Hispanic Family Culture and Traditional Values

What Is Meant by the Term Hispanic?

Before we can discuss Hispanic family culture and traditional values we should first clarify what is actually meant by the term. Hispanic refers to people, countries or cultures that are related or descended from the country of Spain.

This not only includes Spain but a great many other countries who were formerly part of the Spanish Empire through the act of colonization. As such Hispanic culture can be greatly varied as parts of it exist integrated with more localized cultures in South America, Africa and Asia.

Hispanic culture is a set of customs and traditions as well as arts, literature, costume, architecture, cuisine and countless other shared aspects. All of these aspects can vary based on location but they tend to have common roots and obvious similarities. The unifying aspect however is the Spanish language although there are slight variations depending on region.

History of Spain

To better understand Hispanic culture we should first look at its expansion and development through history.

Early Humans

There is evidence of hominid presence in the region we today know as Spain as far back as 300,000 years. Based on the fossil records these were Neanderthals, and other early modern human ancestors. Homo Sapien Sapiens or modern-day humans first appear in the fossil record of the region after 35,000 BC.

Isolated somewhat due to the glaciers of the last ice age the Iberian peninsula on which Spain sits would have been a land of plenty for the early human hunters and gathers. Around 10,000 BC, however, the glaciers began to recede north and the sea levels rose. This would cause the large game animals in the region to move northward. As a result the inhabitants of the peninsula would have to adapt and find new food sources.

The sea became an additional source of food for the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula in the form of shellfish. Over time life advanced and the peoples of the peninsula developed better tools and weapons keeping pace with the rest of Europe in its social development.

The Arrival of the Phoenicians

Over thousands of years, settlements on the peninsula developed, disappeared and shifted based on the natural resources. There were countless tribes throughout the region interacting with each other and at times trading with neighboring countries.

Around 800 BC a group known as the Phoenicians arrived in the peninsula from a region in what is now modern-day Lebanon. These sailors had already settled along the North African coast founding several cities that still exist today.

The mineral wealth of the Iberian Peninsula was too tempting so the Phoenicians made their way to southern Spain establishing settlements. This would be just the beginning of a huge trade system originating from the Peninsula and numerous other societies would come to settle the region at various times.

The Greeks

Around 575 BC the Greeks established two small colonies in the northeast of the peninsula bordering France. They would focus on trade in olive oil, perfumes and fine pottery and extensive trade partnerships were created with the Phoenicians.

Rise of the Iberians

The indigenous tribes of the peninsula were gradually drawn into the new systems of the Phoenicians and Greeks assimilating some of the cultures from these Eastern new arrivals. However, they still held to some of their own ways so they were a distinct society unto themselves.

Around 550 BC was when classical writers began to mention the Iberians in their works. They were recorded as having their own distinct language and cultural practices. They created their own cities inspired by the Greeks and Phoenicians with economies focused on agriculture.

The Romans

Rome had an interest in Spain due to its mineral wealth but really did not want to settle the region. Their initial attacks were more to cut off reinforcements from the region that would help boost the army of Hannibal.

The Romans invaded, taking gradual control of the region and spent centuries battling local tribes throughout the peninsula. Some immigration happened from Italy at this time as part of the booming silver mines but they did not settle the region in vast numbers.

The Germanic Tribes

Around 500 AD when Roman control over Europe was waning the last military presence from Rome was pushed from the peninsula by the Germanic Visigoths. This barbarian tribe had been a thorn in Rome’s side for centuries and they established settlements in northern Spain.

The Basque region which is a unique cultural area of northern Spain and southern France marks the approximate area in which these Visigoths settled. A unique language is spoken in this region that has its roots in both Germanic and Iberian tribal linguistics.

This arrival of the Visigoths led to the rise of several kingdoms which for many centuries experienced internal conflicts. The level of unrest on the peninsula did not go unnoticed as Islamic leaders in neighboring North Africa took notice.

Islam on the Iberian Peninsula

In the year 711 AD, the conquest of Spain began when Muslim forces took the island of Gibraltar. The campaign moved swiftly and by the time it ended much of the peninsula with the exception of some northern regions was under Muslim control.

As with Rome, the Muslim Empire extended itself too far and its control started to fall apart. Catholic kingdoms in the north of Spain took advantage and started to fight back against the Muslim forces. The first city to be reclaimed by the Catholic kingdoms was Toledo in 1085. Eventually, the Muslim presence was driven from the peninsula but not before it made its mark on society and the people.

Spanish Migration

The Americas

When Christopher Columbus sailed under the flag of Spain in 1492 and stumbled upon the Islands off of South America this set in motion what would become a mass Spanish migration to South America. As explorers delved deeper into South and Central America more and more Spanish settlements would arise.

A vast amount of South and Central America’s modern day population possesses a combination of Indigenous Americas and Spanish or Portuguese DNA. An estimated 1.86 million Spaniards are thought to have settled in the Americas between 1492 – 1832. A further 3.5 million immigrated to the region between 1850 – 1950 in the post-colonial era.

