# Mexicans are NOT Hispanic; they are indigenous, they are Latin, but they are NOT ... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804 "2003-08-13T02:18:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nisosbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@nisosbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nisosbar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/1 "2003-08-13T02:18:09Z")
Hispanic. Please, people, remember: Hispanics are people ethnically related to people of the Caribbean islands which were known as Hispaniola when it was part of Spain, like Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, etc. Please learn your geography/history. Mexico was part of Spain, but was never part of the region referred to as Hispaniola, and was never totally subjugated to Spanish rule, despite what the Spanish may have thought. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/2 "2003-08-13T02:24:11Z")
Hilariously, you’re utterly wrong. It actually comes from the word Hispania (Spain), which derives from the Latin Hispanicus. Hispanic refers to anything of the language, culture or folks with Spanish descent. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/3 "2003-08-13T02:29:25Z")
No, “Hispanic” does not derive from the name for the island. “Hispanic” refers Spanish-speaking Latin Americans. Mexicans may prefer to be called latino, and I’ll respect that, but it’s not incorrect to call them Hispanics. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/4 "2003-08-13T02:32:49Z")
Folks who call all white-skinned people “Caucasian”–when that word is only accurate when referring to the inhabitants of Caucasus region–should be beaten over the head for being so stupid and ignorant. It makes me feel so superior to be able to nitpick over something as trivial as this. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/5 "2003-08-13T02:42:19Z")
And don’t get me started on the American Indians.:mad: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/6 "2003-08-13T02:43:46Z")
Well then, I guess you can reclassify me as a **Sonoramojavian** ; Just don’t call me **Cracker** … Anyone else feel misclassified? ---
**Author:** ![nisosbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@nisosbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nisosbar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/7 "2003-08-13T02:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > \*\*Folks who call all white-skinned people “Caucasian”–when that word is only accurate when referring to the inhabitants of Caucasus region–should be beaten over the head for being so stupid and ignorant. > > It makes me feel so superior to be able to nitpick over something as trivial as this. \*\* “Caucasian” is a term used to denote a racial distinction, i.e., whatever it is that makes Caucasians Caucasian - not just skin color, but physical characteristics. “Hispanic” distinguishes one culture from all others, irrespective of race. That is, hispanics can be white, black, “yellow”, mulatto, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/8 "2003-08-13T02:49:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > \*\*Folks who call all white-skinned people “Caucasian”–when that word is only accurate when referring to the inhabitants of Caucasus region–should be beaten over the head for being so stupid and ignorant. > > It makes me feel so superior to be able to nitpick over something as trivial as this. \*\* Reminds me of how a former professor and good friend of mine used to joke in class that he was the only “true” Caucasian in the room-he’s Russian and he grew up in the Caucasian Mountains. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/9 "2003-08-13T02:50:32Z")
Hey, nisobar! You aren’t aware, then, of the Spanish name for Hispaniola, are you? ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/10 "2003-08-13T02:53:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nisosbar \* > \*\* That is, hispanics can be white, black, “yellow”, mulatto, etc. \*\* And Mexican. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/11 "2003-08-13T02:53:22Z")
Here’s a good explanation from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) > [@](#): > > Usage Note: Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for “Spain,” has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common. Latinowhich in Spanish means “Latin” but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericanorefers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American origin. Of the two, only Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture; a native of Spain residing in the United States is a Hispanic, not a Latino, and one cannot substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can theoretically be called by either word. ·A more important distinction concerns the sociopolitical rift that has opened between Latino and Hispanic in American usage. For a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population, Latino is a term of ethnic pride and Hispanic a label that borders on the offensive. According to this view, Hispanic lacks the authenticity and cultural resonance of Latino, with its Spanish sound and its ability to show the feminine form Latina when used of women. Furthermore, Hispanicthe term used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agenciesis said to bear the stamp of an Anglo establishment far removed from the concerns of the Spanish-speaking community. While these views are strongly held by some, they are by no means universal, and the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with Latino widely preferred in California and Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas. Even in these regions, however, usage is often mixed, and it is not uncommon to find both terms used by the same writer or speaker. See Usage Note at Chicano. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/12 "2003-08-13T02:55:49Z")
