Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Sandra Cisneros refuses to have her writings included in any anthology that uses the word Hispanic. She regards the label "Hispanic" to be "a repulsive slave name" because it refers to those peoples who were colonized by the Spanish Empire. She prefers to use the term Latino or Latina, which she finds more respectful because it's a name she and others of her cultural background have chosen for themselves. Not everyone agrees – some people who self-identify as Hispanics argue that the term Latino is derived from an even older empire – the Roman one, and is no more valid than the term Hispanic. (Source)
Cisneros, a Buddhist, has a tattoo on her left arm what she calls the "Buddhalupe," depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe in a lotus position. (Source)