Your genetics do not define you, but they can help inform your identity, and for Latinos — people who trace their ancestry to the ethnically diverse regions of Latin America — <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">DNA testing</a> often helps them discover unexpected insights into their roots.



In National Hispanic Heritage Month, 23andMe wanted to examine what testing can uncover for those with Latino ancestry. (We prefer the term Latino because it encompasses non-Spanish-speaking populations in Latin America, like those in Brazil.)







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-native-american-ancestry-amp-latinos">Native American Ancestry &amp; Latinos</h2>



The one thing that genetic testing won’t tell you is whether or not you are Latino or Hispanic. That’s because people from Latin America typically are a mix of European, African, and Native American ancestry.



You might also find Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Ashkenazi ancestry folded into your results. As much as it is<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/latin-america-s-lost-histories-revealed-modern-dna"> in the DNA</a>, that rich mixture of ancestry is also embedded in the art, music, and food that make up Latino culture.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="880" height="282" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/banner_2013_HAHM-1024x328-880x282.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26566" srcset="https://blog.pub.us-west-2.prd.23andme.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/banner_2013_HAHM-1024x328-880x282.jpg 880w, https://blog.pub.us-west-2.prd.23andme.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/banner_2013_HAHM-1024x328-300x96.jpg 300w, https://blog.pub.us-west-2.prd.23andme.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/banner_2013_HAHM-1024x328-768x246.jpg 768w, https://blog.pub.us-west-2.prd.23andme.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/banner_2013_HAHM-1024x328.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" /></figure>







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-puerto-rican-dna">Puerto Rican DNA</h2>



We are reminded of the history of the region because the DNA includes the signature of the Native American people who first populated the continent, as well as the Europeans — mainly from Iberia but from a mix of European countries — who settled here and the Africans who were brought here as slaves. So, for example, on average, people of Mexico have about 4 percent African ancestry, while for the average Puerto Rican, the percentage is much higher.



This can be surprising for some Latinos who do DNA testing, or it can remind them of their history, as we’ve heard from 23andMe customers who have shared their stories with us. For<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-helps-uncover-hidden-jewish-ancestry/"> Franciso Caravayo</a>, whose family came from Puerto Rico and were deeply Catholic, testing helped uncover that his family descended from<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converso"> Conversos</a> — Portuguese and Spanish Jews who fled to Latin America to escape persecution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-mix-of-mexican-ancestry">The Mix of Mexican Ancestry</h2>



For many, testing just reminds them of their Latino ancestry and history, as a group of Latinos at Buzzfeed did so humorously a few years back. They had roots in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, but their tests often revealed something unexpected. 



“It’s nice to know we’re all part of the world around us,” said Curley Vasquez.



<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LCc1N52zSLg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>



More recently, Carols Arias Vivas, a Mexican American college student, wrote about how his results reminded him of the Latino ancestry and history he already knew. However, he also noted that these results didn’t define his identity.



“To be completely honest, these results were not shocking,” he said in a student paper at the University of Pennsylvania. “After learning the history of colonization and the Slave Trade, it makes sense why my Latino ancestry composition has a mixture of European, African, and Indigenous makeup.”



DNA testing for Latinos reveals the rich mosaic of history that make up their heritage.



Explore the origins of your ancestry at <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">23andMe.com.</a>

Latino Ancestry

Although his family had always told him they were of Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestry, David Aguilar never thought that truly captured who he was.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-20991" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/David-Aguilar-260x300.jpg" alt="David Aguilar" width="260" height="300" />
“I always felt that I didn’t really fit into that particular category,” said David, a former ballet dancer who now works as an acrobat.
As a 7 year-old David asked his aunt about his heritage and she bluntly told him:
“&#8217;You’re Mexican.’”
His response was equally direct:
“No I’m not,” he told her. “I will tell you one day what I am.”
<h6>Exploring His Ancestry</h6>
Decades later, David used 23andMe to help him piece together his ancestry and find himself in the process. David knew his ancestry was complicated. His mother, who was raised in Hawaii, had Puerto Rican ancestry. His father, raised in Texas, had Mexican ancestry. But neither of them paid much attention to their heritage beyond that and for David, he wanted to know more about where his ancestors came.
He knew very little about his family’s origins, the links to Mexico and Puerto Rico. He’d learned that his family might have had some Dutch and Irish ancestry in that mix, but he didn’t know much more than that.
“They never really kept track of that in those days,” Aguilar said.
<h6>A Surprise</h6>
His family’s idea of their ancestry didn’t really match what he felt inside.
“It’s almost like someone telling you you’re a girl when you’re actually a boy,” he said.
When he heard about 23andMe, David jumped at the chance to get more detail about his ancestry.
When the results came in, it felt like opening a present, he said.
“I was blown away by it.“
The results vindicated his early misgivings about how his family characterized their ancestry. He learned his heritage was a mix of European, African, Middle Eastern and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
He couldn’t wait to share – he began posting what he learned on his Facebook page right away.
David said this more detailed description of his ancestry, helped put into context so much of what he felt. He’d always been drawn to Europe and Russia in particular, during his time traveling as a dancer. He even lived in Russia for a time, where he was able to quickly master the language.
“I was even told by Russians that I don’t have an accent when I speak Russian,” he said.
<h6>Newfound Heritage</h6>
He lived in Russia for three years. David attributes his affinity for the culture and language to his Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. He also points to something else, the Star of David tattoos he’d gotten long before his 23andMe test informed him of his Jewish ancestry. Without even knowing, he believes he was drawn to the image because of his ancestry.
David approached his family about his newfound heritage. He remembers the response of one of his aunts:
“‘Oh, congratulations. I’m so glad you found out for yourself.”
But David now has an answer when people asking about his ethnic background.
“I tell them I am 70 percent European, I’m 3 percent black, I’m 3.3 percent Middle Eastern, I am Ashkenazi Jewish….” he said. “When I give them the breakdown they say, ‘Wow, you really know your history,’ and I say, ‘yeah, I do.’”
23andMe provides genetic testing services for informational purposes; your results may or may not help you to search for or identify relatives or family members.

Puerto Rican Ancestry

Latino Ancestry

Who I Am

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