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The term La Raza literally means in the Spanish language "the race" or generally and symbolically "the people." Its meaning varies amongst various Spanish-speaking peoples. In Spain, "Raza" may denote specifically Spanish and often of a something or someone of an European Christian heritage. The Francoist film Raza, from 1944, which celebrates ideally Spanish qualities, is an example of this usage. In Latin America, depending on the location, it may primarily emphasize Spanish and European heritage, such as the name Dia de la Raza to mark the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas. In other Latin American contexts, it is used more expansively to describe the race formed by the fusion of White people, Native American and African peoples in the Americas.
In the United States, "La Raza" is sometimes used to denote people of Chicano (i.e. Mexican American) and Mexican descent as well as a Latin American mestizos who share Native American heritage. The term may or may not be inclusive of entirely European or African descended Hispanic peoples.
In his 1925 book, La Raza Cósmica (English: The Cosmic Race), Mexican writer José Vasconcelos described La Raza Cosmica as the product of gradual racial mixing that was already underway in the Hispanic world. Vasconcelos believed that eventually all of the people within the Spanish Empire would be completely mixed into a new race.
The term is also currently used by the Hispanic civil rights group known as the National Council of La Raza.
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