Mexican American Cultural Identity

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.

Race is based on how different I physically look between other groups of people. I am then part of the Latinx group. My ethnicity is belonging to a group where I share commonalities like language, history, and traditions. I fit in best with the Mexican American group. Being part of the Latinx community is much easier than being part of the Mexican American community because it 's a lot broader and many people can fit under this umbrella. The conflict with being part of the Mexican American group is not really being able to fit under Mexican culture or American culture. It is like a limbo type scenario. A familiar saying that many Mexican American youth say is, “Ni de aqui, ni de alla” translating to “not from here nor from there.”

Were any of your answers to the survey questions impacted by your culture and how? What culture do you belong to? Explain.

As I begin this essay comparing two separate cultures I feel it is necessary to first describe what exactly culture is. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." It includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief.

During the late sixties and early seventies, a Mexican - American movement was taking place in the United States, The Chicano movement. This movement takes place because of the Mexican American society 's suppression in the country. Indeed, during the years, 1966 to 1981 was a period where the Mexican American society was looking for equality and justice from the Government of the United States. In fact, they will start to organize their own communities, where the Government will accept their new ideas. David Montejano, “a historian and sociologist, and Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley,” wrote about that movement that helps the Mexican - American society being part of the United States. One of his books is Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, where he describes the relation that the Anglo and the Mexican American people have in those years. In the same way, he wrote Quixote’s Soldiers: A local history of the Chicano Movement, 1966 - 1981, where he describes the Chicano movement as a way of helping the Mexican American community. By describing the Chicano Movement and the political changes made in San Antonio, Montejano relates the problems of equality and justice, the organization created at that time, and the consequences of this movement.

The culture I choose to explore is the Hispanic culture. I choose this culture because many of the people I work with and many of my friends identify with the Hispanic culture and I feel it would be interesting to know more about a culture that is so relevant to my life. A few of the big things in Hispanic culture that I found interesting are language, traditions and food. Hispanic refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture.

All cultures are different and influence how we develop as adults. In my Mexican American culture many virtues of strength, courage, and hope has been passed on. Growing up in an environment where financial hardship prevailed I was still able to observe how my parents had hopeful attitudes, loved, had patience, and kindness toward others. Our strong family unity brought me comfort and confidence in knowing I had their support and guidance. The qualities my family passed on to me are hope, love, patience, kindness, respect, caring, and most significant being helpful. Culture and family engraved in my thoughts that hard work pays off and to uncover meaning in life one must persevere in education and thrive to support those struggling. Life has given me the opportunities to practice many qualities and I’ve learned they are to cherish. They have molded my character somewhat in that, as the years passed, I adapted and applied them. My intent is to keep the principles imparted to me and with a positive attitude, carry myself with might and bravery as I travel forward in life.

“The 1960s were a conflictive decade in the American history, with conflicts that had issues from Civil Rights to the war in Vietnam. The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, one of the least studied social movements of the 1960s, encompassed a broad cross section of issues from restoration of land grants, to the rights of farm workers, to improve education, to political and voting rights. “ (Rosales, 2).

In American history, civil rights movements have played a major role for many ethnics in the United States and have shape American society to what it is today. The impact of civil rights movements is tremendous and to an extent, they accomplish the objectives that the groups of people set out to achieve. The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement, more commonly known as the Chicano Movement or El Movimiento, was one of the many movements in the United States that set out to obtain equality for Mexican-Americans (Herrera). At first, the movement had a weak start but eventually the movement gained momentum around the 1960’s (Herrera). Mexican-Americans, also known as Chicanos, began to organize in order to eliminate the social barriers that

The Hispanic community accounts for the largest minority in the United States. The United States Census Bureau reported as of July 2006, the percentage of Hispanics in the nation had grown to 15. This percentage excludes the 3.9 million Puerto Ricans whom call America their home. This number puts the United States ranking third worldwide for largest Hispanic populations, with Mexico and Colombia holding the first and second ranking respectively (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009). The Hispanic community is diverse in itself, although non-Hispanics may have panethnic views of the group as simply Latino or Hispanic, this group is made up of Mexican Americans, Puerto

The Chicano Movement of the 1960’s, also known as the Mexican Civil Rights movement is what allowed for Mexican individuals to have their voice heard. Whether it was through the rights of farm workers, educational opportunities/equality or having political rights, it was a way for Chicanos to have that empowerment. Duringthose times and prior to that period, they’ve continued to fight for justice. Some of the main influential leaders of this movement consisted of both men and women such as Cesar Chavez, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, and Dolores Huerta. “The Chicano Movement was born out of the previous generation’s Mexican American.

Identity is a peculiar thing. Identity as a person, place or even thing can be somewhat misconstrued depending on the perspective at which the observation is taking place. The following piece has an objective of helping formulate the identity of a nation in transition. A nation that has multiple creeds and cultural diversity but still looking to find its purpose in the world in which it exists in. Establishing the foundations for its existence through strong leadership, economic know how and cultural influence Mexico reaches forward to gain confidence through this time of turmoil.

Nature is a place where animals coexist using their natural extinct to survive. People are not as common to use nature like animals anymore. In nature there is a food chain that helps the life cycle flow. For humans there exist boundaries, but the boundaries or social class can be changed with income. I am a Latino student that is statistically in a group that is said to have a low parentage in graduating college. Studying in an institution that is predominantly white has a big toll over students who are of a different ethnic identity in seeing where they stand. By nature, Latinos or those who have a Mexican heritage in their bloodline, are described by hard working individuals. However, the type of hard working individuals we are complemented

Being a Latina born in America and growing up here, I was taught celebrating American culture like Memorial, Independence and Labor Day, with the explosion of bright, colorful fireworks, the smell of fire when turning on the grill and the best part; no school! As well as celebrating Christmas and New Years the American way, going to church, eating, and opening presents on Christmas day are holidays I've grown up to enjoy and celebrate a certain way. It wasn’t until 4 years ago I went to Mexico and realized there’s more to my own rooted culture and how lucky I am to have both the American and Mexican culture in my life realizing the generation of Mexican Americans are forming their own culture with both lifestyles.

From out colonial roots in the Chesapeake colonies, to the growth and expansion of thousands of cities, America has grown in many ways. New ideas, new leaders, immense diversity, and different culture all come together to form a collected identity. Some of the most outstanding characteristics of this American cultural identity are the pursuit for freedom, a relentless spirit in times of conflict, and the ability to create community despite our differences.