Essay On Mexican American Cultural Practices

Cultural Practices and Traditions Culturally, Mexican Americans have a beautiful array of unique traditions and values. Spirituality plays a large role in many Mexican American families. At 61%, the majority of Mexican Americans are Christian and belong to the Roman Catholic Church. (Pew Research Hispanic, 2015) Another major aspect of Mexican American culture is the emphasis placed on the extended family. Due to the fact that Mexican Americans are a collectivist and interdependent group, the extended family is one of the greatest avenues in which Mexican American people can retain and foster their culture. (Flores & Carey, 2000) There are a few key cultural values that are essential to Mexican culture. One of these is simpatia, which is the value of maintaining harmony, and avoiding direct confrontation. Simpatia can be seen in many aspects of interpersonal relationships among Mexican Americans, as it is quite important to keep interactions friendly, and pleasant. (Peterson et al., 2012) Another invaluable cultural ideal that Mexican Americans share is respeto, or respect. This term goes much deeper for Mexicans as it is not only just a term to describe respect for oneself and others, but also has meaning in that having a lack of respeto
Most Mexicans are Roman Catholic, and a smaller amount is Protestant. For many Mexican Americans, the Catholic Church plays an instrumental role in keeping families close and preserving Mexican culture. It’s also a great tool in maintaining the strength of local Mexican American communities. When unauthorized Mexican immigrants arrive in America, they are met with an unfamiliar culture and environment. However, one place they can seek solace from this new and scary situation is at church. By attending Mass and participating in church services and community, unauthorized immigrants can feel a sense of “home” and comfort. (Flores & Carey,