Lots of Jews emigrated from Czarist Russia to Costa Rica. Brazil is primarily Portuguese.

The people speak Spanish, English, French ( French being a 2nd language requirement in school) Italian and are also taught in school and are spoken throughout Central and South America. The Native Indian languages are spoken also.

The Europeans influenced the art, music, literature and dance.

Roman Catholicism is the main religion but you will also find Evangelical Protestants as well as Mormon.

The Cuban people have taught me that they also call themselves Afro-Cubans.

Even though the Roman Catholicism was introduced and practiced, it was practiced in a different manner in that some of its elements were absorbed into the African religion of the Yoruba people as well as Congo which became known as Santeria. So,they mixed Roman Catholic saints with Yoruba deities.

They did absorb some Hispanic culture but are proud that they did not lose the integrity of their African heritage, culture and spirituality.

For example, Dominican Republic has an African Heritage and they see their practice of Vodoo as part of their Catholicism, this Vodoo is similar to the Haitian Vodoo but they use different types of percussion.

Puerto Rico African slaves to the sugar plantations were from African areas of Congo, Ashanti, Yoruba and Bantu and got mixed with the Taino indians and some Spaniard. They use something called Bomba drums and have Bomba dancers.

Cubans also use a different Spanish, for example, woman is mujer to us, to Cubans the common slang for woman is “jeba” and a large majority do not pronounce the letter “S” at the end of words, a Van to us is Camioneta to Cubans it is “Guagua” To us Tire is Llanta, to Cubans it is Goma, a Pepper to us is Chile, to Cubans it is “Aji”.

I’ve learned that all the different religions they practice believe in one head god with sub deities called Orishas.

It is very confusing and overwhelming here in Miami when we try to understand and follow the Caribbean African based religions, culture and history of these islands and it is difficult to distinguish one from the other for those of us who are outsiders to their islands.

Even though Spanish is not spoken in Haiti they also practice a similar Vodou which coexists with Catholicism.

Thank you, I am glad you also know the rule, I know the rule also, I have read it in Wikipedia and learned it in school here in the US. That is exactly why I wrote “we Latin Americans” and explained how “we in Latin America” categorize Puerto Ricans and Cubans as Caribbean. Just because the rule has been made that Latin America includes all countries south of the United States does not automatically mean that Central & South American people accept Cubans, Dominicans as Latin Americans and as for Puerto Rico we are well aware that they are not a country but a US territory going on 112 years I believe.

Now, I did schooling in Germany, France and Spain there they do differentiate Continental Latin America and the Spanish speaking people from the Caribbean. I did some of my schooling in Austria and they taught the same as the other European countries and Latin American countries. My cousins in Ukraine and Greece have been taught the same principal.

There is a difference between the scholastic and the reality of life, just because a Pitbull, a Cat and a Possum are all labeled animals does not make them all the same breed.

Just because under the rule that Puerto Rico is part of Latin America does not automatically mean that Central & South Americans are going to see Sotomayor as one of our own people and see her as an accomplishment of our countries. Yes, of course her people should be congratulated for having one of her own in the Supreme Court, it is a great accomplishment for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and they should be proud.

Puerto Ricans and Cubans here in Florida don’t like to be called Latin American, they call themselves Latin American when they want to call themselves that, but they will correct everyone else and call themselves Caribbean and expect you to call them Caribbean, they don’t live by the “scholastic rule” found in Wikipedia that they are Latin Americans and believe me they will get into your face and tell you so and you better apologize.

They are extremely proud of their Cuban/Puerto Rican or Dominican heritage and culture and you better respect it. They fight to make sure their flags are posted everywhere and paint it on business windows.

Listen, they refuse to speak English because they will tell you that they don’t want to assimiliate, speaking English means betraying their homeland, heritage, culture. If we don’t speak Spanish to them but insist on English they will deny us jobs, sales and service and they will fight you on it.

They even have their own Spanish, they do not use or prounounce the letter “R” for example
woman=mujer theirs is mujel, Please=por favor theirs is pol favol, Gerardo theirs is Gelaldo,
forward=para adelante theirs is pa’lante. They also speak Spanglish which is very confusing.

We have numerous mispelled signs here in Miami and the difference in Spanish is the creator of many fights.

So this “rule of all of us being thrown into on Latin America melting pot” does cause serious trouble amongst our different peoples. I realize American people don’t understand it since they think we are all one group.

We Latin Americans are aware that Puerto Ricans are US Citizens-US Territory, why they keep claiming to be Latin American is a mystery as Puerto Ricans are extremely racist against us Latin Americans here in Miami, as are Cubans. They descriminate greatly against us. I’ve been told to my face that Latin America should disappear. Here in Miami they don’t like Americans either or Europeans. They go as far as refusing to speak English forcing us to speak Spanish, they claim speaking English is to assimilate.

Latin Americans are Central and South America and we do not see a Puerto Rican-American confirmed to the Supreme Court as a reflection of Latin America. As a matter of fact, Puerto Ricans are not very welcomed in Central or South America.

One of Obama’s largest group of supporters, is blue-collar union voters, who by a large percentage resent illegal workers. If anyone is in doubt what Obama’s priorities are just look at what his major decisions have been so far. All economic, bailing out the car companies, etc. The single choice of a latina judge is a great way for him to support diversity without being accused of favoring his own race. This decision doesn’t have any bearing at all on “delivering” on immigration, and I think that if he did “deliver” a bill the latino community would be shocked by it.

The latino voice is growing and will be very strong in the future. But as for now, it is not and will not be reflected in this administration.