The first Iberians (inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, where is now Spain and Portugal) were followed by the Celts, Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Jews, Germanic tribes, Moors, Arabs, Syrian, and Gypsies. Although there was extensive intermarriage, some of these groups ended up more isolates than others in a very mountainous area. Therefore, people in some areas developed their own language, customs and identity. Thus, there are millions of Spaniards who are bilingual and whose second language is Spanish.

When the Spaniards conquered parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, they found well established civilizations that had developed different languages and customs. Therefore, there are countries such as Peru where many people speak Quechua as their first language and adopted Spanish as a second language. The same is true of Paraguay where many people speak two languages, Guarani and Spanish.

Millions of immigrants flocked to Latin America during the nineteenth century from countries as diverse as Japan, China, Lebanon, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Wales, Russia, and eastern Europe. They brought their customs and their language. Most of them integrated into the Latin America melting pot; others preferred to remain separated, preserving their language and customs. There were Welch, German, Scottish, Croatian, Japanese, and many other communities in many parts of Latin America.

The big influx of African slaves to the Spanish colonies came during the nineteenth century as well. They were brought primarily to the Caribbean area to harvest sugar and other crops. Some of them ran away, forming their own communities; others were integrated into the new nations forged out of former Spanish colonies. In the United States, three quarters of the land was once Spanish territory.

The Spanish world extends from places of perennial snow in Antarctica to tropical paradises in the Caribbean or the Pacific Ocean, from places where it never rains in North Africa or South America, to places where it always rains in northern Spain or Southern Chile. ("Yo Soy Asi" by V. Blanco, J. Saborido, L. Gallo)