economic status, age, history, and ethnicity. Accord-
ing to U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates for the
year 2000, about 12 percent of the total population
in the United States was Hispanic. While Hispanic
people share a common language, they still represent
a heterogeneous group of adults, children, and fami-
lies living in various cities within the United States.
The diversity of Hispanic people underscores the
difficulty in making generalizations about individu-
als. Because Hispanic children may differ in their atti-
tudes and beliefs as a result of their families and their
interaction with North American culture, it is impor-
tant to not assume that all Hispanic children are the
same. With this recognition, there are many cultural
beliefs and practices, as well as elements of family
structure and family roles, that are common to many
Hispanic children and that can provide a better un-
derstanding of Hispanic children and their lives.
Definitions and Terms
Much controversy exists over how to describe the
heterogeneity of individuals from Latin America. The
most frequently used term in the United States is
‘‘Hispanic,’’ which is derived from Hispania, the an-
cient name for the Iberian Peninsula. Nevertheless,
because this name emphasizes Spanish origins, many
prefer the term ‘‘Latino’’ or ‘‘Latina,’’ descriptors that
acknowledge the African-American and Indian ances-
try of many individuals as well. Indeed, many individ-
uals from Latin America are descendants of Indian
nations, including the Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and
Incas. ‘‘Latino’’ and ‘‘Latina’’ are terms that are gain-
ing in popularity, but Hispanic is still the most com-
monly used name and is the term that appeared in
the 2000 U.S. Census.
Demographic Characteristics
Hispanic children include those children who are
born to Hispanic parents in the United States, as well
as those individuals who recently immigrated to the
United States from Hispanic countries. Within the
United States, the majority of Hispanic youth are
Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican, with some chil-
dren and families from the Dominican Republic and
from Central and South America. Of those from Cen-
tral and South America, the countries of origin for the
majority are Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guate-
mala, Nicaragua, and Peru.
As a result of immigration patterns and historical
events, Hispanic families live in communities in vari-
ous cities and states within the United States, primari-
ly in metropolitan areas. Some Hispanics have come
to America as a result of extremely poor economic
conditions in their countries, as well as civil wars and
political strife. With the goal of escaping problems
and acquiring a better life, individuals and families
have immigrated, both legally and illegally, to the
United States. The United States has had a history of
opening and closing borders with Latin American
countries, and it is this ever-changing relationship
that has contributed to some of the difficulties facing
Hispanic immigrants, as well as the large presence of
Hispanics within the United States.
According to U.S. Census estimates for 2000,
Mexicans, who primarily live in California, Texas, Ar-
izona, and New Mexico, comprised 65 percent of the
Hispanic population in the United States. After Puer-
to Rico became a territory of the United States in
1917, large groups of Puerto Ricans came from the is-
land to settle, mostly in New York and New Jersey. A
large wave of Hispanics from Cuba, who fled the po-
litical leadership of Fidel Castro, immigrated to states
such as Florida.Language
Spanish is the common language uniting Hispan-
ic people, though there are some Hispanics whose na-
tive language is French or Portuguese. Spanish is
considered a Romance language, with similarities to
other Latin-derived languages such as French and
Italian. While most Hispanic individuals speak Span-
ish, there are a variety of Spanish dialects and linguis-
tic characteristics that distinguish speakers from
various Hispanic groups. Differences in daily expres-
sions, vocabulary, and accents can be found in the
Spanish spoken by different individuals of Hispanic
descent.
Many Hispanic children who are raised in the
United States are bilingual, able to speak both Span-
ish and English. Most Hispanic children speak Span-
ish at home and learn English at school. Hispanic
children, however, also have very different degrees of
Spanish and English language proficiency, depend-
ing on levels of acculturation and family and commu-
nity environments.Acculturation and Biculturalism
Hispanic children living in the United States gen-
erally experience some form of acculturation, the
process whereby an individual incorporates cultural
traits of another group. For Hispanic immigrants, ac-
culturation occurs as they live in the United States
and their behaviors begin to resemble those of North
Americans. While living in predominantly Hispanic
communities may slow acculturation in some individ-
uals, children who attend school in the United States
are usually exposed to North American cultural traits
and then face the challenges of incorporating theseHISPANIC CHILDREN 189