HISPANIC AMERICAN DIVERSITY

Hispanic American Diversity

Hispanic American Diversity

Introduction

Although the diversity among Hispanic Americans is enormous, yet there are also numerous similarities across a lot of individuals who belong to this broad ethnic group. For instance, the basic language of most individuals is Spanish. The most common religion of individuals from Latin America is Roman Catholicism. The importance given to connectedness, loyalty and family unity is perhaps the most common value among them. Cooperation is usually valued above competition among family members and the family is valued above the individual.

Hispanic Americans shape a very diverse group. Although they come from a number of countries, yet Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba are the predominant ones. A slightly lesser fraction comes not only from Central and South American countries like Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama but also from the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic.

Mexican Americans

The largest ethnic group of Hispanic Americans comprises of Mexican Americans. They represent about 64% of all Hispanic Americans as they are more than 20 million in number (Guzmán, 2001). They are also known as Chicanos and have deep roots in the area of the United States that was territory of Mexico once. Circuitous generational migratory history has made the issues of immigration and acculturation more complex. Areas where a particularly high proportion of Mexican Americans live are the southwestern United States and the Midwest. In Chicago and Los Angeles there are large Mexican-American communities.

Language

Even though an assortment of linguistic nuances and dialects differentiate Mexican Americans from other Hispanics, the thing which binds them together is the historical as well as present use of the Spanish language. While Spanish language is the most important commonality for a lot of people, yet Spanish is spoken by only around 60% of Mexican Americans. A blend of English and Spanish is frequently used when the loss of language takes place. This blend is referred to as “Spanglish” (Urciuoli, 1996).

Religion

Religion acts an imperative part in the lives of Mexican Americans. Majority of them adhere to Roman Catholicism and are devoted believers. A lot of their celebrations revolve around their religion. Apart from Roman Catholicism, other religions like Evangelical, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses are also followed by a large number.

Family Life

Strong family ties are exhibited by Mexican Americans. They like to live around each other and go through much trouble finding houses nearby. They love ...