ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
35
Iden i y o ien a ions
o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen
o La ino popula cul u e
Abs ac
The e olu ion o La ino p in media in Spain has coincided wi h
he demog aphic inc ease o La in Ame ican immig an s in he
coun y since he ea ly 1990s. S a ing wi h one publica ion in
1992, he ma ke s a ed o g ow in 2003 and eached i s peak in
2007 wi h he edi ion o mo e han 100 i les. The ad e ising
c isis o 2008 ended his end, and he numbe o publica ions
began a con inuous and pe manen decline in he ollowing yea s
despi e a demog aphic eco e y o La in Ame icans in Spain a e
2016. This esea ch p esen s a quan i a i e analysis o he con en s
o 1,500 news i ems om 14 La ino newspape s and magazines
ha su i ed he 2008 ad e ising down all. Six o hese 14 media
ou le s con inue publishing in 2023. The objec i e o his s udy is
o show he connec ions be ween he con en s o he analyzed
La ino p in media and he cul u al iden i ies o hei eade s. The
esul s show ha he p e alen hemes ela ed o cul u e, socie y
and poli ics ep esen he iden i ies o hei La ino eade s. La ino
publica ions gi e isibili y o La inos as he p o agonis s o hei
con en s. In addi ion, he o igin o he p o agonis s shows he
wide ange o La in Ame ican coun ies in co ela ion wi h he
di e se La in Ame ican o igins o he eade s. We discuss he
implica ions o hese indings wi hin he ola ile con ex o La ino
p in media in Spain, he g owing La in Ame ican demog aphics,
and he o ma ion o di e se La ino iden i ies.
Keywo ds
La ino p in media, La in Ame icans, Spain, news con en s, cul u al iden i ies.
1. In oduc ion and s a e o he issue
A he s a o he 20
h
cen u y, Pa k (1922) claimed ha immig an s coming om Eu ope o
he Uni ed S a es wan ed o ead newspape s in hei own language due o he lack o eedom
o he p ess in hei coun ies o o igin. E hnic media began o ul ill an in o ma i e ole,
because hey old eade s how o inco po a e in o hei new hos coun y (Pa k, 1922). Today
e hnic media p o ide in o ma ion ha includes communi y and cul u al celeb a ions as well
as p ac ical ad ice o help immig an s ind employmen and housing, en oll hei child en in
school, open a bank accoun , o apply o medical assis ance and social se ices, among o he s
(Ma saganis, Ka z & Ball-Rokeach, 2016).
Ana
Ma ía
Mendie a
-
Ba olomé
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-2305-1786
anama ia.mendie[email p o ec ed]
Uni e sidad del País Vasco
José-Luis A giñano
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8191-6309
joseluis.a gu[email p o ec ed]
Uni e sidad del País Vasco
Submi ed
Oc obe 6 h, 2020
App o ed
Ma ch 8 h, 2023
© 2023
Communica ion & Socie y
ISSN 0214-0039
E ISSN 2386-7876
doi: 10.15581/003.36.3.35-51
www.communica ion-socie y.com
2023 – Vol. 36(3)
pp. 35-51
How o ci e his a icle:
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. &
A giñano, J.-L. (2023). Iden i y
o ien a ions o La ino p in media
in Spain: he ein o cemen o
La ino popula cul u e,
Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-
51.
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
36
E hnic media e lec he wo ies o hei eade s and exe cise social con ol by d awing
a en ion o wha is and isn’ accep able wi hin he dominan ules and alues o he
communi y hey a ge . Gu ié ez (1977) said many o he i s newspape s in Spanish in he
Uni ed S a es we e al eady ins i u ions o social con ol connec ed o poli ical pa ies which
published li es yle news and ep in ed s o ies om o he newspape s. In connec ion wi h he
exe cise o social con ol, e hnic media can ca y ou a wa chdog ole, ac ing as a ada and
wa ning sys em o ex e nal h ea s o hei communi y o eade s, including in o ma ion
abou he legal igh s o immig an s o changes in mig a o y laws. E hnic media can also
os e a posi i e and success ul image o he membe s o he communi y (Viswana h & A o a,
2000). Thus, media o mig an s, also concep ualized as diaspo ic media, can be pla o ms o
sel - ep esen a ion and p o es o mig an communi ies agains he nega i e s e eo ypes
hey endu e in he public sphe e (Ogunyemi, 2015).
