Essay on The Concept and Formation of the Term Hispanic

Over the course of history, the term ‘Hispanic’ has been used to categorize a certain portion of the world’s population without knowing the true meaning behind the term. By definition, the term ‘Hispanic’ refers to â€Å"of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain or of Spain and Portugal† (Webster, 2014). Another definition of this term is â€Å"of, relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent living in the United States; especially one of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin† (Webster, 2014). Before one can assume that they fully understand this controversial term, they must remember how the term came to be. The formation of this term began in the early years of the XV century when Spain and Portugal began the†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the lasting consequences left by the introduction of the conquistadors to the New World, can still be seen today. The conquistadors created an entire racial mixt ure between the native Spaniards, the indigenous inhabitants and the native Africans that were introduced to slavery by the Portuguese colonists (Fox, 2010). When the conquistadors first arrived to the New World, they were introduced to what some referred to as ‘exotic women’ which was a term often used to describe the indigenous women. Due to this introduction, both races created what today is known as ‘criollos’ ‘mestizos’, ‘mulatos’, etc. The term ‘criollo’ refers to the ‘whites’ that were born in in latinoamerica. Whereas, the term ‘mestizos’ refers to those who had a mix of European and indigenous blood. However, the social cultural status became stricter for those that fit under the ‘mulatos’ description, those who had a white and African blood mix (Fox, 2010). These terms were often used to discriminate against the general population and keep control over said population by setting regulation on activities that they were allowed to participate in and those that they were not. Among other things, these social statuses dictated the jobs that were ‘appropriate’ for them and those that were not. Even though times have changed one can see that the social regulations that were set during the XV century are still being applied today. In the XV, the parentage of anShow MoreRelatedGeorge Reid Andrews Afro Latin America1584 Words   |  7 Pagesstarts with the stunning statement – â€Å"New Census Shows Hispanics now Even with Blacks, the headline proclaimed. Documenting a profound shift in the racial and ethnic composition of American Society, the 2000 census of the United States showed that, as a result of the continuing immigration from Latin America during the 1990s the national Hispanic population had grown by more than 60%. 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