Reclaiming ‘Identidad’:

How Colonialism and

Patriarchy Shaped the
Hispanic/Latino Identity
LUIS TORRES
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Abstract

 For centuries, colonialism and patriarchy have dominated the world as we

know. Through this presentation, the goal is to unpack how both
colonization and patriarchy have played a major role in the Spanish
language. Words such as “Latino,” “Hispanic,” “Mestizo,” and many more
will be examined in this presentation. The end goal for this presentation is
to have a deeper understanding as to how and why colonization and
patriarchy plague the Hispanic/Latino identity in the United States through
the Spanish language.
 A Brief Overview

 Hernán Cortés and other Spanish conquistadores conquered Hispaniola in 1504

(modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic)
 Cortés entered Tenochtitlán (Mexico) and conquered it in 1521 with the help of
Aztec enemies
 Cortés was aided by a Nahua woman named Malintzin to overthrow the Aztec
Empire. They had a child named Martín
 Martín may have been the first mestizo—person of mixed indigenous American and
European descent
 The trade of gold and silver between the Americas and Spain signaled the Hernán Cortés
beginning of capitalism
“Mestizo”/“Mulatto” and “Mestizaje”

 Mestizo is a term that was used to describe someone of mixed indigenous

and European descent. Mulatto refers to someone of African descent
mixed with European
 However, “mestizo”/“mulatto” were both used as a derogatory term to
identify someone as an ”non-pure” European because they were mixed
with an indigenous race
 “Mestizaje” was a nationalistic movement in the mid-1900s that tried to rid
racial conflict and promote national identity by adopting “mestizo” as a
formal term
 Hispanic vs. Latino

 ”’Latino’ refers to almost anyone born in or with ancestors from Latin America and living in the U.S.,
including Brazilians”

 ”’Hispanic’ is generally accepted as a narrower term that includes people only from Spanish-
speaking Latin America, including those countries/territories of the Caribbean or from Spain itself”

 Neither have to do with race or color

 Hispanic is being used less among the youth due to its specific ties to colonialism

 These terms also fail to recognize indigeneity

Latino/a vs. Latinx

 The problem with Latino/a (and the Spanish language in and of itself) is its
masculine-dominated creation of the language.

 If there are 5 female-identifying individuals in the room, there are 5

Latinas. If there is 1 male and 5 females, there are 6 Latinos.

 The push for Latinx is to reevaluate the gender binary that constitutes the
Spanish language and neglects the existence/experience of non-binary
and gender fluid folks.
 Cases Against Latinx

 Although it is gender inclusive, it still does not address/include indigeneity

 Latinx, much like Latino/a and Hispanics, still pay homage to colonialism by stripping away the
identity of indigeneity by using broad terms

 Some individuals prefer to identify by their country of origin to combat the colonialism/patriarchal
influences that dominate the image and language of the general population

 Linguistically and phonetically , the ”X” does not make sense and throws the entire language off
Cases Against Latinx (Cont.)

 While it is a more gender inclusive term, it does not fix the root problems of
homophobia/transphobia/mis-gendering among other problems that led
to the creation of the actual term

 Since it is more used by the youth, the terminology and the reason behind
it is not accessible to older generations in addition to folks that might not
have the adequate education to be informed of such terminology
 Conclusion

 It is evident that colonialism and the patriarchy heavily influence the Spanish
language from its everyday usage to how one identifies him/her/themselves.
While there is yet to be a uniform acceptance of a term, each generation brings
different experiences and terms in an effort to fully encompass everyone while
continuing to be respectful of ones roots, origins and ancestry. It is imperative to
recognize how and why each individual identifies him/her/themselves while
simultaneously resisting to dismiss and/or negate another experience or identity.
 The Spanish language and how one identifies also depends on geography, socio-
economic status, ancestry and much more making this topic a layered and
difficult one.
 References

 Gonzalez-Barrera, A. (2015, July 10). ‘Mestizo’ and ‘mulatto’: Mixed-race identities among U.S.
Hispanics. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/10/mestizo-and-mulatto-
mixed-race-identities-unique-to-hispanics/
 González, H. M. (2018, January 08). Why I Chose to Not Be Latinx. Retrieved from
http://www.latinorebels.com/2017/07/20/why-i-chose-to-not-be-latinx/
 Hernandez, D. (2017, December 17). The case against 'Latinx'. Retrieved from
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hernandez-the-case-against-latinx-20171217-
story.html
 Matinez-Echazabal, L. (1998, May). Mestizaje and The Discourse of National/Cultural Identity in Latin
America. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/stable/pdf/2634165.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A8b056b39e
ae64b826340e301ce71cba1
 References (Cont.)

 The Spanish conquistadores and colonial empire. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-1/apush-spanish-
colonization/a/the-spanish-conquistadores-and-colonial-empire
 Stavans, I. (2017, July 14). El significado del ‘latinx’. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/es/2017/11/14/el-significado-del-latinx/
 What’s the Difference Between Hispanic and Latino? (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-hispanic-and-latino