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Este informe no está disponible en español. Orlando SentinelHistory Links All Hispanics Around WorldBY Maria T. PadillaJune 27, 2001 Now that Hispanics are the country's largest minority, some folks are expressing angst that all Latinos, no matter their ethnicity or race, are defined as one group in the United States. Some folks, distrustful of this concentration and its powerful implications,want to break up the monopoly. They are asking, "What do Mexicans have in common with Puerto Ricans?" A South Carolina newspaper recently raised that question in an editorial after President Bush announced the Navy would leave Vieques in 2003. After Bush dropped the bombshell, many talking heads said the president's action was aimed at appeasing Hispanics. Thus, the inquiring South Carolina paper wanted to know whether Mexicans cared what happened in Vieques. If they didn't, then Bush's decision would be affecting only one group of Hispanics, the thinking went. It's a legitimate question -- if also a bit na{iumlau}ve. Hispanics have a lot in common, and it didn't start with the Census Bureau's creation of the umbrella term "Hispanic" in the 1970s to define people of Spanish-speaking descent. It all began when Spain got an itch to go global. From the 15th century forward, many of the countries of the New World have become forever linked with a common language, a common religion, a common colonizer and, therefore, a common history. There's no getting around that. For instance, there's no circumnavigating that Hispanics across all cultures even have the same surnames. A person named Martínez may be Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, Colombian or a member of any other Hispanic group. In addition, the same historical figures show up in several places. Juan Ponce de León was the first governor of Puerto Rico, and he also claimed Florida for Spain. Frey Bartolomé de las Casas, a 16th century Catholic monk, wrote a first-person account of the Spanish colonization, traveling from Puerto Rico to Mexico and documenting everything along the way. Centuries later, a Venezuelan named Simón Bolívar traveled throughout South America promoting independence from Spain. After 1810, Spain's vast empire shrank as country after country threw off its shackles. Bolívar became known as the Libertador de las Américas, the liberator of the Americas. Today, monuments to Bolívar stand in nearly every Spanish-speaking country. There's even one at Orlando's Lake Eola Park. In 1895, during Cuba's war of independence from Spain, people came from all around to lend a revolutionary hand. Ramón Emeterio Betances of Puerto Rico played a key role. Betances, in turn, asked Cuban patriots to support Puerto Rico's independence. And while on the subject of Cuba and Puerto Rico, perhaps some people have noticed that the Puerto Rican and Cuban flags are identical, except for the placement of colors. That's no accident. There are other links that continue today. When Mexican-American Antonio Villaraigosa recently ran for mayor of Los Angeles, Hispanics nationwide plugged into the political contest, aware that it was significant Hispanic news. Many were disappointed that he lost. Returning to the issue of Vieques, all of the national Hispanic civil rights organizations -- most of which are Mexican-American -- have come out in support of the island. So next time someone asks what Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have in common, the correct answer is: "Plenty."
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