Afro–Latin Americans

Afro-Latin Americans (French: Afro-latino-américains; Haitian Creole: Afro-amerik-Latino; Spanish: Afrolatinoamericanos; Portuguese: Afro-latino-americanos), also known as Black Latin Americans (French: Latino-américains noirs; Haitian Creole: Nwa Ameriken Latin; Spanish: Latinoamericanos negros; Portuguese: Negros latino-americanos), are Latin Americans of significant sub-Saharan African ancestry. Genetic studies suggest most Latin American populations have at least some level of African admixture.

The term Afro-Latin American is not widely used in Latin America outside academic circles. Normally Afro–Latin Americans are called Black (Spanish: negro or moreno; Portuguese: negro or preto; French: noir or nègre; Haitian Creole: nwa or nègès). Latin Americans of African ancestry may also be grouped by their specific nationality, such as Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Haitian, or Afro-Mexican.

The number of Afro–Latin Americans may be underreported in official statistics, especially when derived from self-reported census data, because of negative attitudes to African ancestry in some countries. Afro-Latinos are part of the wider African diaspora.

History

In the 15th and 16th centuries, many people of African origin were brought to the Americas by the English, Portuguese, Dutch, French and Spanish primarily as enslaved people, while some Spanish arrived as part of exploratory groups. A notable example of the latter was the black conquistador Juan Garrido, who introduced wheat to Mexico. Pedro Alonso Niño, traditionally considered the first of many New World explorers of African descent, was a navigator in the 1492 Columbus expedition.