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Originally Posted by AuntieMame;
Weren't they in the US prior to the white man?
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Ummm... no.
First, Indigenous Mexicans -- Mayans, Aztecs, did not extend to present day United States. I think the real indigenous of the American Southwest would take offense to Mayans and Aztecs claiming to be "the originals" in the area.
Second, "Mexico" as an entity extended into the US only after the Spanish (white men) claimed the territory (more than they could obviously truly hope to "own") into the US.
When the American Southwest became "American," the "Mexicans" (who as a group had only existed for as long as the Spanish arrived in the new world) that lived in that territory became American. Today, only about 9% of the Mexican descent people in the US can claim heritage associated with those Mexicans who found themselves on the good side of the border way back when control changed hands. The rest? Well, they can claim entitlement based on land claims of the Spanish Empire, but most do not buy it.
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