Africa

The conquest of Africa would become a focus of the Spanish just a few years after Columbus' first voyage. North Africa was the obvious starting point as it sat just south of Spain across the Mediterranean. A series of towns and cities would fall to the Spanish between 1497 and 1510.

Years before neighbors Portugal in their own explorations had discovered Africa’s Gold Coast and although they sought to keep this secret the Spanish soon became aware. Spain would enter into conflict with Portugal and eventually developed their own trade routes to Africa’s west coast.

Spanish colonization in Africa is relatively recent, having only really started around 1884 and lasting just short of a century. Although brief it was long enough to leave Hispanic cultural aspects in the countries Spain had colonized.

Spanish Speaking Countries

As the Spanish language is the biggest indication of a Hispanic culture it is important to know which countries could be considered to have significant Hispanic influences. These include:

• Spain
• Andorra
• Mexico
• Belize
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Puerto Rico
• Equatorial Guinea
• Canary Islands

Countries with Hispanic Culture Influences

These are countries that may have seen former colonization but are today free and are not considered to be a mainly Hispanic nation.

• Western Sahara
• Philippines
• Guam
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Palau

Hispanic Culture and Values

Now we come to the core of what it means to be Hispanic. These are the cultural and traditional values that lay at the root of being considered part of the Hispanic world.

Family Values

Traditionally speaking the Hispanic family unit is one which is tight-knit and expands beyond immediate family into the more expanded family. The focus of the family will tend to be on a patriarch and traditionally in Hispanic culture the father is the head of the immediate family.

It is expected that all individuals in the family, even extended members should be willing to help each other when needed. This is what helps keep family ties strong and even when family may live hundreds of miles away they can be relied upon to serve as host to visiting relatives.

Celebration of traditional festivals and family milestones are generally the cause for big family gatherings. Through this connection to family the older generation tries to instill in the younger the importance of honor, good manners and respect for their elders.

These traditions hold strongest in the predominantly Spanish speaking regions but as families expand into other countries through migration this traditional sense of family does start to wane. Often within a few generations use of the Spanish language decreases and the close-knit nature of Hispanic culture starts to drift away as well.

Religion

As the Spanish colonized parts of Africa, Asia and the Americas they took with them the Roman Catholic faith. In many of their former colonial regions Catholicism remains the predominant religion. There is however a smaller swing toward a more protestant faith in recent years mainly with regards becoming born again Christians.

In the Central and South American nations in which Hispanic beliefs are most present there are only two in which Christian beliefs fall below 85% of the population. These are Cuba and Uruguay who both have considerable numbers of people who are either unaffiliated or ascribe to non-Christian religions.

Interestingly the source of the Hispanic culture Spain is only 75.2% Christian while countries like Peru, Paraguay and Guatemala are well over 90% in terms of Christian population.

The Virgin Mary

Although most Hispanic nations have their own patron saints there is a unifying patroness that connects them all through their Christian faith. Referred to as Our Lady of the Pillar she is more commonly known as the Virgin Mary the mother of Christ.

This dates back to a belief that Mary appeared to the apostle James the Greater while he was in Spain in AD 40. Today she is a major aspect of Hispanic belief systems along with a number of saints.

Music

The music of Hispanic nations may have common roots tracing back to Spain but it has evolved into a rich tableau. Hispanic nations have their own musical styles that often originate from that of folk music. Different nations have differing styles and some have integrated indigenous instruments into their traditional music.

Assimilated Culture

Wherever the Spanish colonized there existed indigenous peoples who were generally conquered and forced into slave labor. These indigenous would often integrate into the new Spanish colonies although some groups would remain together practicing the traditional languages and beliefs.

In much of the Hispanic world the traditions of Spain have blended somewhat with those of the indigenous peoples who came before. This has led to a uniqueness between different Hispanic regions. For example Día de Muertos or “Day of the Dead” is a largely Mexican celebration and may have its roots in indigenous beliefs and festivals.

Final Thoughts

Hispanic family culture and traditional values historically have centered around respect for and closeness to the family group. In Hispanic families the elders are revered for their wisdom and the attitude is that you should help the family whenever they need it.

Traditionally Hispanic families tended toward Catholicism although there is a growing shift toward Protestantism. Faith is often important in daily life and adherence to the faith is also considered important. Hispanic people can be found throughout the world and in some places their traditional beliefs have merged with older indigenous practices.

As with all things however time is changing the older ways and progressively even in the strict religious Hispanic community many are abandoning the faith or converting. The traditional family structure may be becoming more fractured and less geared toward a male dominated household.

Neil Edwards

Genealogist and family-tree research specialist

Neil was born in Shropshire, England surrounded by centuries of living history. His interest in the past has been a lifelong passion leading to undergraduate degrees in both Economic History & Geography and History & Politics.

This interest in history quickly translated to family history when he moved to the U.S. in 2010. It was here that he began working on his own family tree as well as that of his American wife. That research allowed him to gain a wealth of experience working with both U.S. and European genealogical documents and studying their best uses in researching family history.

Following 9 years of honing his genealogical research skills, Neil was proud to have earned a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in late 2019. Neil also took part in the research process for a Duke University study into the families of 19th Century UK Members of Parliament.

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