Mexican Diversity: Generalizations Part 1

              I came to a realization that in the USA, where I live and some other countries there are a lot of generalizations of Mexicans and I will name some stereotypes that I commonly hear from other races. I definitely think that it is wrong to apply all Mexican people under this generalized concept ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Most things I hear from other countries regarding Mexican ethnicity or race:

• Mexicans are dark skinned, fat, and short
• Mexicans that are light skinned are only Mexican because they are born in Mexico but they are full spanish otherwise "it's impossible!"
• Anyone who speaks spanish must be Mexican!
• Mexicans take all the jobs
• Mexicans are lazy
• Mexico is a third world country

               Now, I wanted to name these mainly because I always hear these and it's ridiculous to put everyone that lives in Mexico or Mexican Americans under this generalization. 

Mexicans- What race are they?

• Mexican is not a race or an ethnicity, it is a nationality!

           -A race does not describe all Mexicans because we are a varied amount of races! An ethnicity does not describe all Mexicans either because we are of many ethnicities, unknown origins, and some yes some Mexicans are one ethnicity but one ethnicity does not represent us all! Mexicans are people who represent our nation, these are not people who represent one race or one ethnicity!

Breaking the stereotype- 

• "Mexicans are all short, fat, and dark" 

              -I beg to differ, I believe that many stereotypes are formed when they see people who live in poverty, without education, and living a life as opposed to someone who is not ni poverty. I feel a little sad to say this but when there are stereotypes formed about Mexican people it usually comes from seeing a life an immigrant in poverty working to move ahead in life. I don't necessary think this is correct but there is a lot of correlation in Mexico with how dark or how light you are and how your living or how educated you are. I think this is partially true but it is also a stereotype on it's own because not everyone fits this. In Mexico there is a range of races from really dark - really white and I assure you a lot of these people don't care or even feel the need to know of their origins because they see their nationality as their race even their ethnicity as their nationality! People here in the USA are very ignorant and surprised seeing light skinned people who are indeed Mexican. It is first of all ignorant to believe we should fit a certain physique when we derive from one and many more and all that together in races and ethnicity!  I feel the need to point out in Mexico we have a history of immigrants from many to a little of everything Spanish, French, Germans, Japanese, Africans, etc,. etc,. Mexico has a variety of many characteristics all over the whole country! In parts of Mexico there are certain people with certain traits you can only find in those places! As I said there are many people who have different origins! 

1. We have the majority being Ameri-indian/ Spanish 60% which can within the mix itself range depending on genetics. For example an Ameri-indian/ Spanish person can have a dominance of 34% Ameri-indian and 36% Spanish dominance and look dark skinned with European features or the other way around. There is a range of dominance from either ethnicities so not everyone can look one distinct way even in the "60% Ameri-indian/ Spanish."          
2.  Ameri-indian or predominantly Ameri-indian 30% In Mexico there is a range of people from different idigenous cultures many of the original indigenous cultures are extinct but I know in many part specially the Southern part of Mexico there are indigenous cultures who even speak certain dialects and languages. In these indigenous cultures the type of indigenous traces also vary. I think people expect Mexicans to look like their original ancestors who are history now, but that's the thing they are history!
3. White 9% I certainly believe there are people in Mexico who have full European origins or traces but I want to clarify that these people do not feel they belong to these countries but that they belong to Mexico. I believe people should learn this is a place of one and many more races and ethnicities!
4. 1% other Japanese, African, other traces.

I got my information from here ☞
but before anything I would like to clarify that I do N O T at all believe this is a 100% correct or even a 50% correct due to the fact that they cannot prove that all Ameri-indian/ Spanish or the mixed people are this and only of these ethnicities as I said there are many ethnicities other than the Ameri-indian/ Spanish! They left out many ethnicities that can not only fit under the other 1% and the white 9% but also a mix.  
Mexican is not a race or an ethnicity but a nationality with an existing amount of ethnicites and races! Most Mexicans are mixed mainly from Spanish and Indigenous blood and not even this is a guarantee as there have been many Mexicans who found they had traces of many other ethnicities. Although the majority of Mexicans are mixed they range from looks and one can be lighter than the other or look more indigenous than the other because most Mexicans are not a 50% indigenous or 50% Spanish mix one can be higher than the other so you get a varied amount of appearances. 