In ega d o hei cul u al ole, e hnic media can p omo e he cul u al iden i y o hei
eade s, exp essed in he use o hei own languages, cus oms and eligious p ac ices, hei
links wi h amily, iends and neighbo s, and hei pa icipa ion in e hnic o ganiza ions
(Je es, 2000). E hnic media can ein o ce e hnic iden i y h ough he lessons augh by olde
membe s o he e hnic g oup in he cogni i e dimension, in acco dance wi h g oup no ms in
he beha io al dimension, and h ough he eelings o belonging o ha g oup in he emo ional
dimension (Ma saganis, Ka z & Ball-Rokeach, 2011). Ha ing s udied he use o e hnic media
by A abs and Russian mig an s in Is ael, Adoni, Caspi, and Cohen (2006) show ha he
cons uc ion o he cul u al iden i y o mig an communi ies inc eases wi h he use o hei
na i e languages in e hnic media.
1.1. La ino media and cul u al iden i y
As o he e hnic media do, La ino media can unc ion as ehicles o he cul u al iden i ies ha
hei La in Ame ican eade s b ing om hei homelands o hei hos coun ies, in his case
Spain. Thei iden i ies, many o indigenous descen , a e as di e se as he Spanish-speaking
coun ies which hey come om, comp ising a popula ion o mo e han 600 million people.
La ino media in Spain each all La in Ame icans li ing in he coun y, wi h opics ha
ep esen elemen s o cul u al iden i y ha mos La in Ame icans ega d as hei own.
Some o hese La ino cul u al elemen s would include he Spanish language, he
impo ance o amily and communi y, he cul u al ac i i ies ha show hei ances al and
indigenous adi ions, hei cuisine, hei p ac ice o eligion as a de o ion o local pa ons
and sain s om La in Ame ica, and hei deep a achmen o pa io ic symbols o hei
homeland, like he lag and he na ional an hem.
Dá ila (2000) says ha when media add ess La inos as one, hey ea i m he exis ence
o a common La ino iden i y. La inos cons i u e “‘a na ion wi hin a na ion’ wi h unique amily
alues, communal disposi ion, adi ionalism, spi i uali y, e c.,” and he Spanish language is
he p ima y ool o de ine hei uniqueness and need o cul u ally speci ic media and
ad e ising (pp. 38-39).
E hnic media ep oduce cul u al iden i y “as an ‘essence’ sha ed by all La in Ame ican
mig an s, ocusing on h ee opics: he indigenous o igins, he Ca holic eligion and he
‘La ino’ popula music” (Eche a ía Vecino, Fe ández Fe e & Dallemagne, 2015, p. 93).
E hnic media c ea e a speci ic La ino cul u al iden i y connec ing pas and p esen media
cul u es:
In sho , he linking o he adi ional and mass cul u es enables he media o c ea e a
speci ic “La ino” cul u al iden i y. “La ino” iden i y in eg a es a pan-na ional imagina y
buil upon an indigenous ( adi ional) common iden i ica ion as a pa icula i y sha ed by
mos La in Ame ican coun ies ha implies a sha ed colonial his o y, common eligious
p ac ices and a musical mass cul u e (p. 95).
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
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37
Based on an analysis o he con en s o La Raza newspape in Chicago, González-Veléz (2002)
says ha La ino media exp ess La inidad as a uni ied discou se ha legi imizes he La ino
communi y as being one. The discou se o La inidad in La ino media in he Uni ed S a es
desc ibes La inos as a cohesi e bu a he same ime di e se communi y ha hono s hei
cul u al he i age h ough he Spanish language, hei homeland, and Ca holicism, bu also as
a communi y o p oduc i e ci izens who subsc ibe o he Ame ican d eam (Silbe Mohamed,
2017).
