Time's Most Influential Latinos Of 2014

TIME's Most Influential Latinos Of 2014
Uruguay's president Jose Mujica gives his thumb up at the press upon his arrival at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, on March 10, 2014. Four years after leaving Chile's presidency, Socialist Michelle Bachelet takes the oath of office for a second time on March 11, vowing to work to shrink the gap between rich and poor. Bachelet is to be sworn in on Tuesday in Valparaiso, city 120 km west of the Chilean capital. AFP PHOTO / CLAUDIO REYES (Photo credit should read Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty Images)
Uruguay's president Jose Mujica gives his thumb up at the press upon his arrival at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, on March 10, 2014. Four years after leaving Chile's presidency, Socialist Michelle Bachelet takes the oath of office for a second time on March 11, vowing to work to shrink the gap between rich and poor. Bachelet is to be sworn in on Tuesday in Valparaiso, city 120 km west of the Chilean capital. AFP PHOTO / CLAUDIO REYES (Photo credit should read Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty Images)

It's that TIME of the year again.

The magazine released its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World on Thursday, and the number of Latinos that made the ranking has decreased.

In 2013, the eight Latinos who made the ranking included Christina Aguilera, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Pope Francis and more. This year, a mere six Latinos made the cut with only Pope Francis returning for the honor.

Among Titans, Leaders, Pioneers, Icons and Artists, we found the Latinos who have had the greatest influence on our world today:

José "Pepe" Mujica
Getty Images
Mujica is anything but extravagant.In fact, the leader of Uruguay is known as "the world's poorest president" because of his simple lifestyle. Pepe prefers a modest farm to a mansion and an old Volkswagen Beetle to a limousine, and recently declared just $322,883 in wealth.Despite his modest lifestyle, however, the Uruguayan president has called a lot of attention to himself after he made Uruguay the first country in the world to legalize the production and sale of marijuana. As TIME simply put it: "The revolutionary who legalized pot"(Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty Images)
Withelma "T" Ortiz Walker
Getty Images
Ortiz lived a lifetime of tragedy before she came of age. "T" spent her entire childhood in the U.S. Foster Care system, becoming a victim of sex trafficking for seven of those 18 years.Yet the 25-year-old college student did more than just survive. Last year, she testified in front of the House Committee on Ways and Means' Subcommittee on Human Resources. “I spent for the most part, the first 18 years of my life in the foster care system. Seven of those years I was a child being sexually trafficked on the streets, internet, strip clubs, massage parlors and even in the back of express papers,” Ortiz Walker Pettigrew said in her written testimony. While working with the Human Rights Project for Girls, Ortiz has boldly taken a stand against the exploitation and sexual abuse of children. TIME calls her: "The modern abolitionist"(Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Glamour Magazine)
Alfonso Cuarón
Getty Images
The man who defied with "Gravity." Cuarón's critically-acclaimed space thriller was a game-changer in the realm of special effects and gave audiences around the globe another perspective of our Universe.The Mexican visionary's work did not go unnoticed. At the 2014 Oscar ceremony, he became the first Latin American director to win a golden statuette for "Best Picture."TIME dubbed him: "Master of the Universe" (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Michelle Bachelet
Getty Images
It wasn't enough to be the first.Bachelet was the first women in Chile to become president in 2006 and during her term advocated for gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace. But she didn't stop there. After the end of her presidential term, she brought woman's rights to the International stage when she became the founding executive director of UN Women. Earlier this year, Bachelet ran for and won a second presidential term in Chile. TIME describes her: "A passionate champion of women's rights"(Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis
Getty Images
"Rare is the leader who makes us want to be better people. Pope Francis is such a leader," is how President Barack Obama open his description of the religious leader for TIME. Francis is not only the first Latin American Pope in history but he has sparked what Rolling Stone called a "gentle revolution" within the Catholic church. Through his actions and words, Pope Francis hopes to return the church to its roots -- a place of inclusion for the marginalized. He has refused the extravagant lifestyle of past popes and dared to defy the Vatican's traditional stance on several issues. TIME calls him: "A moral leader in word and deed"(FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Nicolás Maduro
Getty Images
The heir to President Hugo Chávez's legacy has failed to maintain order in Venezuela since he assumed power in 2013. In February of this year, massive protests broke out across the South American country as thousands marched against widespread food shortages, increasing insecurity, media censorship and debilitating inflation. The political unrest turned violent as Chavista and anti-government groups clashed on the streets for weeks. Turmoil continues as the death toll continues to rise today. As a crucial source of cheap oil for the region, Venezuela's fate will without a doubt affect many. And as TIME puts it, Maduro is "The man who holds Venezuela's future."All this in a country that many in the region trade with or depend on for cheap oil. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images)

Before You Go

Pope Francis, The Bishop of Rome, 76

Latinos At Time's '2013 Most Influential People'

Close

What's Hot