What are the differences in culture of the nationalities that make up the "Hispanic" or "Latin/Latino" U.S. populations? (2014, live in)
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Do you realize that outside the elite 5% of Mexico, who are somewhat obsessed with being European a le Argentines, the rest of us are too proud of our Mexican culture and roots to even want to claim Spanish heritage, despite it being an essential part of our culture?
Also, the majority of Mexicans are mestizos, meaning mix Euro-indigenous, along with some African, Middle Eastern, Sephardic Jew, East and South East Asian. There are smaller populations of more pure castizos (though they tend to be recent European arrivals) and pure indigenous (which is difficult to measure in Mexico, because you are considered Native if you are culturally Native, not necessarily just because you look it) - but they are both small pluralities.
We are neither European nor Native alone, as a people we are diverse, multicultural, multiracial, multilingual and even our constitution says so. We are 'la raza cosmica', the cosmic race.
I am from spain, Rudy, mestizo is when you are 50 from europe and 50 from mexico, it is imposible , i put the numbers, please acept you are indigenous ,not spanish descent, and you claim spanish blood because you are very racist
I am from spain, Rudy, mestizo is when you are 50 from europe and 50 from mexico, it is imposible , i put the numbers, please acept you are indigenous ,not spanish descent, and you claim spanish blood because you are very racist
Sir, with all you respect, please walk away from this conversation. The only ethnicity and culture I claim (and this is true for the majority of Mexicans) is Mexican (and American - as I have dual citizenship). This wouldn't change even if I took a genetic test that told me my ancestry was 100% Iberian. I would still be Mexican through and through. My paternal ancestors have been in the American for hundreds of years, and my maternal line goes back thousands according to my mitochondrial DNA. Either way, far removed from the modern entity that is Spain, as my Spanish ancestors were most likely Christian moors and cryptic Jews. Both unwanted and prosecuted in the Spain of yesteryear. I'm not sure why I would want to claim a place that hunted down my ancestors.
Also, Mestizo, in Mexican context does not mean 50% and 50%. Mexicans are what ware called multigenerational mixed peoples, and within the same family you can have someone that is 70% European, rest indigenous, part African...and someone that is 60% indigenous, rest European. They are BOTH mestizo.
Sir, with all you respect, please walk away from this conversation. The only ethnicity and culture I claim (and this is true for the majority of Mexicans) is Mexican (and American - as I have dual citizenship). This wouldn't change even if I took a genetic test that told me my ancestry was 100% Iberian. I would still be Mexican through and through. My paternal ancestors have been in the American for hundreds of years, and my maternal line goes back thousands according to my mitochondrial DNA. Either way, far removed from the modern entity that is Spain, as my Spanish ancestors were most likely Christian moors and cryptic Jews. Both unwanted and prosecuted in the Spain of yesteryear. I'm not sure why I would want to claim a place that hunted down my ancestors.
Also, Mestizo, in Mexican context does not mean 50% and 50%. Mexicans are what ware called multigenerational mixed peoples, and within the same family you can have someone that is 70% European, rest indigenous, part African...and someone that is 60% indigenous, rest European. They are BOTH mestizo.
Sorry , it is what you say, and the proof? Christian moors? what race is that? please. Also nobody in mexico are 70 european like eva Longoria, you are lying, mostly are indigenous people
To give specific examples: Caribbean hispanics like beans and rice, pork....they listen to fast, rhythmic salsa and merengue music. Dominicans and Cubans play baseball.
Mexicans have a corn-based diet such as taco, tortillas,.....and listen to Norteno, cowboy music which is very different than salsa or merengue (slower lyrics, with accordians) or Mariachi music (trumpets, guitars, and violins.) Also, if you see a Virgin Mary of Guadalupe figure in a home or car (with a starburst radiating around it), you can be sure the owner is specifically of Mexican descent. Mesican-American young men like "low-rider" cars.
Mexicans are indigenous people, only a few are White and a mix of spaniards, those you see on tv.
Few spaniards go to mexico , and after 500 years blood is diluted, is not the mix that you think, mexican people like and want to claim spanish blood that they don´t have.
Mexican people are 150 millions ,only thousands spaniards went to mexico .
People from spain go to Argentina, Uruguay, Brasil, Venezuela and Mexico too, but in recent times.
I have family of Chinese heritage from Northern Mexico, where it is not rare to find Asian heritage Mexicans. My whole Mexican family is a rainbow of colors.
In my office alone, there is a Mexican who is pure Native American (Mixteco), a Mexican woman of Italian-French heritage, and a red-headed Mexican with a Middle Eastern last name.
Some of you live in a cave and need to get out more.
The question is too vague. There are too many differences to list between Mexicans from Oaxaca and Mexicans from Durango, let alone between Dominicans, Panamanians, and Argentines.