Al hough women a e adi ionally conside ed he backbone o La ino amilies, La inidad
is mos ly amed wi hin a hype sexualized ep esen a ion o La ina women, which is ocused
on hei physical a ibu es, as we can see in showbiz celeb i ies like singe Jenni e Lopez o
ac ess So ia Ve ga a (Hu ado, 2017; Lugo-Lugo, 2015; Neg ón-Mun ane , 2017).
The concep o La inidad as a homogenous La ino cul u al iden i y is being ques ioned
because i may lead o he ghe oiza ion o La inos (Suá ez Na az & Fe ández Fe ez, 2012)
and o he commodi ica ion o La ino iden i ies (Guedes Bailey, 2007). In addi ion, he e m
‘La inx’ has eme ged in he las ew yea s as a gende -neu al al e na i e o ‘La ino’ o ‘La ina’
in social media and academia (Noe-Bus aman e, Mo a & López, 2020). La inx ( o some,
La inX) cons uc s iden i ies ha include a wide a ie y o acial, na ional and e en gende -
based iden i ica ions (Mo ales, 2019), and he X wo ks as a symbolic nexus ha ques ions
con en ional g oupings o La ino, La ina, and La in@ (Milian, 2019).
Ou s udy looks u he in o he speci ic con en s published by La ino p in media in
Spain o es ablish he p esence o common cul u al ai s ha can de elop a La ino o La inx
iden i y.
1.2. Publica ions o La inos in Spain
The c ea ion o publica ions gea ed o La in Ame icans in Spain e eals he new consume
demands made by he i s low o immig an s a i ing in he coun y om La in Ame ica in
he beginning o he 1990s. Jou nalis ic p oduc ion began in 1992 wi h he magazine Re is a
Pueblo Nue o. In 1995, he magazine conside ed he dean o he La ino p in media in Spain,
Ocio La ino, was c ea ed in Mad id, and he magazine Muje es del Mundo-munduko emakumeak
and he newspape Resumen La inoame icano y del Te ce Mundo came ou in he Basque
Coun y. The ising demog aphics o La inos in Spain b ing on he eme gence o an
associa i e mo emen , and some La in Ame ican g oups begin o publish newsle e s wi h
use ul in o ma ion and ins i u ional ac i i ies. The numbe o new i les inc eased, eaching
17 in he yea 2000 (Mendie a-Ba olomé, 2018).
The numbe o La in Ame icans li ing in Spain mul iplied by 4,7 imes be ween 2000
(364.998) and 2005 (1.721.371) (INE, 2023). Following his demog aphic g ow h, La ino
publica ions inc eased by 53% be ween 2002 and 2003. In 2004 and 2005, he ee weekly
publica ions Sí, Se Puede and La ino we e c ea ed, ma king a miles one in he La ino
publishing ma ke because each one had a weekly ci cula ion o mo e han 100,000 copies in
di e en ci ies in Spain. Be ween 2005 and 2006 alone, 30 new publica ions appea ed, and in
2007 he La ino p ess ma ke eached i s h eshold wi h a o al o 105 publica ions in Spain.
In 2007, he i s daily na ional newspape El Nue o Ciudadano was bo n in Mad id, bu i
las ed only i e mon hs be o e becoming a weekly. As a as he opics co e ed, La ino
newspape s and magazines ocus on he la es news om he immig an ’s iewpoin , and
highligh p ac ical ma e s such as home buying and en ing, employmen , heal h ca e, social
bene i s, and adminis a i e p ocedu es o adjus an immig an ’s legal s a us. The language
o hese La ino publica ions inco po a es La in Ame ican slang and exp essions, and hei
design shows big headlines and pho os, wi h lo s o colo and sho ex s, no mally used in
ee publica ions (Gómez-Escalonilla e al., 2008). Almos 20 o hese publica ions we e gea ed
speci ically a eade s om speci ic La in Ame ican coun ies.
