Hispanic- American Theology: A Historical Summary of Hispanics in the U.S.A.

I had mentioned in the previous essay that in order for one to accurately and fairly evaluate the theology emerging from the Hispanic-American community, one must first be acquainted with Hispanic-American history, if not in detail, then at least with the historical gist of that history.  In this essay, I will give a present a summary of Hispanic-American history in order to make Hispanic-American theology more understandable to the reader.

I begin my making a strong recommendation that you (the readers) obtain a copy of the book "Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America," by Juan Gonzalez, New York: Penguin Group, 2000, 2011.

Gonzalez says the following: In this country (U.S.A.), just how white and black America cope with the mushrooming Latin American population will determine whether our nation enjoys interethnic tranquility in the twenty-first century or is convulsed by conflicts such as those that tore apart the multiethnic states of Eastern Europe, the old Soviet Union, and elsewhere (Gonzalez, p.xxiii)." Then he adds, "Hopefully, by the time you have finished reading this book, you will see the Latino in America from another viewpoint.  We Hispanics are not going away.  Demographics and the tide of history point only to a greater not a lesser Latino presence in this country.  Ours, however, is not some armed reconquista seeking to throw out Anglo occupiers from sacred lands that once were Latino. It is a search for survival, for inclusion on an equal basis, nothing more.  It is a search grounded in the belief that five hundred years after the experiment began, we are all Americans of the New World , and our most dangerous enemies are not each other but the great wall of ignorance between us. (Gonzalez, pp.xxiii-xxiv)."

Gonzalez places, and rightly so, the presence of Latinos in the U.S.A. within the historical context of the conquest and occupation of the Americas by Europe (especially Portugal and Spain) from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. He informs us, "The arrival of the European explorers to America began the most astounding and far-reaching encounter between cultures in the history of civilization.  It brought together two portions of the human race that until then knew nothing of each other's existence, thus establishing the basic identity of our modern world. (Gonzalez, p.3)." 

"Of the Europeans who settled America, those who hailed from England and Spain had the greatest impact.  Both transplanted their cultures over vast territories.  Both created colonial empires from whose abundance Europe rose to dominate the world.  And descendants of both eventually launched independence wars that remade the political systems of our planet. (Gonzalez,p. 3)."

After covering "the roots" of a U.S. Hispanic presence, Gonzalez goes on to talk about the branches.  He goes on to talk about Puerto Ricans as citizens yet foreigners, Mexicans as pioneers of a different type, Cubans as special refugees, and Dominicans who lived under the reign of Duarte to Dominicans who crossed the George Washington Bridge.  Then he mentions how the history of our intervention in Central America generated immigration into this country and how Colombians and Panamanians had to work in order to overcome division and disdain.

The reader is strongly advised to obtain this book and read it thoroughly.  It will demonstrate, as I've indicated before, that Hispanic-American theology did not emerge from a historical vacuum, but rather from the historical interplay between those who hold power and those who are victimized by power.

Grace and peace,

Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona