Cultural Influences On Mexican American Culture

In the 1960’s, the United States went through a period of clarity and diversity in thought, analysis and action for people from Mexico or those who practiced the Mexican culture. Issues of deep resonance and problems both Mexican and American communities faced were brought to light through different platforms that include multiple socio-political mobilizations, art, and music all throughout the country (Cockcroft, 1993). This later ensued into battles of cultural reclamation and self-determination that combined into a national consciousness called the Chicano Movement. The Chicano Art Movement represents the attempts made by Mexican-American artists in establishing a unique artistic identity in the United States. Most of the Chicanos belonged

In American history, social equality developments have assumed a noteworthy part for some ethnics in the United States and have shape American culture to what it is today. The effect of social liberties developments is huge and to a degree, they finish the targets that the gatherings of individuals set out to accomplish. The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement, all the more generally known as the Chicano Movement or El Movimiento, was one of the numerous developments in the United States that set out to acquire fairness for Mexican-Americans (Herrera). At to start with, the development had a frail begin however inevitably the development picked up energy around the 1960's (Herrera). Mexican-Americans, otherwise called Chicanos, started to

In Leo R. Chavez’s ethnography, The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation, the claimed problem of Latino immigration, specifically Mexicans, is tackled using interviews, statistics, and other works of literature. Chavez’s ethnography not only discusses Latino immigration but Latino invasion, integration, organ transplants and even Latina fertilization. One of Chavez’s big topics is on how the media influences the public to believe that Latinos are planning an invasion or take-over in order to gain the land that was originally Mexico’s. The topic of Latina reproduction and fertilization comes up multiple times through Chavez’s ethnography. Another main topic that plays a part in Chavez’s argument is the Latino role in public marches and the citizenship aspect of their actions. Chavez even discusses the role that children of

In order to write this book, the author clearly uses different manuscripts and papers that helped him to explain and show the situation of this social movement. He also uses and gets information from people that were living those situations, for instance in Chapter one, he mentions a note from Journalist Ruiz Ibañez: “Contrary to the common belief that those groups are composed of “punks” and hoodlums….”1. Related to him, he is an American historian and sociology that obtained his sociology and political science degrees in the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, as well. Currently, he is a professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and he is president of the Center for Latino Policy Research. He wrote not only Quixote’s Soldiers but also, Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986. Definitively, the last book mentioned was his best publication which made him win awards from the American Historical

Unfortunately, the children belonging to the mestizo category who practiced more Spanish customs were higher up than those who practiced native customs. At the bottom of the “food chain” were the “Indios” or Indians. In the eyes of the Spanish, they had the legal status of children. Today, this system still exists to a degree. Unfortunately, the implication of Spanish culture still has impacted today’s Mexican society. Many young children whose family practice native customs are afraid to reveal that they are not “pure” according to Spanish standards. The consequence of such injustice is so tremendous that it impossible to put into words: so many people are suffering just because their ancestors had been conquered by a much more powerful nation. It is unfair that they have to suffer they way. I truly feel sorry for those who can’t put food on the food table every night because there are no job opportunities for them because they aren’t true Spaniards. Unless they people of Mexico don’t change their thinking soon, it shall never

Selena Quintanilla’s father once said, “We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans.” In today’s society, many have encountered the challenge of not being able to be who they really are because they fear not being accepted by others, more specifically their culture. But, what happens when an individual is part of two worlds that have just as many rules? Gloria E. Anzaldúa was a Mexican-American writer and poet who made a major contribution to the fields of cultural, feminist, and queer theory. Anzaldúa identifies as a Chicana and speaks different variations of Spanish, some of which she exhibits in her works. In her short story “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, she centers on the struggles of self-identity that

Culture is an essential part of a community’s identity, because it links individuals to a collective bond. The Americas have always contained a vast variety of cultural communities, especially in the United States. The US is known for being one of the most diverse nations in the world, housing hundreds of different cultures. Mexican-Americans display a strong sense of a cultural background, which falls as a subset of the bigger Latino culture that links all Latinos. Oral history is a major aspect on the Mexican culture, which contributes to the truth of how history in the United States actually happened. Many stories embody the cultural aspects of Mexican-Americans and their struggles with living in a discriminatory society. Stories like With

“Aztlan, Cibola and Frontier New Spain” is a chapter in Between the Conquests written by John R. Chavez. In this chapter Chavez states how Chicano and other indigenous American ancestors had migrated and how the migration help form an important part of the Chicanos image of themselves as a natives of the south.

