There is no single, all-encompassing term to capture the complex relationships, identities, and cultures that connect New Orleans to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula--all regions deeply linked, in turn, to Africa via the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies.
The creators of this guide at The Latin American Library opted to use "Latin" to point to a plurality of terms: Latinx/e/o/a, Hispanic, and Latin American. "Spanish" points to the historic and current presence of the Spanish language in New Orleans. We use "New Orleans" while also remembering its indigenous name: "Bulbancha," meaning the land of many tongues.