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
38
Bu he yea 2008 ep esen ed a u ning poin in he e olu ion o La ino publica ions.
The 105 publica ions edi ed in 2007 d opped by almos 45%, and only 58 su i ed. Some o he
publica ions ha had o close down had been in he ma ke since he mid-1990s. The d as ic
educ ion in ad e ising in es men , bo h p i a e and ins i u ional, explained he down u n
in he La ino p ess, bo h in numbe o pages and in ci cula ion and dis ibu ion (Re is, 2014).
This publishing c isis ook place wi hin a con ex o an economic ecession, which also
a ec ed he La in Ame ican communi y in Spain. In ac , he numbe o La in Ame icans li ing
in Spain dec eased by almos 8% be ween 2010 (2.312.148) and 2016 (2.122.813) (INE, 2023).
The edi o ial ma ke con inued o plumme a e 2008. In six yea s, be ween 2008 and
2014, he numbe o La ino publica ions educed by mo e han hal , om 58 o 25, and he
ma ke s abilized wi h he publica ion o 25 newspape s and magazines. The closings o he
weeklies La ino and Sí, Se Puede in 2012 we e e y signi ican , due o hei na ional anking
and ci cula ion. In 2023, eigh o he 14 newspape s and magazines p in ed in 2014 we e no
longe publishing.
The ola ili y o La ino p in media in Spain has made i di icul o esea che s o
de elop a comp ehensi e census o he La ino newspape s and magazines since 1992 o da e.
Se e al au ho s ha e elabo a ed maps o La ino media ou le s in Spain (Fe ández-Fe e ,
2014; Fo e o Bo damalo, 2015; Na a o, 2008; Re is, 2006). Figu e 1 shows he e olu ion in he
numbe o La ino publica ions in Spain in a 26-yea -long pe iod, based on a census elabo a ed
by he au ho s wi h he i les ound in pape o digi al o ma be ween 1992 and 2018.
Figu e 1. E olu ion in he numbe o La ino publica ions in Spain (1992-2018).
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
2. Resea ch design
Sho ly a e he apid g ow h o La ino media in Spain, esea ch began o ocus on he
cons uc ion o di e en ia ed La ino iden i y pa e ns in hese media. The esea ch design o
his a icle is based, in pa , on he wo ks o Re is (2008) and he concep o
“la inoame icaneidad” ( he essence o being La in Ame ican); Sabés Tu mo (2009) and he
e m “nación la ina” (La in na ion); Suá ez Na az (2011) and he La ino iden i y as mani es ed
in sha ed expe iences o mig a ion, his o y and disc imina ion; and he in eg a ion o La ino
media in local communi ies (Agi eazkuenaga & La ondo, 2018).
The objec i e o his a icle is o s udy he con en s o a sample o La ino-o ien ed
newspape s and magazines in Spain o de e mine i hese con en s ep esen he La ino
cul u al iden i y o hei eade s.
Conside ing he complexi y o de ine wha cons i u es he La ino cul u al iden i y,
de ined by many as La inidad bu oday also as La inx, di e en au ho s poin ou he
impo ance o amily, ace and language, and e hnic celeb a ions (Apa icio, 2019). Bu o he
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
39
concep s a e key o unde s and La inos, and hose in ol e he conside a ion o La inos and/o
La inas as subjec s o commodi ica ion (sexualiza ion o c iminaliza ion, among o he s), he
ood and he music as indica o s o a deep sense o communi y and egionalism, and he
immig a ion as i pe ains o he laws ha a ec he inco po a ion o La inos in he coun y
o des ina ion (Aldama & González, 2019). The i s hypo hesis in his a icle links La ino
media con en s wi h he iden i y o hei eade s.
H1. The p e alen hemes in he La ino publica ions in Spain ep esen he main
elemen s ela ed o he La ino iden i y.
