Latino Stories

Hispanic and Latino have often been used interchangeably in demographic description, but they don’t have the same meaning or roots. Hispanic refers to people who prefer to speak Spanish or are of Spanish-speaking heritage.  That might include people from Spain or people from Mexico, Central or South America and their descendants. Latino refers to people who trace their familial origins to Latin America which includes any territories in the Western hemisphere that were colonized by people from Portugal, Spain, and their European allies who brought their linguistic and religious cultures to what they called the “New World.” Therefore, Latino is already an umbrella term for a lot of different individual heritage groups.  Many people who think of themselves as Latino prefer to refer to themselves by their particular country or culture of origin, such as “Mexican,” “Columbian,” or “Dominican.” People who are Latino can also be Black or Asian. Some terms for individual identity groups, such as “Chicano” have had pejorative connotations in the past, been reclaimed by members of a social movement, and then have fallen out of broad usage again. Preferences for such terms will depend a lot on individuals and their age, class, political, and regional affiliations.

Gender further complicates umbrella terminology. Since the Spanish and Portuguese languages are rooted in a gender binary, people generally refer to themselves at Latino or Latina but use Latino as a catch-all for larger groups.  Alternative terms including Latinx and Latine are gaining popularity in certain arenas, but they have not yet been widely adopted by individuals who claim membership in this identity group.  For that reason, the MHHE decided to use Latino as an umbrella term in this exhibit. 

For more background on this topic, please check out the following resources: 

abc10.com. “Latino or Latinx? The Journey of Self-Identity | Race and Culture,” September 6, 2021. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/community/race-and-culture/latino-latinx-self-identity/103-7c3ce71b-0a89-4dfa-b620-4c3d7f9bafa6.

Planas, Roque. “What Does The Word Chicano Mean?” HuffPost, October 21, 2012. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chicano_n_1990226.

The Chicago Reporter. “What’s Liberating, Not Limiting About Using The Term Latinx,” April 15, 2021. http://www.chicagoreporter.com/whats-liberating-not-limiting-about-using-the-term-latinx/.