What does it mean when you are talking about a individual's ethnicity? For instance, some Italians are well known for their passion and that they convey their emotions and words through very grand hand gestures when talking. Canadians pride themselves on their manners and politeness and for always being accommodating. We could go on and on with more examples but we'd probably take up all the space we have on the home page.

This is a website dedicated to the Latino culture so instead of talking up other nationalities and ethnicities let us shift our attention to the Latino culture. We will first pay respect to our elders, just like those in the Latino community do, and tell you that the elderly are looked at as very important members of the Latino familial hierarchy. The elderly have an inner strength that is believed to make them an important part of the Latino family and that inner strength is one of the many reasons elderly members of Latino families aren't afraid or embarrassed to ask for help.

The respect that elders command in the Latino culture plays a central role in the family and not only do they command respect but they also have a high status in the Latino family and are looked at as authoritative figures who are expected to be taken care of by their children during their golden years. Some elderly folk in other cultures look to being taken care of by their children as a sign of disrespect so it's fascinating to see how the opposite is true in the Latino culture.

The etiquette in the Latino culture resembles that of the elderly Latino people, as there is a formal and respectful tone when it comes to communication. Whether with strangers or family members Latino members take pride in greeting others with firm handshakes when it involves not-so tight-knit friends and family members, and hugs and kisses when greeting people they have close relationships with. Conversations tend to take on a very loud, fast, and animated tone with gestures and body language.

The Latin American culture also prides itself on its music, especially how diverse it is, and music plays a major part in identifying the Latino culture. Be it Central American or Caribbean rhythms or austere sounds that are taken from South America, Latino music has a wide variety to it. Another unique feature of the Latino music is how easily it can blend with other styles to create musical fusion that encompasses many genres such as merengue, salsa, bachata, cumbia, vallenato, ranchera and bolero. Some of the popular Latin America singers include popular names you are undoubtedly aware of such as Juanes, Shakira, Selena, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony. Each of those artists at some point or another included the musical stylings we mentioned above, and many others, in their songs.