AyiConnect Staff, Nov 14, 2022
The Spanish-speaking community has had one of the highest rates of emigration in recent years. Being the United States of America one of the main countries where they arrive.
As a language, Spanish is listed as the second most spoken language in America, after English. The United States is the second country in the world in the number of Spanish speakers, surpassed only by Mexico; and it is the fifth country with the largest number of native speakers of Spanish, behind Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Spain.
In how many countries is Spanish spoken?
There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela.
General characteristics of the Hispanic culture
Hispanics (as well as other cultures) have a slightly different sense of time. Although they can be very punctual in their jobs and duties when it comes to social events they are not. They are known for being late to parties, meetings, lunches, events, etc. This is because it is customary that social events have a start time but not an end time.
They are very familiar, they are characterized by including the family in important decisions and it is very difficult for them to get away from the family environment. Respect for adults and older people are instilled in them from childhood, as well as the teaching of other languages.
Hispanics (or Latinos) tend to be conservative/traditional in their lifestyle and culture. In the Hispanic world, religion plays an important role in their daily activities. More than 90% of the Spanish-speaking world is Roman Catholic. The church influences matters of family and community life, giving spiritual meaning to the Hispanic culture.
The impact of the Hispanic community in the United States
According to Rosalba Esquivel Cote (2021), the impact that Hispanic society has had in the United States goes beyond an increase in the Spanish-speaking population, it has influenced many more habits that will be expressed below:
POPULATION
According to the latest census (April 2020, census.gov), more than 300 million people live in the United States. Just over half (60.1%) are Caucasian, and a significant 18.5% are Hispanic or Latino, even higher than the 13.4% of blacks, which means that almost one in five inhabitants is Latino! the minority with the greatest presence.
Some of the largest Hispanic populations in the country are found in the four states that border Mexico: California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Other states that do not border Mexico also have large populations of Hispanic origin, such as New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois. Texas has a Hispanic population of 11.5 million, the 2020 US Census found.
LATINO VOTE
The Hispanic population has had a great influence on the political life of the country. Remember that former President Obama achieved his re-election with the support of 72% of Hispanic voters, where minorities represented almost a third of the voters in 2012. In fact, after the election of Biden, the enormous plurality of political tendencies was revealed as Hispanics, that according to data from Latino communities in the US, the electoral challenge of 2022 will be to conquer the working classes.
ECONOMY
In the economic sphere, Hispanics have become one of the groups that create the smallest businesses and jobs, in addition to expanding their purchasing power every year, which is why the big brands are already adapting their advertising campaigns to attract this growing consumer group.
FAMOUS PEOPLE
There have been several people who have left their mark and stories of pride for the Hispanic community in the nation. In the political sphere, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Verónica Escobar, Mexican-Americans; Ana Navarro, Nicaraguan; Xavier Becerra, of Mexican parents; Nydia Velázquez and Alejandra Ocasio-Cortéz, both daughters of Puerto Ricans. In the scientific area, Mario Molina, Mexican, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013; Ellen Ochoa and Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican astronauts. Artists like writer Julia Álvarez from the Dominican Republic and Chicana muralist Judith Baca. In music, the Venezuelan orchestra director Gustavo Dudamel; just to mention a few.
CULTURE
Already in the 1980s, the influence of Latin culture was felt in different aspects of society in the United States, considered one of the countries with the most Spanish speakers in the world. It is clear that the most notable contribution of Latinos to American culture has been the Spanish language, which is spoken in more than 41 million homes in this country.
Another of the transcendental contributions of the Latino community to North American society has been music and cuisine. Musical rhythms such as salsa, merengue, rap, pop, banda music, and even reggaeton, have managed to place themselves among the tastes of the rest of the Americans.
On the cuisine side, the growing arrival of Latino immigrants has been fundamental for the great diversity and culinary quality of the nation, thanks to the influence of Mexican, Peruvian, Cuban, Venezuelan, Colombian, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, and Honduran cuisine, Argentinean, Dominican and of course Puerto Rican. If you want to know more about Hispanic cuisine visit our article “SPANISH SPEAKING CULTURES: TRADITIONAL FOODS”.
HISPANIC HOLIDAY
Such is the impact of Hispanic culture in the American country that Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated by presidential decree. This holiday runs from September 15 to October 15, and has the purpose of paying tribute to the contributions made by the Hispanics to the culture and development of the country; also during the year, there are many festivities throughout the American Union, which celebrate with parades, festivals, carnivals, and various cultural shows, not only from different Latin nations but also states and regions; An example of this is the Puebla Carnival that is celebrated in South Philadelphia.
As immigrants, staying and feeling close to their cultures is very important. This is why the Hispanic traditions that are celebrated in the United States represent a sense of inclusion and belonging to these people, in some way it makes them feel closer to home. In addition, they are wonderful traditions and cultures that deserve to be shared with the world.
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