"A map of Mexican mestizos based on genetic studies (only including the European to Amerindian proportion, since Guerrero, Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche have significant African admixture). Blue = Euro-mestizo; Red = Indo-mestizo; Purple = “True” mestizo. Euro-mestizo means the average European admixture in a state’s mestizos is 55% or more. Indo-mestizo means the average Indian admixture in a state’s mestizos is 55% or more. “True” mestizo means a state’s mestizos have an average European admixture of 46-54% (compared to Amerindian admixture) or an average Amerindian admixture of 46-54% (compared to European admixture). All of this of course not counting African admixture."

                              Source- Learn a little More! (This is actually a great eye-opener of what Mexico is)
If you notice that central america is underneath Mexico I wanted to note that they have more indigenous roots and the Southern parts of Mexico most certainly share these roots with the parts of Central America that are closer!
My problem  with a lot of people is the lack of knowledge! People here think that we look a specific way and when they find someone who is light skinned and Mexican the first thing you hear is "You don't look Mexican" "I have never seen a white Mexican your probably Spanish" -The reason people don't 'see' "white" Mexicans is the same reason that you don't know unless you ask! You won't know what variety of people Mexico has unless you visit Mexico and it's not enough visiting one state but you'll see in many states what diversity holds there are certain parts of Mexico with more diversity ☝︎ as in the map shows! So no, it's not enough judging Mexico based on a majority of people you see because even what you see or what you are told does not represent all of Mexico, here in the US people come from certain parts of Mexico it's not uncommon to see people who look to be of the same race amongst certain parts of the US and it's mainly due to people whom have more history of certain ethnicities from certain parts of Mexico which are more rich in those ethnicities they immigrate from those states to closer parts of the USA. Also I think it's unfair to label all latinos as Mexicans which even I find to be ridiculous all latino countries have variety of races or ethnicites as well and although we have many similarities in cultures we still have many differences.

 

               I mainly don't like the stereotypical generalizations because it hides the difference of this magnificent culture and it hides or makes people question what they are supposed to look like as Mexican people. My cousins are a perfect example of how family can vary from race and unknown traces of origin. One of my cousins is white with light brown eyes and her brothers are olive skin tone with dark eyes, their mom is olive skin tone with green eyes while their dad is slightly darker with dark eyes, going back to their grandparents on their mother's side their grandmother is white with green eyes and brown hair most of the family on their mother's side is white and some family members with olive skin tone, on their father's side of the family their grandmother is also slightly darker with dark eyes and their grandfather was olive skin tone with silver hair and colored eyes; I think this is the beauty of a diverse family even without being sure of the origins of their ancestors. Of course, Mexico has people of all races but I think it's unfair to expect these people to be of one race or look one way when there is clearly a mix of different origins and race. Although race or traces of origin sometimes vary in certain parts of Mexico it is what makes Mexicans different. How can you apply 'one concept' to the amount of variety of Mexican citizens, how do other people know what a Mexican should look like when they haven't seen the variety of people Mexico is home to?

How is it possible that people generalize Mexico's diversity in to one category?

Mexican Football Fans

Mexico's People

Canelo Anyone?

Mexico's People

Selena Quintanilla 

 Mexican Americans in LA

Carlos Fierro

 

 Mexican whose descendants come from Japan

Alfonso Herrera

Mexican Football fans London 2012

Mexican Football Fans

Mexico's President

Marco Antonio Solis

Mexico's Team

Mexico's Football Players: "Chicharito" Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela, and Giovanni Dos Santos

Many people do not know that Mexico is very diverse and when you label all of Mexico under one generalization you are ignoring a large portion of Mexicans. It's even worst to see this ignorance within your own country. In states all over Mexico there is a great diversity in roots, history of origin of a person, and race. I feel that the diversity should be embraced and acknowledged; it is what makes Mexico, Mexico ! ! ! ! ! !
I don't like when people think of Mexican people in one way because Mexico is very diverse and it tends to hide the beauty of a country with multiple races and origin.