Singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez turned 46 on July 24. Over the years the star has made a place for herself in mainstream pop culture with her various hits, film roles and fashion choices on the red carpet, many of which have made her a trendsetter.

However, regardless of her popularity in mainstream American culture, the star has also embraced her Latin roots over the course of her career, most clearly in these instances.

1. Playing Selena Quintanilla

In order to play the role that launched her career, Lopez moved in with the Quintanilla family to learn about the icon's Mexican upbringing, according to BuzzFeed. Lopez was able to successfully portray the Texas-born Mexican singer. Recently, Lopez paid tribute to the legendary star with a performance featuring the late singer's family at the 2015 Billboard Latin Music awards.

2. Concerts in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The singer returned to her family's native country for a concert series called "Lets Get Loud." The singer's looks from the concert included a variety of Latin inspired costumes and she sang a few songs in Spanish. The singer has since returned to perform in Puerto Rico with Marc Anthony and, most recently, on her own.

3. Her Spanish Album

In 2007, Lopez released her first full Spanish language album. While the album wasn't received well critically, Lopez's efforts to sing in her native language and cater to her Latino fans proved the star desires to be known as a Latino artist and not just an American one.

"I've matured as a singer," Lopez told Billboard. "Marc [Anthony] gave me confidence in the studio as well. When someone believes in you so much, you don't want to let them down. And it's also the material. I think this material lent itself to my voice. And it actually made me approach my new English album in a different way. I have a different standard now."

4."El Cantante" Film

While married to Marc Anthony, the star collaborated on various projects with her then husband. One of those projects was the film "El Cantante." The film, about the late salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, had Lopez playing the singer's wife. The film was a different choice for the actress, who usually plays the role of a Latina in American culture centered films. "El Cantante" centered around her native culture.

5. "Q'Viva! The Chosen"

In 2012, the singer joined with Marc Anthony and Director Jamie King for a show that would take them all over Latin America. The team searched for local talents to participate in a competition for the prize of a show in Las Vegas. The show exposed viewers to various Latino cultural groups, dances, music and traditions.