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LA RAZA ''La raza'' (Spanish for "The race") or ''La raza mexicana'' is a term which Mexicans commonly use to denote Mestizo ancestry. Outside of Mexico, the term La Raza has also been adopted by members of other countries to recognize Hispanic heritage as one single race. "Día de la Raza" is widely celebrated across Hispano-America, including places as far as Puerto Rico , Mexico , the Dominican Republic , Chile and Argentina . In the U.S. Census, many Mexican-Americans or Chicanos described themselves as "some other race" to express mestizo pride. Being "la raza" or mestizo does not necessarily mean that the person is of mixed White and Amerindian ancestry, but it is usually used as an indication of racial or cultural pride (see '' Identity Politics ''). The terms ''"la raza cósmica"'' ("the universal race," coined by José Vasconcelos ) and ''"la raza de bronce"'' ("the Bronze Race ") are also sometimes used alternatively. There is also pan-Hispanic cultural flag in use in the entire Spanish Sprachraum , although associated mostly with the Western Hemisphere . '' Chicanismo '' is a cultural movement begun in the 1930s in the Southwestern United States by Mexican Americans to recapture their Mexican, Native American culture, and the resulting Chicano Movement gives political voice to Chicano struggles. PROBLEMS WITH SPECIFIC LABELS For purposes of clarity and the maintaining of as neutral a point of view as possible — including acknowledgement of the Gender problems of designating all people of this ethnic grouping as Latino when the term Latina also exists — the term Latin (which should not be confused with the Latin language) will be used in this article. The term ''Hispanic'' is the term most often used in the United States to refer to Spanish Language -speaking Latin American people such as Mexican-American s, Puerto Rican s, Dominican s, Ecuador ans, Cuban s, and many others. In fact, the term encompasses a very diverse population, making efforts toward creating a pan-Hispanic Social Identity difficult. While in the United States "Hispanics" are often treated as a group apart from whites, blacks and other racial groups, "Hispanics" actually include people who do not identify with any of the aforementioned ethnic and/or national groupings, as well as including those identifying with other ethnic groups of entirely different origins, such as Indigenous Tribes . The problem with the overarching term "Hispanic" is that it sometimes results in overgeneralization that runs the risk of getting an observer that is uneducated in such matters in trouble. Meanwhile, the word ''Latino'' is debated as to whether it is an appropriate label for the people living in the Americas outside of the United States and Canada . Controversy surrounds on the usage since it implies a mirroring of Europe Latin area (see Latin Europe ) in the Americas, which never took place (aside of Portugal and Spain Latin Europe includes many other countries that have no role in Latin America ). Moreover, in doing so, it has excluded millions of Indigenous descendants, many of whom speak only a native language, that are very much grounded in what is called The Americas . Recently, Mexican-descent organizations such as the Mexica Movement have challenged the legitimacy of the newly-introduced term of "Latino" on the grounds of its non-applicability to people who are non-European. Since the term Latino refers to Latin Europe and its descendents, people of American indigenous descent are necessarily excluded from such a term. The term ''Chicano'' is offensive to some assimilated Mexican American s, who prefer other terms such as Hispanic, Latino, or simply Mexican. Many Chicanos, in turn, find Mexican used alone as offensive because it overlooks their American and indigenous roots. Chicanos in Texas are also referred to as Tejanos, although Tejano simply means Texan. Some who do not find the Masculine term Chicano acceptable to use as a plural, use the terms Chicano/a, or Chican@. FLAG While relatively unknown, there is a flag representing the countries of Hispanic America, its people, its history and its shared cultural legacy. Ángel Camblor of the Uruguayan army was its originator in 1933, and it was adopted by the Pan-American Conference that same year in Montevideo . The white background stands for Peace ; the Inti ( Sun God in Inca Mythology ) symbolizes the light shining on the American continent; and the three crosses represent Christopher Columbus ' Caravel s (the Niña , Pinta , and Santa María ships used in his first voyage from Spain to the New World in 1492 ). The Lilac color of the crosses evokes the Castilian banner. ORGANIZATIONS Currently, the more well-known Latin nationalist organizations, at least in the United States , include Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlán and the Watsonville Brown Berets . Less well-known groups include the Nation Of Aztlan , the Boricua Popular Army and the Puerto Rican Independence Party . During the Civil Rights Movement the Original Brown Berets and the Young Lords were the two chief Latin nationalist organizations in existence. Both claimed to be the equivalent of the Black Panther Party for their specific ethnic identities ( Mexican and Puerto Rican , respectively). See Also: Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico) CRITICISM Those Anti-nationalists who oppose Identity Politics generally criticize Latin nationalism in much the same way they oppose Black Nationalism and Radical Feminism . From the Radical Left of Communism and some Anarchism , criticism comes in the form of Latin nationalism being a threat to Proletarian Internationalism . From the Right-wing this takes the form of it being acceptable for the self-identifying to occur in and of itself, but inappropriate for the group to expect an enumeration of "unprecedented rights" on account of that identity being established. SEE ALSO
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