Indigenous Mexican Americans

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Indigenous Mexican Americans
Total population
1,475,436 [1]
Regions with significant populations
California, Texas, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada
Languages
American English, Spanish, Mixtecan languages and other Mesoamerican languages
Religion
Christianity, Mesoamerican religion
Related ethnic groups
Native Americans in the United States

Indigenous Mexican Americans or Mexican American Indians are American citizens who are descended from the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Indigenous Mexican-Americans usually speak an Indigenous language as their first language and may not speak either Spanish or English. Indigenous Mexican-Americans may or may not identify as "Hispanic" or "Latino". While some identify as Mexican and Indigenous, others instead solely identify with their Indigenous nation/community/culture.

Contents

Demographics

California is home to a large and growing population of Indigenous people of Mexican birth or descent. 200,000 people in the state are descended from one or more of Mexico's over 60 Indigenous groups. [2] Many of these Indigenous Mexican-Americans hail from the indigenous people of Oaxaca, with California being home to between 100,000 and 150,000 indigenous Oaxacans. 50,000 are estimated to be Mixtec, an indigenous people from the La Mixteca region of Western Oaxaca and nearby portions of Puebla and Guerrero. [3]

Discrimination

Most Mexicans who identify as Mestizo, have very large amounts of Indigenous ancestry. Despite this they are culturally assimilated into mestizaje and therefore do not identify culturally or politically Indigenous peoples of Mexico. They are generally not part of an Indigenous community, and do not have the same experiences as people who are culturally and politically Indigenous. There is both cultural mestizaje, which includes people of colour of any race who are not culturally indigenous, and there is racial mestizaje which generally means someone is mixed race of both Indigenous and European ancestry.

Within cultural mestizaje there is anti-Amerindian racism based on appearance, which affects both culturally Indigenous and culturally Mestizo people who visibly look Amerindian. There is also ethnicity-based discrimination in which cultural Mestizos discriminate against people who are culturally Indigenous and are unassimilated into mestizaje. Amerindian ancestry and being culturally Indigenous are often conflated and while they certainly do overlap quite a bit, they are not always the same. And while most Indigenous peoples of the Americas are racialized as Amerindian, there are valid culturally Indigenous people of the Americas who present as other races (white, black or Asian) due to Amerindian tribes mixing wing people from the Eastern Hemisphere post-contact.

The slur "Oaxaquita" ("Little Oaxacan") is a derogatory term that is used by Spanish-speaking Mexican-Americans against Indigenous Mexican-Americans. The term carries the connotation that being from Oaxaca is negative and is often also used against any Mexican-American who is short or fat. The slur "indito" ("little Indian") is also used against Indigenous Mexican-Americans. Indigenous Mexican-Americans have been subjected to ridicule, derision, stereotyping, teasing, bullying, and other forms of discrimination and abuse by non-Indigenous Mexican-Americans. Additionally discrimination against indigenous people can come from those who have assimilated by adopting the Spanish or English languages, despite largely indigenous ancestry, who look down upon Indigenous people who have preserved their language and culture. Dynamics of racism and discrimination that exist within Mexico also exist within Mexican-American immigrant communities. [4]

Discrimination against indigenous Oaxacan and Mixtec people can also come from Mexican-Americans who, although also coming from an Indigenous Mexican background, have stopped speaking a Mixtecan or other Indigenous language. Those who have assimilated by adopting the Spanish or English languages may look down upon Indigenous people who have preserved their language and culture. [5]

In clandestinely recorded audio leaked to the public, erstwhile president of the Los Angeles City Council Nury Martinez, a mestiza, mocked the Oaxacan community in Koreatown, saying "I see a lot of little short dark people there," whom she described as ugly. [6] She stepped down from her position as city council president and faced wide calls to resign from the city council. [7]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Mexico</span>

With a population of about 129 million in 2022, Mexico is the 10th most populated country in the world. It is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world and the third-most populous country in the Americas after the United States and Brazil. Throughout most of the 20th century Mexico's population was characterized by rapid growth. Although this tendency has been reversed and average annual population growth over the last five years was less than 1%, the demographic transition is still in progress; Mexico still has a large youth cohort. The most populous city in the country is the capital, Mexico City, with a population of 8.9 million (2016), and its metropolitan area is also the most populated with 20.1 million (2010). Approximately 50% of the population lives in one of the 55 large metropolitan areas in the country. In total, about 78.84% of the population of the country lives in urban areas, and only about 21.16% in rural ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oaxaca</span> State of the United Mexican States

Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the Federative Entities of the United Mexican States. It is divided into 570 municipalities, of which 418 are governed by the system of usos y costumbres with recognized local forms of self-governance. Its capital city is Oaxaca de Juárez.

