All four are ethnic categories, each referencing shared culture, language, or region in different ways. Though, they often informally overlap with race. - Chicano: People of Mexican descent born or raised in the USA. - Emerged during the 1960s Chicano Movement. - Latino: An intentionally inclusive, pan-ethnic term for people with ancestry in Latin America, including Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. - Introduced in the 1970s and 1980s by Latino activists and more broadly adopted in the 1990s and 2000s. - Hispanic: Refers to people from Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain but excluding non-Spanish speaking, LatAm countries like Brazil. - Introduced by the US government in the 1970s for census purposes. - A controversial term because it centers colonial Spain and excludes those with more Indigenous or African heritage, or non-Spanish speaking countries. - Tejano: Texans with historical roots to when Texas was part of Mexico. - Originally used in the 19th century, then reclaimed during the 1960s Chicano Movement, and gained wider recognition due to 1980s and 90s Tejano music. #### Latin America Latin America refers to the regions in the Americas where Romance languages—Spanish, Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, French—are primarily spoken. This generally includes Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean, such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The term _Latin_ originates from _Latium_, a region in central Italy that was home to the ancient Latins, an Italic people. _Latin_ originally referred to the language spoken by the Romans and other Italic tribes in this area. As the Roman Empire expanded, Latin became the dominant language of the empire and eventually evolved into the Romance languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian. The term _Amérique latine_ (Latin America) was popularized in the 1860s by French intellectuals and politicians, particularly during the rule of Emperor Napoleon III, who aimed to extend French influence in the region. By promoting a shared “Latin” heritage (rooted in the Latin-based languages), France hoped to create solidarity between Latin American countries and Europe (specifically France) as a counterbalance to Anglo-American (U.S. and British) dominance in the Americas. #### Blood Quantum and Native Americans - Blood quantum was introduced by the U.S. government in the 19th and early 20th centuries as part of policies aimed at assimilating Indigenous populations, and is therefore often seen as a divisive colonial tool. - By imposing a minimum blood quantum (often 1/4, or one Indigenous grandparent), the government could restrict the number of individuals recognized as Native. - Many tribes, particularly those with federally recognized status, were pressured or incentivized to adopt blood quantum requirements for membership. - Blood quantum leads to debates and paradoxes about what makes someone genuinely part of a community: An Indigenous person with a “low” blood quantum may feel culturally and personally connected but be legally excluded. Conversely, someone with a higher blood quantum might not have strong cultural ties but still qualify for membership. - Many tribes have instead adopted proof of lineal descent (descent from an enrolled tribal member) or cultural criteria (e.g., language proficiency, active cultural participation) as the condition for tribal membership.