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Old 01-14-2015, 11:28 AM
 
Location: east coast
2,846 posts, read 2,955,169 times
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I will be traveling to SOCAL for 4 months with an option of relocating. Being from a Caribbean family (Haitian/Jamaican) while growing up in NY/NJ and spending 10 years in Miami, I have been exposed to heavily populated southern American and Caribbean Latino communities/enclaves. These include the "Americanized" southern American/Caribbean Latinos such as the Puerto Rican "Nuyoricans" from the Bronx, the Colombians from Queens, and the Cubans/Venezuelans from Miami. Of course during my travels I have been exposed to different Latin cultures to include Mexicans but I have never lived or even visited the west coast.

Having just moved to the DC area, there are a lot of Central Americans - mostly El Salvadorians in my area. I find that the Central Americans here in DC are generally a bit more reserved, less open to others when they are in groups at social events, and are not as outgoing or flashy as the southern Americans/Caribbean Latinos. However, I find that both culturally and socially, southern Americans, Caribbean Latinos, and even certain countries in the West Indies share similarities to include, dancing, music, style, and are a bit livelier.

Quick story, growing up in NY/NJ, I rarely saw or even knew of Mexicans. The ones that I did see I believe were Aztec and of a darker complexion. But upon meeting a few Mexican male friends through travels in my early years, I came to realize that there are Mexicans with Green eyes, blonde hair, etc. And their Mexican women were drop dead forget about it gorgeous. But still I haven't made it to the west coast so I am curious.

So for someone like me who has mostly lived around the non-Mexican above listed, how would you describe the Mexicans of LA?
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Old 01-14-2015, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Laguna Niguel, Orange County CA
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Mexicans tend to be warm and very nice people. Mexican is a nationality and not a race. They vary in appearance but most have indigenous admixture, often to a significant degree. I don't think Mexicans are very similar to Caribbean cultures, although there is some influence in Mexico.

Puerto Ricans, for example, I find to be much louder than Mexicans.
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Old 01-14-2015, 11:42 AM
 
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Most Mexicans in LA are mestizos or natives, not the blondes you see in telenovelas.
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Old 01-14-2015, 12:03 PM
 
Location: east coast
2,846 posts, read 2,955,169 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howiester View Post
Most Mexicans in LA are mestizos or natives, not the blondes you see in telenovelas.
aah! Thanks for tips. I am sure many think that going in.
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Old 01-14-2015, 12:04 PM
 
Location: east coast
2,846 posts, read 2,955,169 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC View Post
Mexicans tend to be warm and very nice people. Mexican is a nationality and not a race. They vary in appearance but most have indigenous admixture, often to a significant degree. I don't think Mexicans are very similar to Caribbean cultures, although there is some influence in Mexico.

Puerto Ricans, for example, I find to be much louder than Mexicans.
Thanks for the response.
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Old 01-14-2015, 12:49 PM
 
Location: Buena Park, Orange County, California
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Think of Mexicans, culturally, somewhere between the Central Americans you met in D.C. and Cuban/Colombians of Miami. Meaning, for the most part, more reserved than Caribbeans and South Americans (though Bolivans might be similar to Mexicans in this respect), but overall much more inclusive to newcomers than tight niche Central Americans (but, tbh, I don't find the Centro Americanos unwelcoming, reserved yes, but unwelcoming never). Also, the fasting growing Latino population in Los Angeles are actually the Central Americans. They are spread throughout, but the neighborhoods of Westlake, MacArthur Park and Pico/Union (next to DTLA), have become the defacto Little Central America.

In terms of the musical culture, Mexicanos do like their cumbias, salsa and bachata etc., but out West, our history with rock/punk/greaser culture is just as deep (from Carlos Santana to Zack de La Rocha), if not deeper (All Hail Morrissey! LOL). We were there at the beginning of skate culture in Southern California (Tony Alva for example).

Honestly, I can go on and on talking about supposed cultural differences between Mexican/Mexican Americans/Chicanos and other groups. At the end of the day what matters most is to think of people as individuals with their own goals and values, and not just as token representation of a larger group. The Mexican population in California is both historic, large and omnipresent to the point that we have no need to fit into any cultural niche to find community (though, they are around, especially in neighborhoods like Boyle Heights). Also, a good amount of people around here are part-Mexican...and these people come in every shade/mix imaginable.
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Old 01-14-2015, 12:52 PM
 
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Mexicans are for the most part more down to earth and humble working class types. South Americans and Caribbean people are more loud, brash and some can be very cocky. Mexicans share more in common with American culture than most other Latinos; they're religious, blue collar, conservative/traditional and seem "country" in a way, meaning that a lot like ranches, rodeos, cowboy boots, a country type of music (tejano, ranchero, cumbia). They're very connected to the culture of the Southwest.

Caribbean people are more connected to the culture of the East Coast.
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Old 01-14-2015, 12:58 PM
 
10,097 posts, read 9,935,280 times
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Quote:
In terms of the musical culture, Mexicanos do like their cumbias, salsa and bachata etc., but out West, our history with rock/punk/greaser culture is just as deep (from Carlos Santana to Zack de La Rocha), if not deeper (All Hail Morrissey! LOL). We were there at the beginning of skate culture in Southern California (Tony Alva for example).
Yes but that's a very Californian-Mexican American history. In Texas where I grew up, Mexicans are very different. When I moved to LA I was surprised to see that the Mexican American youth were so punkish, rockers, skaters with long hair. Back in Texas the Mexican American style was very Latino, like what you'd find in Miami. They like techno, hip hop, salsa, and dress conservatively or high fashion Cristiano Ronaldo look.

In LA, the look is rebel, punk, metal, reggae, skater, etc.
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Old 01-14-2015, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Buena Park, Orange County, California
1,424 posts, read 2,472,534 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radiolibre99 View Post
Yes but that's a very Californian-Mexican American history. In Texas where I grew up, Mexicans are very different. When I moved to LA I was surprised to see that the Mexican American youth were so punkish, rockers, skaters with long hair. Back in Texas the Mexican American style was very Latino, like what you'd find in Miami. They like techno, hip hop, salsa, and dress conservatively or high fashion Cristiano Ronaldo look.

In LA, the look is rebel, punk, metal, reggae, skater, etc.
Well, the OP does want to know in particular about the Mexican/Latino culture in California, right? ;P

Don't know much about the Texan Mexicans/Tejanos, so interesting to see those differences.

BTW, the punk/rocker/skate culture is something that Californian Mexicans share with Mexicans from Baja California, up to even parallel Ska musical movements (in Tijuana and Orange County). My little brother was a huge skate kid/punker and who grew in Mexicali...that's pretty much what a lot of the kids down there were into. I wonder if there is a parallel between Mexican Tejano culture and the more Norteño culture from Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon?
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Old 01-14-2015, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Buena Park, Orange County, California
1,424 posts, read 2,472,534 times
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Here are some interesting reads on the East LA/Chicano Punk culture:

Tags | Dangerous Minds

https://americansabor.org/musicians/styles/east-la-punk

L.A. punk history is a serious subject - Los Angeles Times

...and from wiki: Chicano rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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