<i>Mestizo</i> Spanish term to denote a person with mixed European and non-European indigenous ancestry

Mestizo is a person of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry in the Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ancestors are indigenous. The term was used as an ethno-racial exonym for mixed-race castas that evolved during the Spanish Empire. It was a formal label for individuals in official documents, such as censuses, parish registers, Inquisition trials, and others. Priests and royal officials might have classified persons as mestizos, but individuals also used the term in self-identification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixtec</span> Ethnic group

The Mixtecs, or Mixtecos, are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico inhabiting the region known as La Mixteca of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as La Montaña Region and Costa Chica Regions of the state of Guerrero. The Mixtec culture was the main Mixtec civilization, which lasted from around 1500 BC until being conquered by the Spanish in 1523.

<i>Zambo</i> Persons of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry

Zambo or Sambu is a racial term historically used in the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed Indigenous and African ancestry. Occasionally in the 21st century, the term is used in the Americas to refer to persons who are of mixed African and Indigenous American ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexicans</span> Citizens of the United Mexican States

Mexicans are the citizens and nationals of the United Mexican States.

Mixtec transnational migration is the phenomenon whereby Mixtec people have migrated between Mexico and the United States, for over three generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous peoples of Mexico</span> Populations existing prior to the arrival of the Spanish

Indigenous peoples of Mexico, Native Mexicans or Mexican Native Americans, are those who are part of communities that trace their roots back to populations and communities that existed in what is now Mexico before the arrival of Europeans.

The Ladino people are a mix of mestizo or Hispanicized peoples in Latin America, principally in Central America. The demonym Ladino is a Spanish word that is related to Latino. Ladino is an exonym initially used during the colonial era to refer to those Spanish-speakers who were not Peninsulares, Criollos or indigenous peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Central America</span>

Central America is a subregion of the Americas formed by six Latin American countries and one (officially) Anglo-American country, Belize. As an isthmus it connects South America with the remainder of mainland North America, and comprises the following countries : Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chileans</span> People identified with the country of Chile

Chileans are an ethnic group native to the country of Chile and its neighboring insular territories. Most Chileans share a common culture, history, ancestry and language. The overwhelming majority of Chileans are the product of varying degrees of admixture between European ethnic groups with peoples indigenous to Chile's modern territory. Chile is a multilingual and multicultural society, but an overwhelming majority of Chileans have Spanish as their first language and either are Christians or have a Christian cultural background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelota mixteca</span> Mexican team sport

Pelota mixteca is a team sport similar to a net-less tennis game. The players wear sturdy, elaborately decorated gloves affixed to a heavy flat striking surface, using them to strike a small solid ball. The game has roots extending back hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of years.

White Mexicans are individuals in Mexico who identify as white, often due to their physical appearance or their recognition of European ancestry. The Mexican government conducts ethnic censuses that allow individuals to identify as "White," but the specific results of these censuses are not made public. Instead, the government releases data on the percentage of "light-skinned Mexicans" in the country, which was 47% in 2010 and increased to 49% in 2017. The term "Light-skinned Mexican" is preferred by both the government and media to describe individuals in Mexico who possess European physical traits when discussing ethno-racial dynamics. However, "White Mexican" is still used at times

San Juan Achiutla is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 49.76 km2. It is located in a mountain range, between the hills Negro to the East, Yucuquise to the Northwest, Cuate to the North and Totolote to the South. It is crossed by the river Los Sabinos and has a dam called Cahuayande. Its weather is temperate. It is in the Mixteca Alta, one of the three parties that make up the Mixteca region and in the Mixteca Alta is part of what was Achiutla, the significant Prehispanic place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous people of Oaxaca</span>

