National Hispanic Heritage Month
Where traditions from Mexico merge with the USA culture
Today, in the United States, there are at least 38.5 million Mexicans, making it the first destination for immigrants from that country. Mexicans have been ‘arriving in America’ for at least 150 years. For this reason, there are at least five generations of Mexicans currently living in the United States.
Despite having 100% Mexican blood, each generation has experienced different social and cultural challenges in the United States. Their preferences and lifestyle are nothing like those from when they first arrived. We can also detect that the new generations are increasingly moving further away from the immigrant experience of the first generation. This event leads to full integration into American society, which causes a disconnection of their roots with Mexico.
Now, we will tell you more about what has happened to each of these generations.
First-generation: Mexico, still in my heart
As for the first generation, there is still a strong bond with their Mexican roots. They do their best to keep their preferences, culture, and social structures intact. Much of this population does not speak English perfectly, so they limit themselves to interact with the Latino community. They still enjoy preparing the typical food of our country, such as tamales, pozole, or the delicious cup of Chocolate Ibarra® for family dinner.
Second generation: embracing new traditions
As for the second generation, the so-called “Mexican Americans” seek to gain integration into the American community, so they strive to learn the language and culture of that country. A prominent characteristic of the second generation is that they speak both languages fluently and coexist perfectly between the two worlds. For much of their life, they have known and consumed traditional Mexican brands.
Third and fourth generation: the USA is my home
From the third and fourth generations, English replaced Spanish almost entirely. A marked preference for American products, services, flavors, and traditions began to be detected. Only at parties or family gatherings, these generations are exposed to Mexican traditions and typical dishes.
For at least five years, it has been detected that “Mexico is hot”, and we’re not talking about the weather. We can observe endless collaborations in the fashion and film industries, and Mexican or Latino flavors in our products, among other things. This new trend, allows the fourth and fifth generations to get back to their roots and experience a bit of typical Mexico.
This trend is called ‘nostalgia‘. Today, we can detect a product segment that has detonated an interesting market in the United States. Throughout the country, there are numerous self-service chains where most of the products available are Mexican or of Hispanic origin. In the beginning, these supermarkets predominated in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix. Today we can find a bottle of Tajín or Salsa Tapatío in remote areas such as Happy Camp, California.
Fortuna magazine mentions that, as of today, more dollars are spent on hot sauce than ketchup in the United States.
Along with this, numerous studies mention that Mexicans, being out of their land, miss their family and food. Let’s be honest: we are the best at organizing meetings, where we eat until we burst and prepare the best hot chocolate with Chocolate Ibarra®. Who wouldn’t miss skipping the diet like that?
If you were to leave Mexico, what would you miss the most?
