The term Hispanic was created by the U.S. Census Bureau to identify people who share a common bond – their origin in a Spanish-speaking country.  Hispanics in the U.S. include people from as many as 20 different countries throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Spain.  When they emigrate to the U.S., they are all considered Hispanics. Depending on how long an individual has been in this country, she or he may never have heard this term or may not understand it. So it’s a brand new term with real significance.

These individuals see themselves as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Colombians, Argentineans, etc.   However, as individuals acculturate to their new country, they undergo a process in which they may identify themselves a little differently. First they may say, “I am Mexican;” then they may say, “I am Mexican-American.” Finally, some may state simply, “I am American.” Depending on which sub-group of the Hispanic market you’re targeting, these self-identifiers may have a strong influence on your communications efforts because their self-identity impacts both their language and their cultural reference points. While this may be a somewhat simplified way to look at the various sub-segments of the Hispanic market, acculturation is directly tied to self-identity and thus to how open a person may be to a specific product or service.

To be a Real Latino means to have an origin in any Spanish-speaking country as well as Brazil. All individuals shown on our Web site have identified themselves as Latinos/Hispanics. The only exceptions are images showing large cultural events featuring people of various nationalities as well as interracial couples where one partner is not be Latino/Hispanic.