Hispanic Culture And Mexican-Americans

At my understanding, the term Hispanic is wrongly used when referring to a race. Being Hispanic is, of course, to belong to an ethnic group, but it is much more than that. It is not about the color of your skin or your hair, but about culture, tradition, and manners. All started with the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South and Central America. From Europe came the adventurous men, full of ambitions and courage. These attributes blended with the strength and energy of African slaves and the Native Americans, and this mixture led to the born of this new culture that we called Hispanic.

It is well known that the United States is made up of several different cultures and the health care system delivers care to a very diverse population. However, depending on ones culture-receiving care may be a challenge at times. In this paper we are going to take a closer look at the culture of Hispanic Americans. The Hispanic population has grown to over 55 million residents with in the United States in 2015, with an estimated growth rate of 2.1% per year (Krogstad & Lopez, 2015). Making this minority group on of the fastest growing populations within the United States (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).

Mexico is the 14th largest county in the world. The Mexicans speak the Spanish language. Much of Mexican culture revolves around religious values and the church. 95% of Mexicans are of the Catholic faith.

The overwhelming majority of Mexicans today speak Spanish. According to the CIA, Spanish is spoken by 92.7 percent of the Mexican population. About 6 percent of the population speaks Spanish as well as indigenous languages, such as Mayan, Nahuatl and other regional languages. However, the Spanish spoken by Mexicans varies from the traditional Spanish the originated in Spain. The religion of Mexico is predominantly catholic. Around 82 percent of Mexicans identify themselves as Catholic, according to the CIA, although many have incorporated pre-Hispanic Mayan elements as part of their faith.There are also small communities of Muslims, Jews and Buddhists.

Growing up in a Mexican household has many definitive factors. Growing up an Hispanic child means being awoken by loud Spanish music every Sunday morning which sent a reminder to your brain telling you that it was cleaning day. It means having your parents call you names such as precioso, mi rey, and gordo at any age. Growing up in a Mexican household means never having to buy outside food because “there’s food at home”. Growing up in a Mexican household means many things but all these things make us who we are.

Mexican Spanish differs from the language spoken in Spain the same way American English differs from British English: some pronunciations are different and sometimes different expressions are used in the two countries for the same idea.Apart from Spanish, about 50 languages are spoken in Mexico by about 7 million people; a significant fraction of the population does not speak Spanish at all.

A misperception of the global community is that countries are comprised of a single culture. In this compartmentalized worldview, a country has the same food, ideas, and traditions as if our national borders are the only aspect to define us. However, Mexico is far from a homogenized culture or identity; there is a myriad of differences within present day Mexico and the Mexican-American Community. In Chicago, the Westside neighborhood of Pilsen showcases the rich diversity of Mexican culture. Pilsen has changed hands as many immigrants thrived in its streets throughout the century and is now predominantly Latino/Mexican. The small neighborhood’s vibrant culture is encapsulated in the brilliantly colored painted murals featured on many building,

Mexican culture dates far back as the 13th century. This is when the Aztecs were prevalent in northern mexico. Aztecs were a people who were all about war and honor. They made many enemies going to war with smaller tribes and brutally killed their enemies. In the 16th century the Aztecs Empire crumbled due to the invasion led by Hernan Cortez. Disease, superior weapons, and aid of the Aztec’s enemies were all contributing factors to the Aztecs downfall. Fast forward September 16th 1810 when Mexico gained its independence from Spain Mexico's identity started to develop. Mexican culture is defined by many things, its food, its language, its clothing, its art. However, There is one aspect that defines Mexican culture and that is family life. Mexicans have a very rich family life that defines the culture. The way that family is organized and the way each member acts can be traced back to the very beginning. It's a mixture of the indigenous peoples culture as well as the Spaniards culture. The indigenous peoples pass on their ideas of honor and machismo and the Spaniards pass on their ideas of catholicism, and family value and structure. I fit into this because I grew up on these ideas and my family still practices some of these ideas today.

Language is a very important part of culture. It’s the method of communication between people, it’s a comforting feeling to hear your own language, and it defines who you are as a person. In the Hispanic culture the language spoken is Spanish. Spanish is such a popular language in the united states that many people become bilingual to be able to speak English and Spanish. "Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in U.S. homes, even among non-Hispanics. A record 37.6 million persons ages 5 year and older speak Spanish at home, according to an analysis of the 2011 American Community Survey by the Pew Research Center” When visiting a different culture, the language barriers are scary, I recently visited Mexico and not knowing what people were saying was frightening, Luckily Spanish is common so it wasn’t hard to find someone to translate. I remember feeling so warm inside hearing someone who speaks English talking, it was comforting to

Many Mexican people have preserved and still do many of their ancestors’ traditions. Tradition plays a big role in my family for example: the food we eat, the music we listen to, what we dance to and what we celebrate to. I wanted a sweet sixteen but of course being Mexican my parents said no. Being in the Mexican culture tradition is that when you turn 15 you’re supposed to have a Quinceanera it symbolizes that you are no longer a kid but you are now a young women. Many people think a Quinceanera is just a party but the real tradition is to have a church mass. Since I am catholic that consists of me going to church and thanking God.

The Mexican culture is a collectivist and enthusiastic of its traditions. The current Mexican culture it’s not simple because it has rich traditions and contrasts, outgrowth with history and modernization (Cultura, n.d.). The Mexican culture has a mixture of pre-Hispanic

| The attitudes and customs of Hispanics have a major presence on music, food, holidays, dance, and arts here in the United States. The Hispanic families in the United States are traditionally close-knit groups, and Spanish speakers are quite formal toward each other when speaking.

Hispanic students who were brought at an early age through immigrant parents wanting to provide a better, safer environment for their kid may usually end up stuck and excluded. There are programs like Hispanic Unity that help their Hispanic community by providing a place for daycare, volunteer programs to teach kids, teenager and adults about important subjects necessary to succeed in the U.S. The classes range from studying for the citizenship test, or learning English, to filing taxes. They also provide help for family in need of clothes, shelter, food, materials. I would like to similarity build a team that sets a goal to inform and support their fellow community members. Our cause would be to provide the basic necessities to student with

Since 1970, United States of America has seen a considerable amount of immigration because of economic chaos and civil wars in Latin American countries. The fight between the government of El Salvador and leftist guerrillas in 1980 brought about 500,000 immigrants to United States. They settled primarily in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. The civil war in Nicaragua in the year 1980 drove an estimated 800,000 Nicaraguan immigrants to the United States

Many people assume that Hispanic cuisine is the same as Mexican cuisine, but that is far from the truth. Even though the most common things among Hispanic food are beans, rice, and corn, there are many differences. For example in Mexico they have their typical foods such as enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas and tostadas, however each dish uses different own spices. Enchiladas are the most popular dish in Mexico, a rolled corn tortilla filled with meat such as pork, beef, chicken, or cheese with tomato and chili sauce and melted cheese on top. In Central America the most common foods are fried plantains and yuca served as side to the main dishes.