatic Christianity|charismatics]]. Among the Protestant, 85% are "[[Born again (Christianity)|Born-again Christians]]" and belong to [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] or [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] churches. Among the smallest groups, less than 4%, are Jewish.

== Cultural heritage according to UNESCO ==
The Hispanic world, according to the United Nations World Heritage Committee, has contributed substantially more than any other ethnicity to the cultural heritage of the world. A World Heritage Cultural Site is a place such as a building, city, complex, or monument that is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural significance. Of a total of 802 Cultural World Heritage Sites recognized by the United Nations as of July 2015, 114 are located in Hispanic countries. Spain alone has 39 cultural sites, only second in the world to Italy.{{cn|date=December 2017}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Latino and Hispanic American}}
* [[Spanish language]]
** [[Hispanophone]]
** [[Languages of Spain]]
** [[Spanish language in the Americas]]
** [[Spanish language in the United States]]
** [[Chavacano]]
* [[Latin Americans]]
** [[Afro-Latin American]]
** [[Amerindians]]
** [[Asian Latin American]]
** [[Criollo people]]
** [[Mestizo]]
** [[Mulatto]]
** [[White Latin American]]
** [[Isleño]]
* [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]]
** [[Black Hispanic and Latino Americans]]
** [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans]]
** [[Hispanic/Latino naming dispute]]
** [[Hispanic Heritage Sites (U.S. National Park Service)]]
** [[Hispanic Paradox]]
** [[Cuban-American lobby]]
* [[Lusitanians]]
* [[Panhispanism]]
** [[Hispanism]]
** [[Flag of the Hispanic People]]
** [[Hispanophobia]]
* [[Culture of Spain]]
* [[Spanish Filipino]]
** [[Chavacano]]
** [[Philippine Spanish]]
** [[Hispanic influence on Filipino culture]]
* [[Emancipados]]
* [[Fernandinos]]
* [[Ibero-America]] ([[Iberian Peninsula]])
* [[Latin Union]]
* [[Hispanos]]
* [[Template:User hispanic|Hispanic Ancestry userbox]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==

* {{cite book |url= https://www.questia.com/read/89008973/ethnic-ironies-latino-politics-in-the-1992-elections |title=Ethnic Ironies: Latino Politics in the 1992 Elections |last1=De la Garza |first1=Rodolfo O. |first2=Louis |last2=Desipio |year=1996 |publisher=Westview Press |location=Boulder, Colorado}}
* {{cite journal |last=Maura |first=Juan Francisco |title=Caballeros y rufianes andantes en la costa atlántica de los Estados Unidos: Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón y Alvar Núñez Cabeza |journal=Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos |volume=35 |issue=2 |year=2011 |pages=305–328}}
* {{cite journal |last=Maura |first=Juan Francisco |title=Nuevas aportaciones al estudio de la toponimia ibérica en la América Septentrional en el siglo XVI |journal=Bulletin of Spanish Studies |volume=86 |issue=5 |year=2009 |pages=577–603 |doi=10.1080/14753820902969345}}
* {{cite journal |last=Maura |first=Juan Francisco |title=Sobre el origen hispánico del nombre ‘Canadá’ |journal=Lemir: Revista de literatura medieval y del Renacimiento |issue=20 |year=2016 |pages=17–52 |url=http://parnaseo.uv.es/Lemir/Revista/Revista20/02_Maura_Juan.pdf}}
* {{cite web |url= https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/80-241/guided_inquiries/articles/what_is_hispanic.html |title=What is a Hispanic? Legal Definition vs. Racist Definition |first=Romero Anton |last=Montalban-Anderssen |work=andrew.cmu.edu |year=1996}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Price |first1=Marie D. |last2=Cooper |first2=Catherine W. |journal=Journal of Geography |title=Competing Visions, Shifting Boundaries: The Construction of Latin America as a World Region |volume=106 |number=3 |pages=113–122 |date=May 2007 |doi=10.1080/00221340701599113}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hispanic}}
* {{dmoz|Society/Ethnicity/Hispanic_and_Latino|Hispanic and Latino}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

[[Category:Hispanic and Latino| ]]
[[Category:Spanish diaspora]]
[[Category:Hispanidad]]
[[Category:Latin American people]]
[[Category:Latin America]]

[[la:Hispanicus]]

Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Hispanic