The Indigenous people of Oaxaca are descendants of the inhabitants of what is now the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, who were present before the Spanish invasion. Several cultures flourished in the ancient region of Oaxaca from as far back as 2000 BC, of whom the Zapotecs and Mixtecs were perhaps the most advanced, with complex social organization and sophisticated arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Oaxaca</span>

The state of Oaxaca, Mexico has a total population of about 3.5 million, with women outnumbering men by 150,000 and about 60% of the population under the age of 30. It is ranked tenth in population in the country. Fifty three percent of the population lives in rural areas. Most of the state’s population growth took place between 1980 and 1990. Life expectancy is 71.7 for men and 77.4 for women, just under the national average. Births far outpace deaths. In 2007, there were 122,579 births and 19,439 deaths. Approximately 85% profess the Catholic faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Race and ethnicity in Latin America</span>

There is no single system of races or ethnicities that covers all modern Latin America, and usage of labels may vary substantially.

In Mexico, the term mestizo is used to refer to an identity of those of mixed European and Indigenous Mexican descent. Some believe it can be defined by criteria ranging from ideological and cultural to self-identification, genetic ancestry, or physical appearance. According to these criteria, estimates of the number of mestizos in Mexico vary from about 40 percent of the population to over 90% who do not belong to the country's culturally indigenous minorities. A survey done by Latinobarometro in 2018 found that around 58% of Mexicans self-identify as mestizos when asked about their race, and another survey by Cohesión Social found that over 70% of Mexicans identified as mixed-race. Some genetic studies have claimed that mestizos make up over 93% of Mexico's present-day population, but this is disputed, with many Mexicans, including those of mixed ancestry, identifying more with static racial labels such as "white" or "indigenous" rather than mestizo, and a large number simply identifying as "Mexican," rejecting racialized labels.

Pasatono Orquesta (Orchestra) is an eight-member ensemble of ethnomusicologists dedicated to rescuing and performing traditional Oaxacan music, especially that of the Mixtec region, and to promote it by adding more modern arrangements and influences. It was founded by three Oaxacan students at the Escuela Nacional de Música in Mexico City, who found that their traditional music was not taught at the school. They have been promoted by Lila Downs, have released four albums, and have toured the United States, playing in venues such as Lincoln Center in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In Mexico, they have played in venues in Mexico City and Oaxaca, as well as the Festival Internacional Cervantino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixtec culture</span> Pre-Hispanic archaeological culture

The Mixtec culture was a pre-hispanic archaeological culture, corresponding to the ancestors of the Mixtec people; they called themselves ñuu Savi, which means "people or nation of the rain". It had its first manifestations in the Mesoamerican Middle Preclassic period and ended with the Spanish conquest in the first decades of the 16th century. The historical territory of this people is the area known as La Mixteca, a mountainous region located between the current Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca, and Guerrero.

References

  1. "Supplementary Tables on Race and Hispanic Origin: 2020 Census Redistricting Data: 2020" (PDF). census.gov.
  2. CENGEL, KATYA (June 25, 2013). "The Other Mexicans". National Geographic. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. Kresge, Lisa. Indigenous Oaxacan Communities in California: An Overview (PDF) (Report). California Institute for Rural Studies. Retrieved June 1, 2019 via Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders.
  4. Esquivel, Paloma (May 28, 2012). "Epithet that divides Mexicans is banned by Oxnard school district". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  5. "The Declining Use of the Mixtec Language Among Oaxacan Migrants and Stay-at-Homes: The Persistence of Memory, Discrimination, and Social Hierarchies of Power" (PDF). Center for Comparative Immigration Studies. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  6. Zahniser, David; Wick, Julia; Oreskes, Benjamin; Smith, Dakota; Arellano, Gustavo (October 9, 2022). "Racist remarks in leaked audio of L.A. council members spark outrage, disgust". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  7. Gomez, Melissa (October 11, 2022). "For Oaxacans in L.A., city councilmembers racist remarks cut deep". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.