Hispanic Heritage Month: Genealogy's role in cultural connection
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Within the intricate tapestry of Latino heritage, genealogy research explores the culture, migration and history that embodies the resilience and diversity of the global community celebrated throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.
Why it matters: Tracing lineage is crucial for cultural connection and historical preservation, particularly for minority communities that are often overlooked in history.
- "Particularly with Latinos, so much of our history was left out of the mainstream historical narratives," Colleen Robledo Greene, a California-based genealogist specializing in Mexican research, tells Axios.
Reality check: The percentage of Americans with Hispanic ancestry who do not identify as Hispanic is rising across generations, according to 2018 Pew Research Center data.
- More than half of U.S.-born young adults with Hispanic ancestry, whose parents and grandparents are also U.S.-born, do not strongly identify with their Hispanic ties as they assimilate into American culture.
State of play: Robledo Greene says those researching their family should be aware of some fundamentals, such as naming customs and the kinds of records available.
- For example, women in Mexico typically do not take their husband's last name, which can simplify tracing maternal lineage.
- But throughout the 1800s, Mexico legally mandated a dual surname system, which was a combination of a father and mother's paternal surname. Robledo Greene says this can help identify three generations in one name.
- Robledo Greene says the naming conventions can be helpful if researchers know the context; otherwise, the number and order of names can be confusing.
Zoom out: Robledo Greene says throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially Mexico, Catholic church records are a treasure trove of family history.
- Catholic church records are meticulously documented and contain comprehensive information for religious rites. Most have been digitized on sites like FamilySearch.org.
Yes but: Tom Martinez, president of the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America, says most Latinos will hit a roadblock when tracing their Indigenous ancestry.
- Their family members might be researchable if they were baptized under Spanish rule.
- Documents might include caste system designations, Greene says.
Of note: Researching a cousin's family tree can be helpful because a person may find information that is relevant to their research, Martinez says.
What they're saying: Robledo Greene says genealogy is important to understanding decisions made by Latino families, such as deciding not to teach Spanish or moving to a different city.
- "For those of us who are Latino in the U.S., (genealogy) is where we're going to uncover the history that we were not taught in school and are often still not hearing. Learning about the experiences about the generations that came before us is going to help us have empathy and maybe more appreciation for what our ancestors had to go through."