What Is A Bajan-American Culture

Culture is the shared characters of religion, language, symbols, values, norms, and routines of a specific group. With such a large concept like a culture, there’s bound to be more profound subgenres of cultures to better classify them. Subcultures are more compacted cultural groups within a vast culture. Subcultures can be formed from a person’s racial ethnicity or customs, and examples of subcultures can be Miami’s Cuban-American community to Greek Life on campus. Two of these many subcultures are high culture and low culture.

I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.

I am not white, but I am not Mexican either. I am, however, a first generation Mexican American with parents from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Perhaps I do not know what it is like to cross the border that refrains me from being Mexican, or the color of my skin that refrains me from being white, but my own personal experiences make me the Mexican American that I am today. Growing up I celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, and the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe with matlachines.

In the 16th Century, Spain became one of the European forces to reckon with. To expand even further globally, Spanish conquistadors were sent abroad to discover lands, riches, and North America and its civilizations. When the Spanish and Native American groups met one another, they judged each other, as they were both unfamiliar with the people that stood before them. The Native American and Spanish views and opinions of one another are more similar than different because when meeting and getting to know each other, neither the Spaniards nor the Native Americans saw the other group of people as human. Both groups of people thought of one another as barbaric monsters and were confused and amazed by each other’s cultures.

Las Vegas is where I was born and raised. That doesn’t mean that I just gave up on my Mexican culture. Like many others, I have a culture that is both American and Mexican. My culture has shaped my values, perceptions, and behaviors. The culture of my family, community, and society has made who I am as a person in numerous ways.

I’m the first generation of my family to be Mexican -American, but I have been introduced to the Mexican culture since I was born. I appreciate the difficulties my parents have faced to make me the person that I am today even though I wasn’t born in Mexico my parents have taught me the language and the culture which I’m so proud of being part of. For others being Hispanic is actually being born in any Latin American countries which is not true at all. Being Hispanic is much more than my cultural background it actually describes how much I appreciate my culture and how I get to experience things other people don’t. I fit into the Hispanic community through the experiencing the culture first hand ,participating in traditions and planning to include my culture in my future.

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.

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.

The pressures of disabling the patriarchy and accommodating it to fit everyone has been the basis of my childhood. From growing up in a Hispanic culture to exploring the American culture I have learned to love, it’s difficult not to notice the differences between each culture. I had always been a fan of media and the females I saw on television were one of the first perceptions of women I had. The way females were treated in the shows and movies I watched reflected the Hispanic culture I grew up in, so I never questioned the credibility. I am immensely proud of my hispanic culture and the traditions it brings along with it, but I started to notice the harsh gender restrictions that were present.

BING!........BANG!...... BOOM!.The exploding lights of fireworks set off as the celebration of Carnival takes place in Mexico. Some say that Mexico is one of the most unique countries in the world with their bright colors and marvelous festivals. My heritage country affects my life now in many ways. I connect through traditions,food and lifestyle.

To experience an aspect of local Hispanic culture, I visited Panadería Pahuatlán, a Hispanic bakery in Durham. Even from the outside, it was immediately clear that Panadería Pahuatlán was a Hispanic bakery, as the bright, eye-catching signs were all written in Spanish. Once inside, it was just as vibrant as the outside. Piñatas hung from the ceiling, display cases of desserts lined the walls, bread cooled on shelves, and racks of various other products stood around the store. Panadería Pahuatlán was immediately very different from any American bakery I had every gone to.

Latino blood  Being Hispanic for me means belonging to a group of incredible people and remarkable traditions. I defined my culture in four major categories. One major category is Jalisco, Mexico, the beautiful place I grew up in, landmarks and traditions are important for my Hispanic culture and the most important one my education. Us as jaliscienses are known worldwide for Mariachi and the vast gamma of exquisite food. In addition, the importance of my education that ultimately defines my identity as a person of society.

Food in daily life for a Cuban is rather simple. My friend Vanessa Gutierrez, who is Cuban helps to explain the normal cultural lifestyle. Vanessa Gutierrez was born in the United States, but her parents are from Cuba, specifically from Santa Clara. The normal daily diet in Cuba is rather simple. It consists of rice and beans, also known as moros y cristianos.

Culturally, family is the base of my Hispanic heritage. As a child my mother taught me that family is the most important aspect of life. I remember my abuelita and uncle visiting every Thanksgiving and telling stories about their youth, from my uncle getting lost in Yosemite National Park to my abuelita regularly being dragged by the ear to Mother Superior’s office. When she came to visit, my abuelita would always share the family albums that she had stuffed in her suitcase. With every picture there was both a story and a lesson.