Latin has many meanings. In antiquity, it meant Italian.
Latin culture in the Americas is a mix of Indigenous, European and African; plus Jewish, Arab, South Asian, East Asian, and Pacific traditions. We really are all of that, just like New York.
When the French attacked Mexico in the 1860s, they said you should let us conquer you because we are Latin brothers. Hmm?
South American politicians embraced the label of Latin America, and in the 1950s, so did the United Nations. That’s how we became Latin.
We are many different mixes, but the one thing that defines Latins is family.
The Latin family has created things that are uniquely American, and loved around the world.