Despi e he ise o La in Ame ican mig a ions a ound he wo ld, La inos a e
unde ep esen ed and po ayed by nega i e s e eo ypes in he media, bo h in he Uni ed
S a es (Reis, 2017) and Spain (Rome o-Rod íguez e al., 2018). La inos ha e been made in isible
in mains eam media, hey a e newswo hy i hey a e in ol ed in opics o social con lic , and
hey a e pe cei ed as a ma ke bu less as con en p oduce s (González de Bus aman e &
Re is, 2017). The media po ayal o La inos in mains eam media leads us o ou second
hypo hesis ega ding he ole o La inos in La ino media.
H2. La inos ha e isibili y as he p o agonis s o he p e alen hemes o La ino cul u e,
socie y and poli ics in he con en s o La ino publica ions in Spain.
The di e si y o he La in Ame ican coun ies which La ino p o agonis s come om
p o es hei he e ogeneous na u e and as na ional, egional and e hnic di e ences (Del Río,
2017), despi e he public discou se ha implemen s pan-e hnic labels such as La ino,
Hispanic, o La inoame icano (Re is, 2019). The hi d hypo hesis is g ounded on he di e si y
o he La ino media p o agonis s.
H3. The di e si y o he La ino p o agonis s in he con en s o La ino publica ions in
Spain co esponds wi h he a ie y o he La in Ame ican coun ies ep esen ed in
Spain.
In o de o ackle hese hypo heses, we ha e selec ed a di e se and he e ogeneous g oup
o La ino i les in ega ds o hei na u e (mos ly in o ma i e o en e aining), con en s,
a ge ed eade s, o ma , equency, ci cula ion, and a ea o dis ibu ion. The ma ke o
La ino publica ions in Spain has been ola ile since i s incep ion in 1992. Ou wo k has e i ied
he exis ence o 131 La ino publica ions edi ed in Spain be ween 1992 and 2018. The yea
chosen o his s udy was 2014 because i was he i s yea in which he numbe o La ino
p in i les in Spain didn’ dec ease a e he c isis o 2008. Ou sample selec ed 14 o he 25
La ino newspape s and magazines edi ed in Spain in 2014 and a ailable in ei he pape o
digi al o ma . Only con en a ailable o he esea che was analyzed using a non-
p obabilis ic and con enience sampling (Zabale a U kiola, 1997).
The 14 publica ions included he poli ical le -wing newspape s Resumen La inoame-
icano y del Te ce Mundo and Hola La inoamé ica, he poli ical le -wing magazine Encuen os,
he bimon hly newspape Balea es sin on e as, he eminis magazine Muje es del mundo-
munduko emakumeak, he Boli ian-o ien ed newspape Boli ia Es and magazine Haz Boli ia,
he Pa aguayan-o ien ed newspape Guay del Pa aguay, he A gen inean-o ien ed magazine
A gen inos.es, he Venezuelan-o ien ed magazine Yo Soy Venezolano, he cul u al magazine
Aquí La inos, he en e ainmen o ien ed magazines Ocio La ino and Somos La inos, and he
en e ainmen /e o ic magazine Shock Magazine. This las magazine had a double co e , he
on co e o men and he back co e o women, wi h 80 pages each. Fo he codi ica ion
we di ided he magazine in o wo, Shock Magazine Man and Shock Magazine Woman, o make
he analysis mo e manageable.
Following he con enience sampling, ou s udy included ou issues published by each
o he 14 publica ions in 2014. Fo each o hose 56 issues, we analyzed all he news i ems om
on o back page, which amoun ed o 1,507 i ems. These 1,507 in o ma i e i ems we e
ca ego ized acco ding o h ee a iables, which a e Themes, P o agonis s, and O igin o he
p o agonis s. We wan ed o de e mine i he con en s o La ino publica ions co espond wi h
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
40
he hemes ela ed o he iden i y o hei La ino eade s, i hey gi e isibili y o La inos as
p o agonis s in he media, and i hey ep esen he di e si y o La ino na ionali ies. The h ee
a iables and hei co esponding sub a iables a e included in Table 1.
Table 1. Va iables and sub a iables o his s udy.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
The ollowing codebook explains all he sub a iables abo e wi h hei espec i e a iables.