In her novel Borderlands, Gloria Anzaldua explores the nuances and complications that come with being a member of the Mexican-American community. Her physical home is the border between Mexico and the United States, but she acknowledges that the “psychological borderlands, the sexual borderlands and the spiritual borderlands are not particular to the Southwest” (Anzaldua 19). “In fact,” she continues, “the Borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other…”(Anzaldua 19). Such is the focus of her text, the often uncomfortable meeting space between mainstream white culture in the United States and the indigenous culture of Mexico. The clashing of these two civilizations is personified in the mestizas, people born of both the United States and Mexico, of which Anzaldua is one. The novel presents readers with the often unheard side of a well-known story: the mestiza’s point of view on the issue of the U.S./Mexico border, as well as their struggle to form an identity when they partially belong to

As we say in the video “A Class Apart”, in past times, Mexican Americans in general were segregated from restaurants, other public places, and their children were segregated by schools. Schools that were said to be separate but equal, had no plumbing in the Hispanic school and the schools lacked even the basic necessities needed to carry out an educational lesson. Furthermore, after World War II, Mexican American soldiers were not honored as they deserved and funeral housed refused to carry out ceremonies for them. Another past discrimination practice can be seen the racial distinctions made for Mexican Americans. Vilma Ortiz and Edward Telles from the NCBI stated in their research that “Race is a social construct but one that has had real consequences in the United States. Although granted de facto White racial status with the United States conquest of much of Mexico in 1848 and having sometimes been deemed as White by the courts and censuses, Mexican Americans were rarely treated as White historically and legally, Mexicans have been treated as second-class citizens. Within a few short decades after their conquest in the mid-nineteenth century, Mexican Americans, although officially granted United States citizenship with full rights, lost much of their property

Another important point is that author is describing the factors and misbehaviors which the Mexican-Americans faces and these factors lead towards development of this movement. Author is saying that it is not a sudden awakening movement. With a passage of time, many factors like the Mexican-American is on by and large the rational level monetarily, yet significantly underneath instructively. Concerning the incapacitated lodging and unemployment, the Mexican-American is not all that vastly improved off than the Negro. Its first signs start in the period taking after the Second World War. Mexican-Americans rose up out of that contention with another determination to make the most of their penance. No ethnic gathering has gotten a bigger extent of designs, and few had maintained as substantial an offer of causalities. There veterans tested all through court the explicit legacy of discrimination as yet winning in the Southwest, frequently showed by the glaring signs or the severe words no Mexicans permitted. At that point comes to the radiation drop out of the Negro social liberties battle which made it even the most baffled Mexican-American start to dream substantial dreams once

Chicana/o was positioned between indigenism and indigeneity because it emerged from various forms of creativity and political face during the Chicano movement. In addition, it was established following redeployment of different tools from the initiative of the previous indigenism but having different goals and motives as well as the outcome (Rios, 2013).

In effect of African-Americans fighting for their civil rights, Mexican-Americans formed La Raza Unida when they saw that, “even the most disillusioned Mexican-American begin to dream large dreams again” (372). The civil rights movement for African-Americans helped opened the eyes of Mexican-Americans, and they soon realized that there was a disadvantaged minority. At this time period, they faced “the same level economically, but substantially below educationally” compared to African-Americans (372). “Mexican-Americans is not too much better off than the Negro” (372). After world war two, many Mexican-Americans wanted to be acknowledged for their sacrifice for serving their country. They still had faith that the American dream is still

societies in the world. These sub-cultures include Whites, African Americans, Asians, Irish, Latino, and European among others. Chicano refers to the identity of Mexican-American descendant in the United State. The term is also used to refer to the Mexicans or Latinos in general. Chicanos are descendants of different races such as Central American Indians, Spanish, Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans. Chicano culture came as result of a mixture of different cultures (Shingles and Cartwright 86). Despite the assimilation by the majority whites the Chicanos have preserved their culture. This paper seeks to prove that Chicano culture has deep cultural attributes that would appeal to the larger American culture, leading to strengthening of

The Chicano movement derives from early oppression of Mexicans. Robert Rodrigo, author of “The Origins and History of the Chicano Movement” acknowledges that, “At the end of the Mexican American war in 1848, Mexico lost half of its territory to the United States and its Mexican residents became ‘strangers in their own lands.’” In stating this fact, Rodrigo exemplifies the United States’ relations with Mexico, that, ultimately, led to their oppression. Moreover, these early relations led to social injustice for the Mexican community. Carlos Muñoz, author of The Chicano Movement: Mexican American History and the Struggle for Equality reports, “As a conquered people, beginning with the Texas-Mexico War of 1836 and the U.S. Mexico War of 1846-48, they have