Mexican American

The ethnonym Mexican American describes United States citizens of Mexican ancestry (14 million in 2003) and Mexican citizens who reside in the US (10 million in 2003). According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in mid 2001, 4.5 million Mexicans were residing illegally in the United States. Mexican Americans account for 64% of the Hispanic or Latino population of the United States. Settlement concentration is mostly in the Southwestern part of the United States, however, there are isolated concentration of Mexican-Americans near the Chicago area and in mostly rural areas in Florida and North Carolina.

Culture

The proximity of the two countries, a continuous influx of new arrivals, concentration in predominantly Mexican barrios and colonias and Spanish-language media enable Mexican Americans to maintain ties with relatives in Mexico and the Spanish language to a degree not possible for other immigrant groups with their respective countries of origin and native tongues.

Related Topics:
Barrios - Colonias - Spanish - Native tongues

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Music

Tejano music is a unique musical style developed by Mexican-Americans in Texas. Tejano is a blend of traditional Mexican forms such as the corrido and Continental European styles introduced by German and Czech settlers.

Related Topics:
Tejano music - Corrido - Continental Europe - German - Czech

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Rock music has had its share of Mexican-American artists, Los Lobos,Richie Valens, War, Tierra, The Iguanas, Suzanne Vega, Linda Ronstadt, Santana, The Plugz, and Los Cruzados to name a few.

Related Topics:
Los Lobos - Richie Valens - War - Tierra - The Iguanas - Suzanne Vega - Linda Ronstadt - Santana - The Plugz - Los Cruzados

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Theater, Film & Television

George Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Salma Hayek , Ricardo Montalban, and Anthony Quinn are a few of the many actors in the United States.

Related Topics:
George Lopez - Edward James Olmos - Salma Hayek - Ricardo Montalban - Anthony Quinn

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Visual Art

Mexican-American, or Chicano Art, is noted for the folk influences from Mexico, characterized by vibrant colors and striking imagery.

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Literature

There is a depth of literature in this community. Authors like Tomás Rivera exemplify the field.

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