Themes:
1. Poli ics in o igin: Themes ela ed o he poli ics in he coun y o o igin, always a La in
Ame ican coun y.
2. Poli ics in des ina ion: Themes ela ed o he poli ics in he coun y o des ina ion, always
Spain, since he analyzed publica ions and hei eade s a e in Spain.
3. Poli ics in hi d coun ies: Themes ela ed o he poli ics o hi d coun ies which a e
nei he Spain no a La in Ame ican coun y. Howe e , hey a ec La in Ame icans in
Spain, mos ly in ega d o hei immig a ion s a us.
4. Mig a ions: Themes ela ed o mig a o y issues in gene al, and immig a ion laws.
5. Economy/labo : Themes ela ed o economy o labo , ei he in o igin o des ina ion.
6. Cul u e: Themes ela ed o cul u al adi ions and ac i i ies, including cuisine, om he
La in Ame ican coun ies o o igin.
7. Spo s: Themes ela ed o any spo s o spo s playe s, in he coun y o o igin o in
Spain.
8. Socie y: A a ie y o hemes ha would appea in he Socie y sec ion, ela ed o women,
celeb a ions and es i i ies (mos ly om he coun y o o igin bu held in Spain), as well
as beau y, heal h, sex o en i onmen .
9. Science and echnology: Themes ela ed o science and echnology, ei he in he La in
Ame ican coun y o o igin o in Spain.
10. O he s: Di e se hemes ha can’ be ca ego ized in any o he abo e sub a iables.
In he a iables o P o agonis s and O igin o he p o agonis s, all he sub a iables a e
sel -explana o y excep o hese ones.
Themes P o agonis s O igin o he p o agonis s
Poli ics in o igin Poli icians/go e nmen Spain
Poli ics in des ina ion Jou nalis s/communica o s Colombia
Poli ics in hi d coun ies W i e s Ecuado
Mig a ions Ac i is s/NGOs Pe ú
Economy/labo Cul u al associa ions Boli ia
Cul u e Foo ball playe s A gen ina
Spo s Singe s Pa aguay
Socie y O he a is s U uguay
Science and echnology Animals and objec s Cuba
O he s O he s Venezuela
Chile
Eu opa
USA
México
O he La in Ame ican coun ies
O he s
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
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P o agonis s:
1. O he a is s: Di e en ypes o a is s who a e no singe s, including ac o s, dance s,
pain e s, sculp o s, pho og aphe s, ilmmake s, models, o beau y pagean con es an s.
2. Animals and objec s: P o agonis s who a e ei he animals o objec s, such as
echnological de ices o ehicles, among o he s.
3. O he s: Di e se ypes o p o agonis s ha can’ be ca ego ized in any o he abo e
sub a iables.
O igin o he p o agonis s:
1. O he La in Ame ican coun ies: The La in Ame ican coun ies ha a e no singled ou
in he able, such as Pue o Rico, Dominican Republic, Panamá, Gua emala, El Sal ado
o B azil.
2. O he s: Coun ies in Asia and A ica, Aus alia o New Zealand.
To p ocess he collec ed da a we ollowed wo s eps. In he i s s ep, we calcula ed he
annual a e age pe cen age ob ained by each sub a iable o he a iables Themes,
P o agonis s, and O igin o he p o agonis s in each publica ion. To do ha , we added up he
pe cen ages o he sub a iables in he ou issues analyzed pe publica ion, and hen di ided
each amoun by ou . In he second s ep, we calcula ed he annual o al a e age o each
sub a iable o he a iables Themes, P o agonis s and O igin o he p o agonis s in all
publica ions by adding all he i ems by sub a iable in all he 56 issues analyzed o he 14
publica ions, and hen di iding each amoun by he o al o 1,507 i ems ca ego ized.
The codi ica ion analysis was conduc ed by he au ho s o he a icle. In o de o ensu e
he accu acy o he esul s, an in e -code eliabili y es was pe o med wi h 10% o he
sampling. Fo ha ma e , a social science esea che who was no in ol ed wi h his s udy
used he same coding book and he a e age esul ob ained was 0,83 (SD = 0,11) in he Kappa
Cohen’s coe icien .
