Hispanic+Heritage+Essay+SI15

I hopped into my mustang and started heading for the plaza because they had pinatas on sail. When I saw a tornado in a canyon ahead, I dashed into the cafeteria, where I ate a banana and chili to comfort myself. While these sentences may not make any sense at all, the fact remains that most of these words have been adopted from the Hispanic heritages in America. Let us remember the roots of our great nation. The oldest city in America, St. Augustine, was settled by the Spanish, and eight of our states have Spanish names (USA Today). Until the mid 19th century, America was a part of New Spain. The oldest records found in the states were written in Spanish (Explore). We could go on and on about how the Hispanic heritages have changed our past. They've been in this country for as long as it's been around, and the bond between them and our country is unbreakable. Without them we wouldn't be who we are today, so keeping them alive and well should be at the top of our list. We can talk about it, teach it, and celebrate it to take part in it, and if we don't, our country will not be the same.

Let's start from the bottom. What is a culture? A culture is a set of standards, beliefs, and practices that are shared by a particular group (explore). Traditions, language, idioms, religion, art, music, and food would all fall under factors of what make up a culture. While those may be the things that we think are the most important, that is what people call surface culture. That is only what everyone sees, the things that are widely known and practiced by more than just that specific group. Beneath the surface, there is something deeper, more meaningful to that group of people. The way that they treat each other, what roles everyone has in society, their approach to certain social or political actions; these are all parts of deep culture. For example, the Dominican Republic was established in 1844 after many tumultuous years of the Spanish or Haitians controlling it (every culture). Now, there are nearly a million Dominicans in the states, and they have several standards that they have brought with them (domrep.org). As it is for most Hispanics, family bonds are of primary importance. In general, relationships are valued over work and schedules among Dominicans (USAS Today).

The most important part of their heritage that Hispanics have brought to the United States is their religion. About 90% of all Hispanics are Catholic, and they make up around 20% of our nation (USA Today). So, if you do the math, at least 18% of our country is Catholic, and that's only from Hispanics. They have probably been the most influential when it comes to faith. They have helped us grow in that aspect of our lives in an absolutely unbelievable way. As a matter of fact, the first catechism was written in Spanish because most of the world's Catholics are Spanish (pew forum). As far as more surface culture goes, language, food, and music have been changed immensely due to the Hispanic heritages in the country. Obviously, Spanish has become a widely spoken language, a good 8% of Americans now fluent, and is being taught in schools all across the nation (statistical). Music, in particular merengue, of the Hispanics has come to the U.S. and changed the way we party and dance, which is obviously very important to us Americans (Wikipedia). I don't think I even need to go into the food of the Hispanics. There are countless foods, whether they're main courses or desserts, that we enjoy each and every day. Tacos, burritos, flan, emapanadas, quesadillas, and rice and beans are just the beginning of all the Hispanic foods that they have so generously shared with us in the states.

Hispanics are easy to pick out in a crowd because of the way that they act towards each other. They tend to be rather loud and animated, and personal space can be the least of their worries. These aren't necessarily negative things; it's just what they do. They value relationships more than anything, even work and schedules (dimensions). They have a reputation for not really valuing time. Again, it's not a bad thing; relationships come before anything and everything, so they're ok with being late if they were with someone they loved. Going along the lines of relationships, trust isn't earned easily. However, once it is earned, it is valued to a very high extent (dimensions). Since they are so strong in their bonds with their family members, it is interesting to think about how they treat death. Their attitude towards death is intriguing, because while they may grieve and mourn over their loss, they are also celebrating the death because they believe in a life after the end of their earthly life. They believe that their relatives or friends have crossed into their second life, which would be heaven because they are Catholic, and celebrate death on El Dia de los Muertos (explore). The Day of the Dead can be thought of as one of the most important parts of the Hispanic heritages that we need to keep alive because it helps us to grow in our faith and more fully appreciate the fact that they're not gone for good.

The Hispanic heritages in America involve more than just those who brought them here. They have become an important part of our everyday lives that we honestly couldn't live without. They have taught us worthy life lessons and brought us some of the best food on the planet. They have helped us grow in our faith and played a major role in establishing the states themselves. Without the customs and practices of the Hispanics, whether they're Dominican, Mexican, or Puerto Rican, our country would be missing a huge chunk of not only our past, but our present and future. As long as we continue to teach it and celebrate it, the Hispanic heritage in America will live on forever.


 * Works Cited **

"FAQs." Membership. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. .
 * I know this is a valid source because you suggested it to us and I'm sure you wouldn't suggest an invalid source. Also, it has been reviewed by many critics who all had only positive things to say.

"FAQs." Membership. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. .
 * I know this is a valid source because is has a teaching program available for anyone who needs it and they wouldn't hand out false information to teachers.

"FAQs." Membership. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. .
 * I know this is a valid source because people from all over the world have used it and are happy with it.

"FAQs." Membership. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. .
 * I know this is a valid source because we can find the same information on other valid sources.

"FAQs." Membership. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. .
 * This is a valid source because it has been reviewed by any credible people and is used world wide and is known as a good, go-to source for information.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. .
 * I know this is a valid source because to edit these pages, you need to be certified and go through a long process before you actually edit it.

"Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2012." Pew Research Centers Hispanic Trends Project RSS. N.p., 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
 * I know this is a valid source because they used other reliable sources to put together their information and show the credibility of those sources.

Notes: On the website, it has a list of people who have used it and tells where they are from. There are people from India, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada that have given reviews, and the USA Today newspaper has reviewed it as well. All of them had only good things to say.
 * 1) How do you know that people all over the world have used it and are happy with it?