Who Are Latinos?

In the article "Who Are La Razas", La Razas were identified as people who identify themselves as "The Race". The NCLR defines "the race" as being comprised of Latinos or Hispanics. Latina refers to females. Latinos do not consider themselves Hispanics or descendents of Spain. Latinos and Hispanics use forms of the Spanish language. The La Razas are making such a ruckus in the United States of America it caused me to wonder exactly who Latinos are.

The Latin language was spoken by the people of Latium a region of ancient Italy. Because the people of Latium were living in the area before history was recorded not much is known about their origins. Conquered by the Romans in 338 BC, Latin became the formal language of Romans. "Vulgar Latin" was used among the soldiers and merchants of Rome. Languages derived from Vulgar Latin were later called "Romance Languages". These include languages such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian. Who are Latinos? Are they a race of people descended from Latium's or from the Roman Empire?

Latin America is considered to be "Latin" because the majority of the people speak one of the Romance Languages. Latin America is roughly comprised of 21,069,501 square kilometers as compared to 24,490,000 sq. km.square of other American lands. The American Continents were named after the Italian explorer, Americus Vespucci. Armies from Spain conquered much of the lands of South and Central America. English and French settlers took over the Northern parts of the Continent. Thus "Latinos" could be said to be descendents of the Spanish Conquistadores. This confuses me because the La Raza's precept is that the United States stole their land. The land at the time of Spain's invasion belonged to many people who were not Latinos.

The La Razas believe Texas belongs to them. Yet the original inhabitants of Texas were not of the Latino race. They consisted of what is commonly know as tribes. Some of these tribes include Apache, Comanche, Cherokee, Choctaw and Kickapoo. South of Texas were civilizations known as Mayans, Altecs and Incas. The La Razas also claim New Mexico as their own, yet Pre-Spanish residents were known to be Pueblo's or Apacheans.

It is believed that the inhabitants of North America arrived on foot on a strip of land that is now covered with water, called "The Bering Strait" and migrated south. They came from Western Europe or Asian countries. Spanish explorers arrived and planted the flag of Spain along the coastline in the 1400s. In the 1700's Russian had also claimed much of the north west Pacific Coastline as their own. It appeared that the land was uninhabited. When the English explorers arrived via land, they too claimed it as their own. Disputes over ownership of the coastline sprang up. The Pope in Rome settled the disputes amicably with a Papal Bull.

To the best of my knowledge the natives inhabiting the land were not consulted as Spain, Great Britain, France and Russian settlers battled over ownership of the Americas. The exception being the Mayans who joined forces with the Spanish armies to conquer the Aztecs who routinely used them as human sacrifices to their gods. The Spanish explorers and armies brought diseases that caused many natives to die. Their armies slaughtered what were called indigenous peoples to wipe out their civilizations and force compliance with Spanish rule. Does this mean Latinos are still trying to conquer the Americas for old Spanish monarchies that no longer exist?

Who are Latino's? Research leads me to believe the National Council of La Raza's claimed the word to describe various groups of people who are united in speaking a form of the Romance Language of Spain. The Spanish language derived from the language spoken by Latiums whose land was conquered or stolen from them by Romans. Like those Romans or blood-thirsty Spaniards, it seems they selfishly want to control the world rather then learn to share and live in peace and harmony. Perhaps "The Race" will win the race to separate humans rather than create unity. My understanding of what makes the United States of America great is that it is a land of many cultures and ethnicities.

Resources:
Various Authors and Sources cited, Wikipedia. Latin
Various Authors, Wikipedia. History of Mexico

Author's Note: This article is intended for educational purposes. Any opinions expressed are mine and not endorsed by Associated Content or it's Editors.