are there alot of wealthy, established, several generation american hispanics in new mexico? (Taos: crime, attorney)
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in northern cities like chicago and milwaukee, a large portion of the hispanic community is made up of new immigrants (or illegal immigrants) that are mostly lower-class, speak poor english, and tend to congregate in their own neighborhoods and don't really interact with german or english-americans. Conversily, many english and german americans are afraid of these latinos and think they are criminal scum that is invading their land.
Is this differant in say, santa fe or albequerque? i am assuming that these cities were thriving latino urban centers even before they ever became part of the USA. Therefore i would assume that these new mexican cities have many hispanics that are 7th or 8th generation state residents, manage banks, law firms, own stocks, run the police forces and city halls and live in prestigious neighborhoods. not knowing much about new mexico, i do realize that many northern white americans are migrating to sunbelt states like new mexico, and i might even assume that the old hispanic establishment in new mexican cities views these anglo/german-american migrants as "scum who want to steal our land"
is it that way in new mexico? are hispanics the backbone of the state's institutions, wealth and high culture? do 7th generation hispanics get along well with northern anglo-migrants? or is new mexico just like milwaukee where most hispanics are ghettoized and impovrished?
a few other thoughts....
1) are there alot of new mexican hispanics that are descended directly from spanish european conquistadors? i mean, do alot of hispanics look completely european/white, vote republican, live in mansions, eat t-bone steaks, but have last names like gomez or montoya?
2) were cities like albequerque around 100% latino/spanish before northern whites starting moving down to the sunbelt in the 80s?
3) what groups make up most of the lower-class in new mexican cities? are the poor neighborhoods split between hispanics, anglo-whites and natives? is there any ghettoization at all of older-stock hispanics in new mexicoor are they evenly spread throughout all areas of the cities down there?
basically i want to know anything at all about how being hispanic is differant in new mexico from any other state
The hispanics here are American citizens,your average everyday type people, there arnt that many wealthy hispanics but at the same time there arnt that many wealthy people at all in NM. There are plenty of Hispanics with money just not wealthy.
They are lawyers,business owners,car salesman,judges,city leaders,cops,teachers and they work in every line of work there is.
There is also the poorer hispanics but New Mexico is a poor state so there are many poor people that are White and Native American also.
There are hispanics neighborhoods but those are mostly Mexicans and most towns have a Mexican side of town and the Spanish just live everywhere in town.
I say if your a good person then it dont matter where you came from or your skin color or belifs, most people will accept you for who you are.
North From Mexico by Carey McWilliams is like a Wealth of information about the Spanish or the Hispanics or the Chicano it can be Confusing but the Book when i first picked it up for 29 dollars about 5 years ago has a Wealth of information about the True History of the Southwest and not what we have been led to believe in todays westerns and media. It talks about all the Contributions of the Spanish, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and how much was paid for over half of Mexico and the Los Angeles riots and the Open Season on Mexicans even the Texas Rangers could shoot them on sight. One Texan was Asked how many notches he had on his Gun and he Replied 20 not including Mexicans. KID TIP... by reading this book you will know more about the Spanish then they know about their own Culture. On some Cultures we know about them going back to when they were Monkeys but the Spanish dont know their History going back 100 years and the books with the True History of the Spanish are Very Rare. el pintada kid
First I have to say as an hispanic resident of Chicago who happens to be from Albuquerque I know many hispanics in Chicago who are professionals; teachers, doctors, etc. I also have to say that I was never aware of these feelings towards hispanics from "english and german americans". Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the majority of the hispanics in Chicago are recent (beginning in the 20th Century) transplants to Chicago, and they come from mostly Latin American countries - mostly from Mexico and Puerto Rico. In my opinion, most of the newer arrivals seem to be very hard working laborers, cooks, service industry employees, etc.
On the other hand, many (if not most) of the hispanics who live in Albuquerque and Santa Fe are decendants from families that settled in Northern New Mexico during Spanish rule (for the first 200 years of European occupation of that area - est:1607 to 1820), some of the hispanics are decendants from Mexican settlers during the short 20 year Mexican ownership of the area (est:1820 to 1840), and still other hispanics came later from Latin America and other parts of the U.S., during the last 160 years of U.S. ownership (est:1840 to the present).
Being an hispanic whose family settled in Northern New Mexico during Spanish rule, an hispanic who watched parents and grandparents follow traditions that were alien to most transplants from Mexico. My parents and grandparents, and my friends' parents and grandparents spoke a form of Spanish that was slightly different than that of people from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.
Most of us growing up in New Mexico, with that history didn't completely relate to Spain because we were too removed from the archaic colonial period when our ancestors who were Spanish citizens moved into the area. We didn't relate to Mexico, although we are constantly called "Mexicans", because Mexican ownership meant supply caravans from Mexico City twice a year for a short 20 year period more than 160 years ago. Not all Northern New Mexicans feel this way, but many do.
Throughout the long history of the hispanic in New Mexico, there has been much inter-marriage and cultural mixing, so that there are white, European looking hispanics, Native American looking hispanics, Mexican looking hispanics, black, African American looking hispanics.
So to answer your question, I think the 20th Century hispanic in Albuquerque and Santa Fe come in a variable mix of human colors, races, etc.
I know this is a very long post, but I think the more informed you are the less likely you are to make sweeping generalizations that tend to alienate people.
The following excerpt from Wikipedia (relatively reliable - as the excerpt is pretty accurate) will give you a little insite to the hispanic in New Mexico, or "Hispano", and the difference between "Hispanos" and more recent hispanic arrivals from Latin America:
Hispano or Indo-Hispano (Spanish: estadounidenses de origen español, from Spanish: adj. suffix Hispano- relating to Spain, from Latin: Hispānus).
