The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. Many Hispanic Americans trace their roots to the Spanish explorers and settlers, to the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas—including the Arawaks (Puerto Rico), the Aztecs (Mexico), the Incas (South America), the Mayans (Central America), and the Tainos (in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other places)—and to the Africans who were brought as slaves to the New World. For purposes of the U.S. Census, Hispanic Americans today are identified according to the parts of the world that they or their ancestors came from, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Spain, or the nations of Central or South America.

Today, more than 42 million people of Hispanic descent live in the United States. They are the largest minority group in the country. Hispanics are also the fastest-growing U.S. minority, as a result of a high birth rate and continuing immigration.

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