Essay On Mexican American Culture

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The phrase Hispanic is most often used to designate people of Latino and Spanish descent. In all actuality, the term Hispanic is an extensive classification of people originating from over 20 countries in Central and South America. Mexico on the other hand is located in the southern part of North America in the western hemisphere. It is the third largest Latin American country in the world bordered by the United States in the North, Guatemala and Belize in the South, the Pacific Ocean in the West and the Caribbean Sea in the South East. Mexico has a vivacious culture, a rich history, and is surprisingly, ethnically diverse.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica “People of Indian/Spanish heritage (mestizo) are estimated to account for 50 to 60 percent of the population of Mexico. Indians are from 25 to 30 percent, Caucasians from 9 to 15 percent, and Africans are a very small part of the population. These estimates of racial groupings are tenuous at best because Mexicans do not characterize themselves in racial terms. Groups are defined culturally so that the term "mestizo" means someone who is culturally Mexican in language, dress, and perspective. Someone who does not speak Spanish but speaks an Indian dialect and dresses in traditional Indian wear would be considered Indian, even if that individual were …show more content…

One of those rituals is “The Lasso”, which is a very long cord or extra long rosary beads, that are placed in a figure eight shape around the couple right after they say their vows. This ritual is a symbol that represents the eternal ties of marriage. The second most important ritual is the presentation of the “arras”, which are thirteen gold coins presented to the bride by her groom. The gold coins symbolize trust and security, a promise that the groom will care for her financially for the rest of her

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