Essay on Mexican American Culture

Almost all religions are differentiated into ‘institutional’ and ‘folk’. These are the two different types of organization of religions. Institutional is a top-down order of religion, so the rules and practices are set by the elites of the religion. Whereas folk is a bottom-up religion, which means that the general public implements a rule or practice out of necessity or rationality, which then becomes commonality and is adopted by the whole religion. The U.S.-Mexico borderlands’ religion is the “Mexican folk Catholicism” which is a bricolage version of the institutionalized Catholicism, a religion that was first enforced on them by the Spanish, because it is a mix of the traditional Catholic beliefs and some of the indigenous

Texas in it self is a highly diverse multicultural society. It takes on many aspects of many different cultures. One very noticeable culture that has a great impact on Texas would be that of the Mexican culture. Because Mexican culture is so apparent in Texas, that it is easy to compare and contrast some cultural aspects between Mexican and American cultures. This attempt to compare and contrast these two different yet similar cultures will increase awareness and acceptance of cultural differentiation. In order to examine these two cultures closely, I will use Hofstede's

Mexico is a lovely country just south of the United states. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean are on the borders of this country. It is approximately two million square kilometers. The two main climates are tropical and desert, which are two very hot climates. It is plentiful with natural resources such as gold, timber, zinc, and silver. There are approximately two hundred million people who inhabit Mexico, and the predominant language spoken is spanish. The vast majority of people follow a christian faith, but it is not forced upon the citizens. The laws of Mexico is for the most part similar to the United states, but can slightly differ.

There were even some small grocery stores and restaurants would give food and meals based on a families word of mouth, because they understood the struggle and knew what it meant to give back and take care of each other as a community. These all exemplify character and spirit that the segregated Mexican neighborhood refused to let go of;

How would you discuss the worldviews and value systems of Indigenous peoples prior to European contact/invasion? How did these worldviews impact all aspects of life (science, agriculture, language, spirituality, etc.) for indigenous peoples?

While Texas leader Stephen Austin initially had no contempt toward Mexicans, the Anglo-American citizens in the area did. The American Texans of the 1800’s defined Mexicans as “a race alien to everything that Americans held dear” (De Leon 4). This sentiment would serve as the primary catalyst to the Texas secession from Mexico. When Austin began colonizing the area, he envisioned a place in which Anglo-Americans and Tejanos, Mexicans living in Texas, could live together. Eventually, though, the public opinions of North American settlers in the territory and in Washington would make him realize that the goal of unity between the two groups was impossible.

Frequently, we do not put too much attention to our own cultural values and traditions until we are exposed to a different culture, and start comparing. In order to have a more productive and fruitful life I believe we need to become more self-aware and more sensitive to the culturally and ethnically diverse community we live in. Two cultures that have been sharing the same living space for centuries are the Hispanic and American culture. In this paper I would be analyzing each culture giving a brief background and pointing out some aspects in how they differ, like the perception of time, family, orientation, and others. American culture has a couple of aspects in which it differs from the Hispanic culture, which for the

Mexico and the United States are countries that have several aspects to relate and compare the differences that exist between them. Each country has its own characteristics, and is a way of being able to identify to other countries. In this case, Mexico and United States are independent parents with an extensive history where we can know aspects of each one of them. Mexico is characterized by being a country of religious traditions and U.S. for being the first world power. In addition to the above, it is important to highlight the differences existing between the countries of Mexico and United Stated as well as their similarities.

“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?

Culture is a set of ideals and values about life that are widely shared among people and that guide specific behaviors. Differences, as well as similarities, can be seen when comparing world cultures. We communicate with each other, we feed ourselves with food, and when we sleep we often dream. However, we speak different languages, eat different types of foods, and dream different ways. We call these cultural differences. What causes them is not always obvious to the ordinary person (Nancy). I feel culture is what really sets us apart from each other and what makes us unique as individuals and families.

In the Preface of Major Problems in Mexican American History Zaragosa Vargas writes, "Nearly two thirds of Latinos in the United States are of Mexican descent, or Chicanos- a term of self definition that emerged during the 1960's and early 1970s civil rights movement. Chicanos reside mainly in the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the Midwest. Their history begins in the precolonial Spanish era, and they share a rich mestizo cultural heritage of Spanish, Indian, and African origins. The Chicanos' past is underscored by conquest of the present-day American Southwest first by the Spanish and then by the United States following the Mexican American War" (xv). When one thinks of a Chicano one thinks of the Mayans and Aztecs, the conquests,

This is a narrative of one Mexican American woman’s experiences and her views on the importance of passing down the cultural beliefs of her ancestors. In the section of the country in which I live there is a large population within the community of Mexican American culture. Although I have frequent contact with people of Mexican American heritage either through employment or interaction out in the community, I have a limited understanding of their culture. For this reason, I chose to learn more about the population of people I have frequent contact with and as a professional work with as clients in the field of mental health counseling. The quest of finding someone knowledgeable to discuss the population, their cultural background and some of their necessities, as well as some past experiences, led me towards contacting a church. This took calling two different churches before the person at the second church informed me that I needed to speak with, Mrs. Socorro Garcia head of their Hispanic Ministries. Unfortunately, Mrs. Garcia was on vacation when I called, but I was able to speak with her over the phone the following week, setting up an interview in person at her office a couple days later. This was a relief because I was becoming concerned about locating someone for a personal interview.

Starting in the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, the immigration policy in the United States experienced dramatic changes that altered the pace of immigration. High rates of immigration sparked adverse emotions and encouraged restrictive legislation and numerous bills in Congress advocated the suspension of immigration and the deportation of non-Americans (Wisconsin Historical Society). Mexican American history was shaped by several bills in Congress and efforts to deport all non-Americans from the United States. The United States was home to several Spanish-origin groups, prior to the Declaration of Independence. The term “Mexican American” was a label used to describe a number of Hispanic American groups that

The Mexican culture is a mixture of Spanish and Aztec roots dating back to the 19th and 20th century when Spain had rule over Mexico. Their rich heritage and inhabitance formed their culture today with pride and unbreakable traditions. Back before the Spanish had power over Mexico, it was first occupied with an enormous number of Indian groups that varied in social as well as economic systems. Mexico was shared with the Mayans, Totonac, Huastec, Otomi, Mixtecs, Zapotecas, and Tlaxcala’s, Tarascans, and Aztec tribes. Before the Spanish arrived, the Aztec tribe ruled most of Mexico. They built most of what is known as Mexico City due to a tribe prophecy that demanded the city to be established where there was an eagle with a snake in its beak resting on a cactus. That became a national symbol of Mexico and embellishes on the country’s flag

When comparing cultures, one must form a definition of what culture is. Culture can be easily defined as the social behavior and normality’s found in human societies. It can also be easily made up of a composed arrangement of educated conduct and thought designs. Culture is a sorted out framework since it includes many parts. Throughout the world, there are many cultures that are both very different and also very similar. "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at table, how we greet visitors, how we behave and one million other things." (Cristina De Rossi.)