As the numbers, economic, and political clout of Hispanic Americans has grown, they’ve exerted a pull on the broader culture. Just think about tacos. Over the last couple of decades, tacos have become a part of the mainstream American diet – joining such items as ramen, bagels, pizza, and hot dogs as the latest in a line of ethnic staples that changed how we define quintessentially “American” food.

We like to refer to bicultural Hispanics as “200 Percenters” – they’re 100% American and 100% Hispanic, comfortable in both identities. While they might emphasize one aspect over another depending upon context, they reject the notion that they need to cast the Hispanic aside to become American. And when we’re talking about Afro-Latinos, we add 100% Black into the mix.

Those 200 and 300 Percenters tend to share something else, particularly when they’re young: a desire to explore the cultural heritage of their ancestors. This helps explain the enduring popularity of lotería and quincenieras, among Mexican-Americans, regardless of how many generations their families have lived in the United States. Those are just two examples, but they help demonstrate the strong commitment younger Hispanics have to preserving their own culture even as they grow up immersed in the American mainstream.