18 facts about Hispanic heritage in Nevada

Here are 18 fascinating facts about Hispanic history and heritage in Nevada, from migrants to the middle class. 

Hispanics have played a pivotal role in Nevada’s development, progressing from Mexican migrants in the 1800s to the multicultural middle class of today. Their diverse contributions to the state are as vast as the population itself, with immigrants coming to the Silver State from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Santo Domingo, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, and Spain. 

Hispanic Heritage Month is coming to a close for 2024, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to celebrate Latinos in Nevada. Let’s take a look at 18 fascinating facts about Hispanic history and heritage in Nevada.

1. Nevada is Spanish for “Snowy”

When Europeans from Spain explored the Silver State in the 1770s, they noticed the snow-covered mountains and called the region Nevada, which is Spanish for “snowy” or “snow-capped.” One has to wonder what the state would be named if the Spanish had arrived in summer.

2. Spanish explorers discovered Las Vegas

In the early 1800s, Spanish explorers charted a legendary path across New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, helping to establish a multi-state trade route known as The Old Spanish Trail. While standing on a ridge along the way, Mexican scout Raphael Rivera spotted a distant meadow, now the site of the 180-acre Springs Preserve cultural attraction. They named the area Las Vegas for “The Meadow.”

3. The Nevada stretch of Trail is nationally recognized

A 135-mile stretch of The Old Spanish Trail cuts through Southern Nevada. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The trail as a whole was designated as the Old Spanish National Historic Trail by Congress in 2002.

4. Originally, all Hispanic migrants were Mexican

Until 1960, all Hispanics who migrated to Nevada were of Mexican origin, followed by Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro and Hispanics–primarily Puerto Rican–from the East Coast. The second largest Hispanic group in Nevada comes from El Salvador, but the state is also home to Hispanic and Latino migrants from Santo Domingo, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, and Spain. 

5. The Basques immigrated in the 19th century

Immigrating from a European region that straddles Spain and France, Basques came to Northern Nevada during the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. The University of Nevada in Reno is home to the Center for Basque Studies and the Basque Studies Library, while Elko sponsors an annual Basque festival that celebrates the Basque people.

6. Tip your hats to Mexico

Nevada’s original buckaroos were working cowboys known as “vaqueros,” who came from California and Northern Mexico in the 19th century. Their cowboy hats (and yours) were likely inspired by the wide-brimmed hats worn south of the border. According to The Hatterist blog, “John Stetson’s classic cowboy hat was possibly inspired by the Spanish-derived hats he encountered after moving to the West. He created the iconic headwear, which features a crease in the middle of a high crown with a dent on each side, allowing the wearer to remove it by the crown instead of the brim.”

7. Today, Nevada’s Hispanic community is diverse

According to the 2022 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, 30.3% of Nevada’s population is of Hispanic or Latino origin: Mexican (22%), Cuban (1.5%), Salvadoran (1.5%), Puerto Rican (1%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (4.3%). Las Vegas is more than 30% Hispanic, while Reno is 24% Hispanic.

8. Spanish is Nevada’s second language

As of 2022, 20.4% of Nevada households speak Spanish as the primary shared language in their household, according to Data USA.

9. Annual festivals celebrate the diversity of Hispanic culture in Nevada

Celebrations of Latin culture aren’t limited to Hispanic Heritage Month in Nevada. Whether it’s Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day, Día de los Muertos, or a day devoted to tacos and tamales, you’ll find plenty of festive fun all year round at a Hispanic festival in Northern and Southern Nevada.

10. Immigrants pay Uncle Sam

Both authorized and unauthorized immigrants pay taxes in the U.S. A 2007 study shows that immigrants contribute $1.6 billion per year in state and local tax revenue. In 2010, unauthorized immigrants paid $133.5 million, according to the Center for American Progress.

11. Almost half of CCSD is Latino

The fifth-largest school district in the U.S., the Clark County School District, has a student population that is more than 45% Latino.

12. Many of Nevada’s schools were designed by a Hispanic architect

The late Arturo B. Cambeiro, an immigrant from Havana, Cuba, was Nevada’s first licensed Hispanic architect. He is responsible for more than 30 CCSD elementary schools and the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV.

13. More than half of the Culinary Union is Latino

Representing hundreds of thousands of Nevada hospitality workers, The Culinary Union is 54% Latino.

14. Latino-owned businesses in Nevada triple the U.S. average

NPR reports that Latinos make up nearly 29% of Nevada’s population but own about 19% of the state’s businesses, which is three times the national average.

15. Hispanics are Nevada’s new middle class

More than half of Nevada’s Hispanic households (57%) are considered middle class, higher than any other state, according to Stateline. 

16. Nevada Hispanics will sway the 2024 election

Hispanics in Nevada have more political power than in other key states. Around 1 in 5 voters in the Silver State are Latino. Research shows that cost of living, inflation, economy, jobs, and affordable housing are among the main concerns for possible Hispanic voters. According to The Nevada Independent, “voting-age Latinos grew at a faster rate in Nevada” than the national average.

17. CSN mariachi band is the nation’s best 3 years in a row

Nevada’s own Mariachi Plata is the nation’s best mariachi band. The College of Southern Nevada’s music troupe has outplayed the competition at the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in Texas–the country’s most prestigious mariachi competition– three years in a row. 

18. Let’s go out for Mexican food

While Nevada is a world-class restaurant destination, a TOP Data study shows that Taco Bell is the Silver State’s favorite Mexican restaurant. According to the National Restaurant Association, Nevada’s restaurant industry brought in nearly $15 billion in 2022. Among those restaurants, Mexican cuisine was one of the three most popular restaurant types in the U.S., with every one in 10 restaurants serving Mexican food. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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