7 Biggest Misconceptions About Latinos That You Need to Know

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Well, first off, Jack Black is not Mexican. And, now that we got that one out of the way, let's take a look at some of the most commonly held myths, perceptions, and stereotypes towards people from Latin America. 

Latinos are not all Mexicans

As per U.S. Census, Latino or Hispanic is any person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. Latinos are, in fact, the largest minority in the U.S. with a 2013 estimate of around 54 million, or 17 percent of the total population in the country. Mexicans, though, comprise the majority of Latinos in the U.S.

Latinos only speak Spanish

While most Latinos speak in Spanish, not all of them do so. For one, the official language of Brazilians is Portuguese. This misconception may have stemmed from the fact that Mexicans who are the majority of Hispanics in the U.S. speak Spanish. That's right, Mexicans don't speak Mexican.

All Latinos in the U.S. are immigrants

"A large number of Cubans in the United States are political refugees. Puerto Ricans who live in the United States are U.S. citizens. The U.S.-born children of Latino immigrants aren't immigrants," notes BuzzFeed. Contrary to what some might think, there were Latinos who have been living in the U.S. for centuries.

All Latinos are tanned

Contrary to how most characters on films and TV have depicted Latinos on screen, people from South America can come in various colors, such as white, black and brown.

They are all Catholic

In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Latinos say that they are Catholic. But, there are also Latinos who are Protestant, Jewish, Mormons and Muslims. The survey says that about 55 percent are Catholics, 16 percent are evangelical Protestants and 5 percent. are mainline Protestants. In 2010, the number of Latinos who say they are Catholics has, actually, gone down from 67 percent.

Every Latino is good in dancing

Surely, there are a lot of Latinos who love to put on their dancing shoes and get their grooves on with samba, rumba, cha-cha-cha, tango, mambo and paso doble, but it's a safe bet there are those who can't dance to save their lives.

They all eat spicy food and drink tequila

While some of the Latinos love spicy food and tequila, it doesn't necessarily mean they all binge on the hot stuff and they have the Mexican booze for water in their households. For one, there are lots of great Latin foods that gives off a variety of flavors.