Hispanic and Latino Texans are residents of the state of Texas who are of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 39.3% of the state's population. Moreover, the U.S. Census shows that the 2010 estimated Hispanic population in Texas was 9.7 million and increased to 11.4 million in 2020 with a 2,064,657 population jump from the 2010 Latino population estimate.

In 2022, Hispanics and Latinos of any race overtook the non-Hispanic white population as the state's largest demographic.

History

Origins The first European to see Texas was Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, who led an expedition for the governor of Jamaica, Francisco de Garay, in 1520. While searching for a passage between the Gulf of Mexico and Asia,Weber (1992), p. 34. Álvarez de Pineda created the first map of the northern Gulf Coast, which solidified Spain's claim over this territory.Chipman (1992), p. 243. This map is the earliest recorded document of Texas history.

Years later on June 1527, an expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca with the purpose of reaching Florida in order to build a city, resulted in a failed mission due to harsh weather and disease. Instead, the Spanish explorers were left shipwrecked off the coast of Texas where the Spanish lived for around six years. After the years spent living in Texas among Indigenous civilization, Narvaez and Cabeza de Baca along with some of their men, found their way back to Mexico City in 1536 and told stories about the extravagancies witnessed in the north. Learning about this, the Spanish set out due north in 1539 with the purpose of discovering riches in places yet to be explored. One of the primary motives for the excursions was for the discovery of gold.

The excursion of the Spanish in 1539 into the north or what is today Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, was led by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. On July 7, 1540, Coronado's army reached the outskirts of the rumored city of much gold, Cibola, near upper Rio Grande where the Spanish encountered massive resistance from Puebloans. The violence between the Spanish and the Puebloans continued at Cibola until the Puebloan soldiers inhabiting Cibola were forced to leave to a village where their wives and children had moved to for shelter.

When the fighting settled, Coronado decided to explore the land more extendedly, which was when one of the expeditions arrived at Texas in 1541 where they encountered groups of people from the Caddo tribe, leading to more events of violence. After all, Coronado returned to New Spain on April 1542 an informed about the cruel reality of the cities in the north that were explored, describing them as not having any gold or silver. Soon after this, the Spanish decided to remain away from the north or the present day southwest region of the United States for approximately 150 years, though expeditions led by Spaniards and not authorized by Spain did take place within those years. Until 1688, Spain essentially remained out of Texas.

Around 1688, the Spanish learned about French interventions occurring in the area of Texas, land that had already been claimed by Spain. This led to the actions taken by Spaniard Alonso de León, the then governor of Coahuila, to march into Texas towards Fort St. Louis. Fort St. Louis was the location where the French were set up. In April 1689, Alonso de Leon arrived with his army ready to take down the French fort and looking for any remaining French in the area. During the time there, de Leon was informed by some of the located French that the Karankawa people had attacked them and left the fort in ruins, forcing the French to flee. A year after going back to New Spain, de Leon returned to Texas because he was concerned about the French returning to Spanish territory. Spanish activity in Texas remained minimal and only returned when the French attempted to intervene.

In 1690 when de Leon returned to Texas, he had with him an army of about 100 men made up of soldiers and priests and built the first church in Texas, named San Francisco de los Tejas. The construction of this church was a major stepping stone for Spain as Spanish Texas was headed to become an area of greater importance for Spain. After San Francisco de los Tejas was established, the construction of many more missions followed, such as Mision Nuestra Senora del Rosario and Nuestra Senora del Refugio. A year later in January 1691, Domingo Terán de los Ríos was appointed to be the governor of Spanish Texas. Throughout the construction of various churches, the Spanish had interactions with different Indigenous groups. Soon enough, interracial marriages led to the development of different races such as mestizos, criollos, and culebras/mulattos. This led to the development of the Caste system in Texas and throughout the southwest United States. During this time, Spain faced problems with the French, the Natives, and with also with each other. With years passing by, the occurrence of other events such as the American Revolution in 1775, led to more problems in Texas. Soon enough, Spain would have to face the ever-growing United States and the Mexican population while having problems with the Natives and the French.

Mexico declared its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810, and war ended on September 26, 1821. Because of Mexico's independence from Spain, Texas became the property of Mexico. Around this time, the United States had obtained massive amounts of land from France through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In addition, under Mexican law, Texas was available for anyone to move to and also offered land grants to empresarios. During this time, the population of Texas grew quickly. The population was not only Mexican but also included United States citizens, Native Americans and enslaved people. When people residing in Texas did not agree with Mexican law and did not follow the law, Mexico ended all immigration into Texas. Such events led to the Texas Independence which then led to the annexation of Texas and then to the Mexican–American War.

