Hispanic Culture Influence On American Culture

At my understanding, the term Hispanic is wrongly used when referring to a race. Being Hispanic is, of course, to belong to an ethnic group, but it is much more than that. It is not about the color of your skin or your hair, but about culture, tradition, and manners. All started with the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South and Central America. From Europe came the adventurous men, full of ambitions and courage. These attributes blended with the strength and energy of African slaves and the Native Americans, and this mixture led to the born of this new culture that we called Hispanic.

It is well known that the United States is made up of several different cultures and the health care system delivers care to a very diverse population. However, depending on ones culture-receiving care may be a challenge at times. In this paper we are going to take a closer look at the culture of Hispanic Americans. The Hispanic population has grown to over 55 million residents with in the United States in 2015, with an estimated growth rate of 2.1% per year (Krogstad & Lopez, 2015). Making this minority group on of the fastest growing populations within the United States (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).

I believe that Hispanic influence is evident through much of the architecture and food found in Texas. Through architecture, Hispanic influence is noticed through construction materials, colors, and design styles. Examples of Hispanic influence on architecture are clear in many of the buildings in San Antonio, Texas, including the Alamo. In addition to architecture, I think there is an obvious Hispanic influence on the food found in Texas. Texas is well-known for our "Tex-Mex", and Hispanic-influenced cuisine can be found in nearly any city. Food has a way of bringing people together and bringing insight into other cultures. I believe that the Hispanic influence in Texas through ranching, and even architecture and food, allows for an intermingling, appreciation, and growth of both

Especially when it comes to media and entertainment. You no longer have to go to the actual location of where the performance or game is happening anymore. Now, almost all Americans love sports having the biggest two be football and baseball. Most of them always have a favorite team but when it comes to a game that they don’t care about it really isn’t that big of a deal to them. Americans will usually have the game playing in the background just to keep track of what is happening. Hispanics though, will choose a team no matter who is playing, I remember going to my girlfriend’s house who is Hispanic and watching the World Cup series. While at her house, she was cheering for one of the teams and I asked her “I’m guessing that’s your favorite team” in which she told me that her team wasn’t even playing tonight and she just really enjoys watching soccer. With soccer being the most famous sport and having most of its viewers coming from Spanish backgrounds it shows that Hispanic become much more passionate for sports. When it comes to music Hispanic and Americans are usually on the complete other sides of the scale. When someone Hispanic listens to music they will almost always go for a Spanish singer such as Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Shakira, and Gloria Estefan. Giving the support to people of their culture. Most Hispanics that I know will have ninety percent or their entire music list be comprised of

Frequently, we do not put too much attention to our own cultural values and traditions until we are exposed to a different culture, and start comparing. In order to have a more productive and fruitful life I believe we need to become more self-aware and more sensitive to the culturally and ethnically diverse community we live in. Two cultures that have been sharing the same living space for centuries are the Hispanic and American culture. In this paper I would be analyzing each culture giving a brief background and pointing out some aspects in how they differ, like the perception of time, family, orientation, and others. American culture has a couple of aspects in which it differs from the Hispanic culture, which for the

Food is a major part of every culture, some very different and some very similar. American and Spanish cultures are very different because of eating habits, meal times, and how people interact over food. There are several differences between American and Spanish food, but there is one similarity: it brings people closer together like nothing else.

Latino Americans are facing issues with their identity because of their ethnic and racial backgrounds due to our education institutions in America. These issues result in a separation of their American and Latino culture creating two different identities but not enough of American or Latino identity to fully feel part of either culture.

The Hispanic population has experienced an incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanic cover 11 % of the population in North America. Their Origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain. Cultural identity is very important for every ethnic group as it shapes the culture of that particular faction and therefore, a certain culture cannot realize its own values until it is exposed to another one.

Today, the Hispanic population has grown tremendously over the years. We have watched the Hispanics community growth rate grow faster than any other racial and ethnic group in the nation. The Hispanic culture and community has populated all around the United States, introducing new traditions and customs. I was traveling to different to city in the States, I notice the wide spread growth of Hispanic communities, For Instance in Miami the Cuban and El Salvadoran culture is heavy populate in the area. In New York the Puerto Rican culture is dominating through out the several boroughs. I have come around town and Hispanics are known for their good food, which tends to have more diverse people try new cultural customs. Hispanic or Latino

As I begin this essay comparing two separate cultures I feel it is necessary to first describe what exactly culture is. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." It includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief.

> Culture: Hispanic influence here in the US. How is your town influence by the

Hispanics tend to have very close family ties. In times of trouble they turn to family members for support. They more often than not make decisions as a family and not as an individual. Family

| The attitudes and customs of Hispanics have a major presence on music, food, holidays, dance, and arts here in the United States. The Hispanic families in the United States are traditionally close-knit groups, and Spanish speakers are quite formal toward each other when speaking.

Latino/Hispanic Americans cover a much wider demographic then believed. Latino/Hispanic Americans consist of; Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Guatemalan American to name a few. Latino/Hispanic Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United States. The Latino/Hispanic culture is very different than ours. Their culture differs in economics, politics, family traditions, family structure, religion, education, language, fashion, art, music, dancing, and food. As natural born Americans in the United States it is important for us to learn about the different cultures migrating into the United States. Many United States citizens have a hard time understanding other cultures; being culturally insensitive is a common theme in the United

Hays and Erford state that “undocumented U.S. Latino/as are most likely to be shut from economic, educational and physical wellness, and that is not mentioning the stigma that comes being termed illegal; creating a stress from fear of deportation”(323). Being Mexican is hard all together. There are constant battles and discriminatory acts from individuals who feel superior to the Latino community. The racist remarks and common stereotypes make Latinos look superfluous within the American culture. As of now, Alejandro states that he has not been discriminated to his persona. On the other hand, he has seen discrimination to individuals of the same race. His personal oppression comes from his legal status. It is common for individuals of