**nisosbar** , please explain how being “Latin” is different from being “Hispanic”. Also explain why the difference should matter to normal, everyday people. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/13 "2003-08-13T02:58:25Z")
Thanks, **chula**. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/14 "2003-08-13T02:59:13Z")
So I guess all the Mexican people where I went to school who called themselves Hispanic were … wrong? About their own heritage/adjectival description? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/15 "2003-08-13T03:04:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nisosbar \* > Hispanic. Please, people, remember: Hispanics are people ethnically related to people of the Caribbean islands which were known as Hispaniola when it was part of Spain, like Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, etc. Please learn your geography/history. Tsk. And pots shouldn’t call the kettle black. You are incorrect. Hispaniola refers to **A** Caribbean island, specifically the island that contains the Dominican Republic and Haiti ( which, of course, was part of the francophone world and not Spanish at all for the better part of its history ). The correct general term for somebody from that island ( which nobody uses, as _Dominican_ and _Haitian_ are far more culturally and politically descriptive ) would be _Hispaniolan_, not _Hispanic_, which as mentioned comes from the word Hispania, not Hispaniola. [quoteMexico was part of Spain, but was never part of the region referred to as Hispaniola, and was never totally subjugated to Spanish rule, despite what the Spanish may have thought.[/quote] Nonsense. Spain may not have exercised centralized control over every single indigenous group, all of the time. But they didn’t need to and didn’t necessarily seek to. For all intensive purposes Mexico _was_ subjugated enough as to make no difference. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/16 "2003-08-13T03:36:52Z")
It kind of runs (in my experience in South Texas and Central Texas) like Black/African American. If I have a friend who’s offended by Black, I say African American. Most Bla-er, African Americans I know don’t CARE. And it’s not like I use the word much, except in: “Hey, that guy over there, I know him!” “Which?” “The guy in the cable-knit sweater.” “I can’t see him.” “He’s talking to the lady in the white boots.” “Can’t see…” “_sigh_ The black guy?” “OHHHH!” African American, despite years spent in the 80s and 90s (twenty total 😉 ) never really made its way into my day-to-day speech. Latino/Hispanic, same thing almost. Chicano/a too. Most of the kids I knew in high school (the ‘Hispanic’ ones at least) didn’t much care, but generally preferred Chicano/a. They didn’t, IIRC, think much of Latino/a one way or the other, but few people really hated Hispanic. I just learned to say Chicano/a all the time. Slipped back into Hispanic once in a while, but mostly I find Chicano/a to be a little more natural. It likely helps that, by all appearances, I’m a Chicana. Got the honey-colored skin, the curly dark hair, the big brown eyes, the Stereotypical Latina Physique (5 and a half and stacked, howyadoin’?)…To the point where I speak in Spanish to the checkout lady at my work cafeteria and one Chicana in my high school home ec. class looked at my baby pictures (complete with White!Mom and White!Dad) and said, in tones of utter disbelief, “You’re WHITE?!” If my Spanish was better, I could probably pass… ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/17 "2003-08-13T03:37:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nisosbar \* > **Please learn your geography/history.** Are you talking to yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/18 "2003-08-13T03:44:38Z")
Tamerlane: That’s the first time I’ve ever seen the expression “intensive purposes.” Usually I see (and hear) “intents and purposes.” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/19 "2003-08-13T03:48:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > Tamerlane: That’s the first time I’ve ever seen the expression “intensive purposes.” Usually I see (and hear) “intents and purposes.” We all have our bad habits 😃 : [http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/intensive.html](http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/intensive.html) - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804/20 "2003-08-13T03:49:31Z")
Little Plastic Ninja: What about “La Raza?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexicans-are-not-hispanic-they-are-indigenous-they-are-latin-but-they-are-not/194804.md?page=2)