3. Resul s
In he i s a iable analyzed (Theme), da a demons a es ha he h ee p e alen hemes o
opics (68% o he o al) a e cul u e, socie y, and poli ics in o igin connec ed wi h La in
Ame ica (see Table 2).
Table 2. P edominan hemes in La ino publica ions in Spain.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Numbe o i ems Pe cen age
Cul u e 411 27,3%
Socie y 356 23,6%
Poli ics in o igin 258 17,1%
Mig a ions 94 6,2%
Economy/labo 90 6%
Spo s 64 4,3%
Poli ics in des ina ion 49 3,3%
Poli ics in hi d coun ies 49 3,3%
Science and echnology 31 2,1%
O he s 105 6,9%
1.507 100%
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
42
Cul u e is he p edominan heme in i e publica ions. O hose, Ocio La ino, and Somos
La inos ha e he highes pe cen ages o cul u e- ela ed con en s. The main cul u al con en s
in hese wo magazines, which always ea u e a La ino a is in hei on page, a e musical.
They include he eleases o new songs o ideos by La ino pop singe s such as Jenni e Lopez
o Shaki a, and co e age o La ino music ela ed e en s like he La in G ammys o he
Billboa d La in Music Awa ds. Indigenous olklo e and cuisine also occupy an impo an place
in he cul u al co e age o La ino p in media because hey a e wo majo ai s o hei La in
Ame ican eade s’ cul u al iden i y, which ace back o hei indigenous oo s. The cul u e
ela ed s o ies in Boli ia Es showcase adi ional ca ni al pa ades held by Boli ian cul u al
associa ions in di e en pa s o Spain, as well as adi ional dishes based on he quinoa seed.
The magazine Yo Soy Venezolano has di e en s o ies on he Venezuelan co nb ead a epas,
and Shock Magazine Woman ea u es Che Pepín’s sec ion o Cuban dishes.
The second o e all p e alen heme, Socie y, is he p incipal one in he con en s o Yo
Soy Venezolano, Shock Magazine Man, and Shock Magazine Woman, which a e mos ly cen e ed
on he physical a ibu es and sex appeal o hei p o agonis s. Beau y queens c owned as
Miss Uni e se o Miss Wo ld in di e en yea s a e he ace o almos all co e s in Yo Soy
Venezolano. They ep esen women’s physical beau y as an elemen o cul u al iden i y and
na ional p ide based on he ac ha Venezuela is he coun y wi h he highes numbe o
beau y c owns. Shock Magazine Man and Shock Magazine Woman ea u e many male and
emale models in e o ic poses. Social celeb a ions, like Mo he ’s Day, and eligious es i i ies
o local pa on sain s om La in Ame ica, also ha e a ele an place in he con en s o Socie y
as he second p e alen heme.
As o he hi d p e alen heme, Poli ics in o igin is he mos impo an one in he
poli ical le -wing newspape s Resumen La inoame icano y del Te ce Mundo and Hola
La inoamé ica. Thei poli ical co e age cen e s on he success o le -wing egimes in La in
Ame ica, especially in Venezuela wi h Nicolás Madu o, and in Boli ia wi h now ex-p esiden
E o Mo ales. Haz Boli ia and Boli ia Es de o e a la ge pa o hei poli ical co e age o he
egis a ion o Boli ian o e s in Spain o he p esiden ial elec ions in hei home coun y.
The poli ical con en s o Hola La inoamé ica gi e ele ance o he peace alks be ween he
go e nmen and he gue illas in Colombia.
In ega d o he second a iable analyzed, he mos men ioned p o agonis s a e animals
and objec s, poli icians and go e nmen , o he a is s, singe s, ac i is s, and cul u al
associa ions, as de ailed in Table 3.
Table 3. P edominan p o agonis s in La ino publica ions in Spain.
