Honestly, Google and ask people who are of that culture questions.
Google things like:
Ethnicity and -
- family values
- religion
- myths/history
- special events/important rites of passage
- stereotypes
- food
- old wives tales
- what people get wrong about -Ethnicity-
Just do the research and dive as deeply as you can into the background, their values/beliefs/everyday lives/struggles etc.
As far as advice about what not to do:
Play up stereotypes like the ghetto, loud, obnoxious, seductive/provocative Latina. Latinas have been so sexualized by big media that it’s insane. the Latinx culture is so widespread and varying… do research into that. Like something that’s totally normal for a Mexican can be really weird for a Bolivian… So make sure you aren’t lumping all Latin Americans into one.
Do not use lines like “she’s so exotic” - that’s beyond annoying and offensive to any woman of color, ever. lol
You could ask for Beta Readers that are a part of the culture you are trying to portray… they can point out anything they think would be offensive or incorrect … The key to that tip is to actually listen, take the constructive criticism and change the stuff they point out.
Another way to flesh out your characters (and help steer your research) get a character sheet that goes into great detail- chances are you won’t know the answer to every single question- but there are a lot of cultural and background questions that shape a character so they are guaranteed to send you at least in the right direction.