[ACC24048]

Sure, I’d say the differences are as great as the differences between different European cultures, except to a much lesser extent with regard to language. I’d say most of the differences derive from how much respective African or Indian influences there are in the cultures. Even in language, that difference shows up. Cuban or Puerto Rican Spanish sounds very staccato to Mexican ears. There are different words and meanings in different dialects. For example, pato (duck) is a common nickname among Mexicans for men with ducktailed hairdos. But among Caribbean Latinos, it’s a slur for gays as bad as saying faggot. And Mexican Spanish has Nahua (Aztec) words like guajalote (turkey) and our favorite, chingar, an all-purpose cussword much like the f-word in English. The Cuban community has a lot more upper middle class people, more educated professionals, and more businesspeople thanks to who fled or were kicked out by Castro. It also tends to be far more politically conservative than other Latinos. Most other Latinos thought Cuban-Americans were dead wrong about Elian Gonzalez, for example. In religious beliefs, Mexicans often have a belief in Curanderismo, folk healing that is derived from Indian practices. Caribbean Latinos often follow Santeria, which is based on African beliefs. Both are mixed with Catholicism, and each country has its own patron saints as well. There are other huge differences in diet, music, literature, and so on. It’d take whole books to do justice to all the aspects of Latino cultures, but these are a start. Maybe you could try taking some courses to learn more if you are interested.

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Name : ACC24048, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W Lafayette, State : IN, Country : United States, 

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