Cultural Population. Mexican Heritage. Health Care. – Savvy Essay Writers | savvyessaywriters.net

309

People of Mexican Heritage

Chapter 18

RICK ZOUCHA and CECILIA A. ZAMARRIPA

Overview, Inhabited Localities, and Topography OVERVIEW

People of Mexican heritage are a very diverse group geo- graphically, historically, and culturally and are not easy to describe. Although no specific set of characteristics can fully describe people of Mexican heritage, some common- alities distinguish them as an ethnic group, with many regional variations that reflect subcultures in Mexico and in the United States. A common term used to describe Spanish-speaking populations in the United States, including people of Mexican heritage, is Hispanic. However, the term can be misleading and can encompass many different people clustered together owing to a com- mon heritage and lineage from Spain. Many Hispanic people prefer to be identified by descriptors more specific to their cultural heritage, such as Mexican, Mexican American, Latin American, Spanish American, Chicano, Latino, or Ladino. Therefore, when referring to Mexican Americans, use that phrase instead of Hispanic or Latino (Vázquez, 2001). As a broad ethnic group, people of Mexican heritage often refer to themselves as la raza, which means “the race.” The Spanish word for race has a different meaning than the American interpretation of race. The concept of la raza has brought people together from separate worlds to make families and is about inclu- sion (Vázquez, 2000).

HERITAGE AND RESIDENCE

Mexico, with a population of 107,449,525 (CIA, 2007), is a blend of Spanish white and Indian, Native American,

Middle Eastern, and African. Mexican Americans are descendants of Spanish and other European whites; Aztec, Mayan, and other Central American Indians; and Inca and other South American Indians as well as people from Africa (Schmal & Madrer, 2007). Some individuals can trace their heritage to North American Indian tribes in the southwestern part of the United States.

Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, has a population of over 20 million. Mexico is undergoing rapid changes in business and health-care practices. Undoubtedly, these changes have accelerated and will continue to accelerate with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement as people are more able to move across the border to seek employment and edu- cational opportunities.

Historically, people of Mexican heritage lived on the land that is now known as the southwestern United States for generations, long before the first white settlers came to the territory. By 1853, approximately 80,000 Spanish-speaking settlers lived in the area lost by Mexico during the Texas Rebellion, the Mexican War, and the Gadsden Purchase. After the northern part of Mexico was annexed to the United States, the settlers were not offi- cially considered immigrants but were often viewed as foreigners by incoming white Americans. By 1900, Mexican Americans numbered approximately 200,000. However, during the “Great Migration” between 1900 and 1930, an additional 1 million Mexicans entered the United States. This may have been the greatest immigra- tion of people in the history of humanity (Library of Congress, 2005).

Hispanics, the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States, include over 35.3 million people, or 13.2 percent of the population. Fifty-eight percent are of Mexican heritage, with an increase from 13.5 million in

FABK017-C18[309-324].qxd 12/12/2007 10:45am Page 309 Aptara Inc.

© 2008 F A Davis

1990 to 20.6 million in 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Mexican Americans reside predominantly in California, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, and Colorado. However, the major concentration of Mexican Americans, totaling over 18 million, are found in the southern and western portions of the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Ninety percent of Mexican Americans live in urban areas such as San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Houston, whereas less than 10 percent reside in rural areas.

REASONS FOR MIGRATION AND ASSOCIATED ECONOMIC FACTORS

Historically, many Mexicans left Mexico during the Mexican Revolution to seek political, religious, and eco- nomic freedoms (Congress, 2005). Following the Mexican Revolution, strict limits were placed on the Catholic Church, and until recently, clerics were not allowed to wear their church garb in public. For many, this restricted the expression of faith and was a minor factor in their immigration north to the United States (Meyer & Beezley, 2000). Since the “Great Migration,” limited employment opportunities in Mexico, especially in rural areas, has encouraged Mexicans to migrate to the United States as sojourners or immigrants or with undoc- umented status; the latter are often derogatorily referred to as wetbacks (majodos) by the white and Mexican American populations.