Numbe o i ems Pe cen age
Animals and objec s 462 30,7%
Poli icians/go e nmen s 324 21,5%
O he a is s 157 10,4%
Singe s 141 9,4%
Ac i is s/NGOs 125 8,3%
Cul u al associa ions 71 4,7%
W i e s 52 3,5%
Jou nalis s/communica o s 49 3,3%
Foo ball playe s 33 2,2%
O he s 93 6,1%
1.507 100%
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
ISSN 2386-7876 – © 2023 Communica ion & Socie y, 36(3), 35-51
43
Poli icians a e he main cha ac e s in he Boli ian-o ien ed publica ions Boli ia Es and Haz
Boli ia, and in he poli ical le -wing newspape s Hola La inoamé ica and Resumen
La inoame icano y del Te ce Mundo. Poli icians in Boli ia Es and Haz Boli ia include he
Boli ian p esiden and his cabine , elec o al candida es, and membe s o he diploma ic co ps
(ambassado s and consuls) based in Spain. O he La in Ame ican p esiden s (o en
Venezuelan p esiden Nicolás Madu o) and elec ed o icials a e he poli ical p o agonis s in
Hola La inoamé ica and Resumen La inoame icano y del Te ce Mundo. Poli icians a e closely
ollowed as p o agonis s by singe s and o he a is s, mos ly in he en e ainmen -o ien ed
magazines. Singe s a e he leading igu es in Ocio La ino and Somos La inos. O he a is s a e
he main p o agonis s in Shock Magazine Woman, ea u ing male and emale models and
ac o s and ac esses, and also in Yo Soy Venezolano, ea u ing o me Venezuelan beau y
queens. Ac i is s a e he leading p o agonis s in he eminis magazine Muje es del mundo-
munduko emakumeak and in Hola La inoamé ica. Boli ia Es, which includes mos i no all he
e en s held by Boli ian associa ions in Spain, is he publica ion wi h he highes pe cen age
o cul u al associa ions as p o agonis s.
Rega ding he hi d a iable analyzed, he O igin o he p o agonis s, da a indica es ha
mo e han 60% come om almos he en i e spec um o di e en La in Ame ican coun ies
(see Table 4). O hose coun ies, he highes indi idual pe cen ages o p o agonis s
co espond o Boli ia, Pa aguay, Colombia, A gen ina and Venezuela, because he e a e wo
publica ions speci ically o ien ed o Boli ians (Boli ia Es and Haz Boli ia), one o Pa aguayans
(Guay del Pa aguay), one o A gen ineans (A gen inos.es), and one o Venezuelans (Yo Soy
Venezolano). Al hough he pe cen age o Colombians and A gen ineans is e y simila , he e
a e no publica ions speci ically a ge ing Colombians in he analyzed sample.
Table 4. O igin o he p o agonis s in La ino publica ions in Spain.
Numbe o i ems Pe cen age
Boli ia 275 15%
O he s 270 21,8%
O he La in Ame ican coun ies 187 9,4%
Spain 139 9,2%
Pa aguay 110 7,3%
Colombia 83 5,8%
A gen ina 75 5%
USA 75 4,9%
Venezuela 67 4,5%
Pe ú 61 4,2%
Ecuado 49 3,2%
Cuba 33 2%
México 31 1,6%
Eu opa 30 1,7%
Chile 13 0,8%
U uguay 10 0,7%
1.507 100%
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
To show he di e si y o La in Ame ican p o agonis s in La ino publica ions in Spain, he
p o agonis s o Encuen os come om 11 coun ies (El Sal ado , Gua emala, Ecuado , Cuba,
Colombia, Boli ia, Venezuela, Chile, U uguay, Pa aguay and A gen ina), and he p o agonis s
o Ocio La ino come om nine (Pue o Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Pe ú, México,
Venezuela, A gen ina, Ecuado and Pa aguay).
Mendie a-Ba olomé, A. M. & A giñano, J.-L.
Iden i y o ien a ions o La ino p in media in Spain:
he ein o cemen o La ino popula cul u e
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