Hispanos (from Spanish: adj. prefix Hispano- relating to Spain, from Latin: Hispānus) is a name given to people of colonial Spanish descent in what is today the United States who retained a predominantly Spanish culture. The distinction was made to compensate for flawed U.S. Census practices in the 1930s which used to characterize Hispanic people as non-white.[1] Though the word could describe anyone of Spanish descent,[2] it is specifically used to refer to Hispanic Americans who live in the Southwestern United States which was formerly the northernmost region of New Spain. They are mostly descendants of Spanish settlers (with Basques and Conversos - Spanish Jews converted to Christianity to escape persecution from the Spanish Inquisition), Mexicans (both white Mexicans and mestizo and indigenous Mexicans) who arrived during the Spanish colonial period and the Mexican period, and Mestizos of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. Some Hispanos differentiate themselves culturally from the population of Mexican Americans whose ancestors arrived in the Southwest after the Mexican Revolution.^[2][3]

Demography[link]

Hispano populations include Californios in California, Arizona and Nevada (this places belonged to Alta California, to equal that Utah and southwestern Wyoming, which had not Hispano comunities, and western Colorado, that had not Californio comunities), Nuevomexicanos in New Mexico and Colorado, Tejanos in Texas, Isleños in Louisiana (since that this state was Spanish) and Texas, and Adaeseños in northwest from Louisiana. While having integrated into mainstream American societies, Hispanos have retained much of their colonial culture of south , having absorbed several American Indian traditions. Many Hispanos, particularly those of younger generations, identify more with the mainstream population and may understand little or no Spanish. Most of them are Roman Catholic Christians. Several anthropologists have studied the culture and language of some of the Hispanic communities. Such is the case of Samuel G. Armistead, who studied the Isleño communities of Louisiana, and Juan Bautista Rael, who studied the Nuevomexicanos communities.

• Californios: between 300,000 and 500,000 (estimates of Alexander V. King in 2004)^[4]
• Nuevomexicanos: Unknown
• Tejanos of settlers descent: Unknown
• Isleños Americans: 40.000 - 70.000

See also[link]

• Juan Bautista Rael
• White Hispanic and Latino Americans
• Criollo people
• Spanish American
• Hispanic

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

1. ^ "B03001. HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN - Universe: TOTAL POPULATION". 2007 American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G2000_B03001&-tree_id=307&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-currentselections=ACS_2007_1YR_G2000_B03002&-geo_id=02000US4&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en&-SubjectID=15233304. Retrieved 2008-10-01. 
2. ^ http://www.drclas.harvard.edu/revista/articles/view/577
3. ^ New Mexico CultureNet - Cuartocentenario
4. ^ Alexander V. King, "Californio Families, A Brief Overview", San Francisco Genealogy, Society of Hispanic Historical & Ancestral Research, January 2004