Latin

We are Indigenous, African and European

INDIGENOUS

CARIBBEAN
creole | cuban | dominican | haitian | puerto rican | trinidadian

CENTRAL AMERICAN
costa rican | guatemalan | honduran | mexican | nicaraguan | panamanian | salvadoran

SOUTH AMERICAN
argentine | bolivian | brazilian | chilean | colombian | ecuadorian |
paraguayan | peruvian | uruguayan | venezuelan

NORTH AMERICAN
french-canadian | usa

AFRICAN
ghanan | nigerian | senegalese

European
french | italian | jewish | portuguese | romani | romanian | spanish

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“When You are Here, You’re a New Yorker”

When we started this project in 2012, national labels made sense. As children of immigrants born and raised in the United States, this is how we were taught to see the world.

But after studying Latin culture all these years, national labels don’t make as much sense anymore. We are just people and we are all mixed with each other.

“Where you were born does not matter—when you’re here, you’re a New Yorker.”
NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

It can’t be said any better than that, and it is true.

Like skin color, nationality is a false flag. Humans have been migrating since we could walk, and there is only one species of humans living in the world today. Whatever you are, Africa is the mother of us all.

Forgive us for the inaccuracy of national labels. We don’t distinguish between “born here” and “born there.” People are more complex than that.

The Latin story is a story of colonization, enslavement and the long march towards independence. Colonization spread Latin European culture around the world and its religion too.

Many people associate “Latin” with the Catholic church. It has been a major influence on Latin culture. We try to understand that and share our understanding, but we don’t mean to promote any particular religion.

Forgive us for the inaccuracy in some of our writing. We are a small team and obviously not raised in all of these cultures. This project is a journey of learning and sharing. We make plenty of mistakes along the way. Please accept our apologies for our mistakes in advance.

Help us get the story right. We want to tell your story, because as New Yorkers, it is our story too.

“It’s up to you, New York, New York.” (Fredd Ebb/John Kander)

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Latin Caribbean NYC

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Latin Central American NYC

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Latin South American NYC

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Latin European NYC

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What is Latin Anyway?

Latin was originally Italian. The Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance are the foundations of Western Civilization. Romans loved silk. Marco Polo and the Silk Road connected the Latin world to Asia. The Portuguese connected Africa, South and SouthEast Asia. The Spanish and Portuguese Empires connected the Indigenous Americas and brought Africans to the Americas. Since the European discovery, the Americas have been the land of opportunity, slavery or escape. So we are all here.

At times for better and at times for worse, Roman Catholicism influenced it all, either directly or indirectly in direct opposition. That remains a profound influence on us, but today we are also Santería, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, Athiest and every other idea under the sun. All seek to understand and explain the mystery of life. Life itself is the miracle that binds us all together.

New York Latin Culture Magazine sees the world through a Latin lens, but regardless of where you start, any honest examination of humanity leads to the same place. Africa is mother and we are all African.

Our physical “differences” come from just one tenth of one percent of our DNA (0.1%). If you visualize all of humanity as your ten fingers, that difference is equal to about the white of one fingernail. Differences are an illusion promoted by politicians and religions in the pursuit of wealth and power.

So this is who we are, one people of the world with countless cultures. Knowing where we come from offers the freedom to be anything we can dream of. Whoever you are, and wherever your parents, grandparents or ancestors came from, Dios te bendiga (God Bless You) in whatever way that works for you.

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