Latin America is extremely diverse. Parts of Central Mexico and Northern Colombia have been influenced by Arab culture (Shakira is an of Arab ancestry, for instance). Parts of Peru have been influenced by Chinese culture. The Caribbean is heavily influenced by African culture, whereas Africans have had virtually no influence on Chile at all. Some countries like Bolivia embrace their indigenous roots, while other countries like Argentina try to white-wash, hide, and stifle indigenous culture. Uruguay has been influenced more by Italian culture than Spanish culture. German immigrants have influenced the culture in Northern Mexico. Cuba's culture is unique because of its government and its relationship with the rest of the world. I could go on and on, but essentially South and Central America are just as culturally diverse as Europe.
To give specific examples: Caribbean hispanics like beans and rice, pork....they listen to fast, rhythmic salsa and merengue music. Dominicans and Cubans play baseball.
Mexicans have a corn-based diet such as taco, tortillas,.....and listen to Norteno, cowboy music which is very different than salsa or merengue (slower lyrics, with accordians) or Mariachi music (trumpets, guitars, and violins.) Also, if you see a Virgin Mary of Guadalupe figure in a home or car (with a starburst radiating around it), you can be sure the owner is specifically of Mexican descent. Mesican-American young men like "low-rider" cars.
Cuban-Americans vote more Republican.
In Texas it is pretty common for Mexican-Americans to vote Republican.
Mexicans have also been at the forefront of punk, rock, alternative, and skateboarding culture for many years.
Its not good to live off of Hollywood movies about East L.A. lol
Not sure what forum within C-D.com to place this thread within. I was going to place it in the “World” Forums, under the “Americas” sub-forum; then I thought of the “Great Debates” Forum (though it is not a debate I am seeking or starting . . . per se); then I thought of the “Politics and Other Controversies” (though it is not really a political question I am asking but rather a cultural or sociological or social psychological question); then I thought of the “Psychology” Forum. In the end, I am asking this question in this forum, for there doesn’t appear to be a particular forum devoted to or reasonably encompassing of discussing what might be called “Ethnicity” or “Intercultural Differences” (i.e., differences between different cultures or nationality groups).
My question(s) is about WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN CULTURE, THINKING, AND WAYS-OF-LIFE of the varied nationality populations that make up what in the United States is often called the “Hispanic” or “Latino” peoples (with my focus here being ONLY on those who are Spanish-speaking peoples)?
It has been said by many who are Spanish-speaking from Central America, Latin America, the Caribbean, or South America that using terms like “Hispanic” or “Latin/Latinos” to lump them ALL together into a common culture and mindset (like is often done in the United States at-large) is viewed by them as a kind of generalization or sweeping description for all folks from the lands south of the continental United States and that they don’t particularly like this or don’t refer to or think of themselves in this manner.
We in the United States often enough do the same thing with the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa (i.e., Black Africa) and the peoples of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, et al) and the peoples of East Asia (China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Japan, Vietnam, the Koreas, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, et al), although it seems as though we tend to go to greater lengths to differentiate them from one-another. And we do well-enough differentiate between the Caucasian European peoples (British, Scottish, Irish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Danes, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, Greek, et al).
So the main question I have (just to educate myself to better understand the differences in culture, behavior, and practices or ways-of-thinking of the different Spanish-speaking peoples of the Americas (out of pure intellectual interest . . . with no agenda or anything else behind my question but just a sociological or social psychological type of scholarly interest) is: How would you describe the similarities and differences between the different Spanish-speaking peoples of the Western Hemisphere that distinguish them from one another most distinctly? That is, how would one recognize distinct differences in cultural practices and ways, music, diet, traditions, religion and belief systems, etc. etc. etc. that a person could recognize to say to themselves “Now that is Dominican and that is Mexican and that is Puerto Rican . . .” and so on?
For instance, I see others over the course of time within C-D.com speak of different neighborhoods within New York City (e.g., Inwood, Washington Heights, the different sub-neighborhoods within the greater South Bronx, Jackson Heights, Corona, etc.) or in other states (e.g., Florida, Arizona, Texas) or other cities (e.g., Chicago, Los Angeles) as being characterized as having a distinct character and makeup which they label as being representative or indicative of any one of the following Spanish-speaking peoples:
Or, when I watch a Spanish-language TV station in the United States such as Univision, is the overall content of that station representative of Spanish-speaking or Latino culture at-large? Or, instead, does it distinctly represent one particular group (such as one of those 18 Spanish-speaking nationality groups mentioned above)?
Please help me to understand the commonly-shared traits and cultures and then also the differences that distinguish these different Spanish-speaking nationality groups from one another. For each of them tend to ALL say that they are different and should not be lumped together into a common category such as “Hispanic” or “Latin/Latino” as a sweeping generalization for all of them.
Don't read too much into the term "Latino/hispanic". It means nothing. That is a list of 18 unrelated countries. It would be too tedious to go through all the differences.
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