Hispanos was a name given to people of colonial Spanish descent in the United States who retained a predominantly Spanish culture. The distinction was made to compensate for flawed U.S. Census practices in the 1930s which used to characterize Hispanic people as non-white [1]. Though the word could describe anyone of Spanish descent [2], it is specifically used to refer to Hispanic Americans who live in Southwestern United States which was formerly a province of New Spain then a province of Mexico. They are mostly descendants of Spanish settlers (with Basques), Mexicans who arrived during the Mexican colonial period, and Mestizos of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. Many Hispanos differentiate themselves culturally from Mexican Americans who arrived in the Southwest after the Mexican Revolution.[2][3]
Hispano populations include Californios in California, Tejanos in Texas and "Hispanos" in New Mexico. While having integrated into mainstream American societies, Hispanos have retained much of their colonial Southwestern culture, having absorbed several American Indian traditions. Many of whom, especially among younger generations, identify more with the mainstream and may understand little or no Spanish. Most of them are Roman Catholic Christians.
Thanks for your post. My family has been in this area since the late 1500s. I find it funny that many whose families came over with the conquistadors still call themselves Spanish. As you said, there has been so much "fooling around" with other ethicities, no one can call themselves that. Since Santa Fe was the end of the Santa Fe Trail, many travelers of various ethnicities came to SF in the 1800s. I am constantly told I look Jewish and there was (and still is) a prominent Jewish presence.
Because someone doesn't speak the language does not mean they are illigals, as many have said, you need to learn to write as well, does this make you an illigal?
Now, to answer your question, I know many Hispanics in NM that are from old, well established families and yes, many have money.. OUr grandson in law comes from one of those families. His grandparents have lived in NM for generations.
Like any state, on a border, you will see some who are illigal and many who, maybe have lived in the state of generations but still do not speak English or do not think they should have to work for a living..This certainly is not the majority...
Because someone doesn't speak the language does not mean they are illigals, as many have said, you need to learn to write as well, does this make you an illigal?
Now, to answer your question, I know many Hispanics in NM that are from old, well established families and yes, many have money.. OUr grandson in law comes from one of those families. His grandparents have lived in NM for generations.
Like any state, on a border, you will see some who are illigal and many who, maybe have lived in the state of generations but still do not speak English or do not think they should have to work for a living..This certainly is not the majority...
Nita
What happened to that requirement for knowing at least a little English for the citizenship test? Did that get thrown out?
The hispanics with long long roots in the USA know English. It's the new arrivals that don't.
Oddly enough, I understand the OP and what they're searching for in the post.
Here in TN, most and I do mean the majority of hispanics are NOT monied people. They typically live several to a house and recieve services from the state. The health departments and WIC offices are so full, hearing english spoken by someone other than the employee is somewhat startling. Many are illegal. There have been several documented cases of businesses being shut down due to the high level of illegals on the payroll, as well as some horrific accidents all because of bogus papers. Hispanic people do not socialize with many outside their own groups, although most of the hispanic people i've spoken to here have been very pleasant. Do we as southerners give off disapproving vibes? Outward hatred and censure? Lumping all hispanics into the illegal genre just because of their nationality? I don't know.
I can tell you, I hear MUCH more spanish here than I did in NM. And like i've said before, people are people are people in my experience in NM, here we're still very much segregated.
So if the OP is in an area like this, their concept of "What are people like in NM?" may truely be as skewed as mine was prior to the visit.
The New Comers whoever they are cant learn English overnight but they try. Its Difficult to learn a Language. Take Spanish for Instance some people have lived here for several Hundred years and still havent learned more then a Couple of Words. el pintada kid
The New Comers whoever they are cant learn English overnight but they try. Its Difficult to learn a Language. Take Spanish for Instance some people have lived here for several Hundred years and still havent learned more then a Couple of Words. el pintada kid
I guarantee that no one in NM has lived there for several hundred years.
You are correct, we have no one resident here that is 400 years old. However, we do have families that trace their roots back to the late 1500's. And sorry, the Native American population certainly does go back 100's of years.
Oddly enough, I understand the OP and what they're searching for in the post.
Here in TN, most and I do mean the majority of hispanics are NOT monied people. They typically live several to a house and recieve services from the state. The health departments and WIC offices are so full, hearing english spoken by someone other than the employee is somewhat startling. Many are illegal. There have been several documented cases of businesses being shut down due to the high level of illegals on the payroll, as well as some horrific accidents all because of bogus papers. Hispanic people do not socialize with many outside their own groups, although most of the hispanic people i've spoken to here have been very pleasant. Do we as southerners give off disapproving vibes? Outward hatred and censure? Lumping all hispanics into the illegal genre just because of their nationality? I don't know.
I can tell you, I hear MUCH more spanish here than I did in NM. And like i've said before, people are people are people in my experience in NM, here we're still very much segregated.
So if the OP is in an area like this, their concept of "What are people like in NM?" may truely be as skewed as mine was prior to the visit.
THANK YOU!!! at least someone understands what i meant in my post!!
to all the rest....you bleeding heart liberals who brand everyone who mentions that word "race" as a nazi and deny that there are any racial divisions in america or animousity between races are ridiculous. honestly, i am a huge democrat/left-winger, but everytime i meet or talk to another liberal, it seriously drives me that much closer to being a proud white Christian, no-nonsense, diversity-hating conservative....yep, im gonna be a republican just to spite whiney overly-sensitive liberals
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