Write a 625- to 850-word paper. The Latino/Hispanic group is the only ethnic category counted separately by the United States Census.

According to the U.S. Census, a Latino/Hispanic person can be of any race.

Describe the variability within the larger "Latin American" group, as defined by the U.S. Census, including the racial differences.

Include in the paper:

When this census category became official (the first time it was used in the United States Census)

At least five distinctive subgroups that belong under this broad category

How people from Africa, both slaves and freemen, became part of the Latino population in Mexico, Central and South America, and the U.S.

How Africans in Mexico, Central and South America were absorbed into the Hispanic population, while generally being kept separate in the U.S.

How colorism affects membership within the Hispanic/Latino group today (i.e. a Mexican who is Black)

The role of language

The role of religion