Of undocumented immigrants in the United States, an estimated 6 million are from Mexico (Van Hook, Bean, & Passel, 2005). Before the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans crossed the border, found jobs, and settled in the United States. Although the numbers have decreased since 1986, border towns in Texas and California still experience large influxes of Mexicans seeking improved employment and educational opportunities. The tide of illegal immigration to the United States has increased, as evidenced by the apprehension of Mexicans attempting to enter the United States annually, with estimates of 250,000 to 300,000 peo- ple entering illegally (Passel, 2004).

Even though the economy of Mexico has grown, the buying power of the peso has decreased and inflation rates have increased faster than wages; thus, 43 percent of the population continues to live in poverty (CIA, 2007). Recent Mexican immigrants are more likely to live in poverty, more pessimistic about their future, and less edu- cated than previous immigrants. Many Mexicans are among the very poor, with little hope of improving their economic status. Between the years 1999 and 2000 in the United States, the poverty rate for Hispanics was 22.6 per- cent (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001).

EDUCATIONAL STATUS AND OCCUPATIONS

Many second- and third-generation Mexican Americans have significant job skills and education. By contrast, many, especially newer immigrants from rural areas, have poor educational backgrounds and may place lit- tle value on education because it is not needed to

obtain jobs in Mexico. Once in the United States, they initially find work similar to that which they did in their native land, including farming, ranching, mining, oil production, construction, landscaping, and domes- tic jobs in homes, restaurants, and hotels and motels. Economic and educational opportunities in the United States are attainable, which allows immigrants to pur- sue the great American dream of a perceived better life (Kemp, 2001). Many Mexicans and Mexican Americans work as seasonal migrant workers, who may relocate several times each year as they “follow the sun.” Sometimes, their unwillingness or inability to learn English is related to their intent to return to Mexico; however, this may hinder their ability to obtain better paying jobs (Fig. 18–1).

The mean educational level in Mexico is 5 years. Until 1992, Mexican children were required to attend school through the sixth grade, but since the Mexican School Reform Act of 1992, a ninth-grade education is required. However, great strides have been made in educational standards in Mexico, which now reports a 92 percent lit- eracy rate among its population (CIA, 2007). A common practice among parents in poor rural villages is to educate their children in what they need to know. This group often finds immigration to the United States to be their most attractive option. For many Mexicans, high school and a university education is unavailable and, in many cases, unattainable.

Hispanics are the most undereducated ethnic group in the United States, with only 57 percent aged 25 years or older having a high school education, compared with 88.4 percent for non-Hispanic whites. However, that number increased from 43 percent to 57 percent complet- ing high school from 1993 to 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Some migrant worker camps have free or low-cost bilingual educational programs to assist Mexican Americans in learning to read and write in both lan- guages. Only 10.6 percent of Mexican Americans aged 25 years or older have a college degree. However, the number of Hispanics who completed 4 years of college doubled between 1990 and 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001).

310 • CHAPTER 18

FIGURE 18–1 A migrant worker camp on Maryland’s eastern shore. The Sanchez family (discussed in the Case Study on line) lives in such a camp, as do many Mexican American farm workers in the United States.

FABK017-C18[309-324].qxd 12/12/2007 10:45am Page 310 Aptara Inc.

© 2008 F A Davis

Communication DOMINANT LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS

Mexico is one of the largest Spanish-speaking countries in the world, with over 80 million speaking the language. The dominant language of Mexicans and Mexican Americans is Spanish. However, Mexico has 54 indige- nous languages and more than 500 different dialects (Spanish Language, 2007). Knowing the region from which a Mexican American originates may help to iden- tify the language or dialect the individual speaks. For example, major indigenous languages besides Spanish include Nahuatl and Otami, spoken in central Mexico; Mayan, in the Yucatan peninsula; Maya-Quiche, in the state of Chiapas; Zapotec and Mixtec, in…