On February 2, 1848, the peace treaty, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was signed between Mexico and the United States which essentially gave the United States much of the land that was owned by Mexico in the north and established the Rio Grande River as the border between Texas and Mexico. Moreover, Hispanics and Latinos already living in the territory that became of the United States, were given the opportunity to stay and obtain United States citizenship. While many chose to leave to their home country, many also decided to stay.

Recent immigration The major immigration of Mexicans into Texas began during the 1890s due to the growth and Industrialisation aspect of Texas that created a plethora of jobs.

Mexicans in Texas declined from around 20% of the population in 1830, to 10% in 1840 and 6% by 1860. Mexicans reached a low of 4% in Texas in 1887, however the share started to rise again in the 1890s and 1900s. By 1930, Mexicans had re-reached that of 12% and comprised an overwhelming majority in the border counties.

As of 2025 45.1% of immigrants were Mexicans specifically, who migrate for economic opportunities, increased quality of life, and safety. In recent studies it is shown that Hispanic immigrants in recent years are more educated than those in the past. From the years 2022-2024 58% of Hispanic immigrants have at least an associate degree which is 20% more than the amount in the prior ten years.

Demographics

Hispanics (of any race) were 7.1% of the state population in 1910. As of 2010, 45% of Texas residents had Hispanic ancestry; these include recent immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and South America, as well as Tejanos, whose ancestors have lived in Texas as early as the 1700s. Tejanos are the largest ancestry group in southern Duval County and among the largest in and around Bexar County, including San Antonio, where over one million Hispanics live. The state has the second largest Hispanic population in the United States, behind California.

Across southern, south-central, and western Texas as well as major urban centers like Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, Hispanics make up a significant share of the population. Because their birth rates have been higher than those of non-Hispanic whites since the early 1990s, Texas has maintained a younger population than the U.S. overall. As of 2007, more than half of all births in the state were to Hispanic parents(50.2%), while non-Hispanic white births made up only about 34%.

Steve Murdock, a demographer with the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University and a former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, predicted that, between 2000 and 2040 (assuming that the net migration rate will equal half that of 1990–2000), Hispanic public school enrollment will increase by 213 percent, while non-Hispanic white enrollment will decrease by 15 percent.Scharrer, Gary. "Texas demographer: 'It's basically over for Anglos' " Houston Chronicle. February 24, 2011. Retrieved on February 27, 2011. As of 2010, 29.21% (6,543,702) of Texas residents age 5 and older spoke Spanish at home as a primary language.

Ancestries (self-identified ethnicity, not by birthplace) Ancestry by origin (2020-2022 Census) Population% Argentine19,696 Bolivian6,926Chilean14,149 Colombian104,755 Costa Rican12,961 Cuban129,482 Dominican38,063 Ecuadorian30,411 Guatemalan151,112 Honduran242,067 Mexican9,674,825 Nicaraguan38,344Panamanian22,621 Paraguayan2,726 Peruvian37,277 Puerto Rican264,937 Salvadoran405,687 "Spanish"90,033 "Spaniard"130,833 "Spanish American"2,128 Uruguayan3,453 Venezuelan122,038All other 520,494 Total 12,070,642

Ancestry by regionUS Census Bureau: "Redistricting Data, First Look at Local 2010 Census Results" Number% Mexican7,951,19331.6%Caribbean190,4700.8%Central American420,6831.7%South American133,8080.5%Other Hispanic764,7673.0%Total

Spanish language in Texas

In Texas, English is the state's de facto official language (though it lacks de jure status) and is used in government. However, the continual influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants increased the import of Spanish in Texas. Texas's counties bordering Mexico are mostly Hispanic, and consequently, Spanish is commonly spoken in the region. The Government of Texas, through Section 2054.116 of the Government Code, mandates that state agencies provide information on their websites in Spanish to assist residents who have limited English proficiency."Sec. 2054.001." Texas Legislature. Retrieved on June 27, 2010.

Ethnic conflicts Origins

From 1915 to 1919, during the Mexican Revolution, Mexicans and Tejanos in South Texas faced increased violence from Texan Rangers. Due to tensions caused by changes in both governments and the border, people of Latino descent were hanged, shot, burnt, decapitated, and tortured. Texas Legislative Investigation ended this period of violence by finding the Texas Rangers guilty. More recently, the Texas government has acknowledged this period of history with the "Life and Death on the Border, 1910 to 1920" exhibit.

Anti-Latino attitudes spiked during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Latinos, among other foreigners, were accused of stealing jobs from Americans and contributing to the decline of the economy. In response to the growing, Anglo-American, frustration, the United States government forcibly removed 2 million Latinos with the majority of them being American citizens. During these repatriations, local governments denied aid to those of Mexican descent, offered train fares to Mexico and raided Latino communities. Hospitals removed Latinos with disabilities and illness while employers laid off Latino workers. To avoid raids and discrimination, many Latinos returned to Mexico voluntarily. By 1936, approximately one third of Texas's Latino population had been repatriated.